photos by Chris Graham

The Wrens

"Some major changes have been made to the lay-out of the [Sasquatch] festival. The medium-sized stage (Wookie Stage) had been moved, as had the small stage (Yeti Stage) to make room for the new Comedy/Dance Tent. It didn't take long to get used to that, though...

...[The Wrens] did most of the songs from "Meadowlands", their bassist/keyboardist Kevin Wheelan exhorted the crowd multiple times and climbed atop his amplifiers, and the guys played like their lives depended on doing the best they have ever done. Their approach to the music is, in a word, fierce. [VARIOUS ECSTASIES]

Continue reading "Sasquatch 2009 - Day 2 in pics "

It's been a while since I posted much comedy-related news, and the last thing I did post turned out to be somewhat of a false alarm caused by completely erroneous listings on Ticketmaster and Live Nation (which they've since corrected). Sorry about that.

Eugene Mirman & Bobby Tisdale cakes, final Invite Them Up (Anya Garrett)


One of the bigger bits of NYC comedy related news was the final installment of Invite Them Up which took place at the still-to-remain-open Rififi on 2/27/08. It was the last of three final shows and, having heard the crowds weren't actually that insane at the previous two, I decided to get there at 8pm sharp. That was a huge mistake. When I arrived the bar was so full that I couldn't even close the door behind me. As the crowd began to file into the live room, I knew there was no way I'd fit in there either, so I decided to watch the show on a large flatscreen from a stool at the bar. The evening's line-up was absolutely insane and featured Kristen Schaal, Jim Gaffigan, Slovin & Allen, Todd Barry,Chelsea Peretti, Eugene Mirman, Jon Glaser & Jon Benjamin, and Demetri Martin. Craig Baldo did the very final "30 Seconds of Stand-Up" during which Rififi received a noise complaint from one of the neighbors.

a cop storms Rififi (Heather Fink)

Because the bar itself was completely packed and everyone was really focusing their attention to the flatscreen, I don't feel like I missed anything by not being in the actual live room. Plus, being at the bar I never had to wait for a beer which was truly joyous. Like every other ITU I've gone to, I left this one extremely drunk and amply satisfied with the fantastic comedy they gave me for a mere $5. Although I am sad to see ITU go, the reality is that it isn't the only cheap, awesome, and reliable comedy showcase in town. We've still got Greg and Larry, Totally J/K, Tearing the Veil of Maya, CBS/NYC, Sweet, ITU's replacement Gelmania, and so many more. So cheer up.

Demetri Martin, Invite Them Up RIP (Driven By Boredom)

One night later I co-hosted our first installment of Rock 'n' ROFL at Pianos, but more about that HERE. Stay tuned for another announcement coming any second with the lineup of our March 31st edition.

Keep reading for news, upcoming shows, videos and more....

Continue reading "Klaus Kinski's Comedy Canon (03/22/08)"

words by Jon Roren, photos by Marianne Ways

Todd Barry and Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo) @ Rififi, Feb 26, 2008

Eugene Mirman

The penultimate Invite Them Up at Rififi Tuesday night (Feb 26, 2008) was perhaps as close to perfection as downtown comedy gets. It was also about as crowded as it gets. There were so many people that they had to open up the back room, put up a projection screen and seat people in there. This of course inspired some visual humor with Eugene Mirman standing in between rooms, watching himself in the back room while waving his arm in front of the camera in the main room a la "Spaceballs."

Continue reading "Invite Them Up, night 2 of 3 final shows (pics & recap) "

Tonight (Sept 21) The Knitting Factory is hosting a show that is so incredible and so insanely inexpensive that I'm beside myself with joy. The Knit is playing host to the Variety Shac DVD release party. For those who don't know, Variety Shac is a sensational music and comedy shindig featuring Shonali Bhowmik, Heather Lawless, Andrea Rosen and Chelsea Peretti that happens monthly at Galapagos. Not only will this show bring us new sketches and videos c/o Variety Shac, but the bill also includes Zach Galifianakis, Fred Armisen, Eugene Mirman, Michael Showalter and artist Cory Arcangel.. I'm not sure how Cory Arcangel fits into all of the, but as an employee of a museum, I can almost guarantee you it'll involve video projections.....

$8.00 tickets are miraculously still on sale. However, I have 2 PAIRS to give away! TO WIN e-mail BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: VARIETY SHAC) and tell us your favorite comedian - the first and tenth emails right now WIN. Include your first and last name in the email. Winners will be notified, loser will not.

And speaking of Fred Armisen; remember how I mentioned a few weeks ago that Fred been working on a new short video series called ThunderAnt with ex-Sleater-Kinney guitarist/vocalist Carrie Brownstein? Well they're up and you can see them here.....

Continue reading "Klaus says go to Variety Shac tonight, WIN TIX + new Fred Armisen/Sleater Kinney videos"