Mike Stanley and Danny Bevins To Tape Comedy Album at Lakeshore Theater Aug. 20
The Lakeshore Theater is again the backdrop for another hilarious night of comedy, to be filmed and edited for posterity and available to future generations to come. Danny Bevins (Jameson Comedy Tour, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, 2006 US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen) and local area workhorse-roadster-all-around-great-guy Mike Stanley will perform their comedic stylings, in conjunction with Stand Up! Records, tomorrow, August 20, at 9 p.m. In addition to the show tomorrow, we're especially excited to check out Bevins' recent project, We Love You, Mrs. Bevins, a documentary about a comedy tour through Iraq during the current conflict.
The Bastion wasn't able to make the rollicking DC Comedy Fest this year, so we asked one of our favorite performer correspondents, Robert Buscemi, for some details about his experience there. After recovering for a week or so, he was able to put together this fantastic little piece for us. And if you're Flickr friends with Joselyn Hughes, you can peep some of the behind-the-scenes nonsense that she captured for posterity.
The Chicago talent at the DC Comedy Festival was THICK, boy. Just as Rooftop Comedy and the Rooftop Aspen Comedy Festival sees lots of our work through their partnership with Chicago Underground Comedy, The DC Fest has eyed our talent pool for years now, and founder Blaire Postman manages Kumail Ali (formerly Nanjiani) and Jared Logan, and (I'm told) was very, very impressed at the audition showcase upstairs at the Beat Kitchen a few months back. So I would say to the newer comics who felt they did well that night, it probably registered. Sometimes it just takes a couple of years to keep turning in good work and auditions before they book you. By all means, keep the powers that be apprised of what you're doing. The Internet and online video have closed the communication and exposure gaps beautifully, so take advantage.
So. The fest itself. (Deep sigh.)
The whole ship ran very, very, very smoothly, in my observation. The Onion and Rooftop Comedy were two of several sponsors, which was way cool. We all stayed at the coolio Hotel Helix, which had free wine and Champagne 5 to 6:30 every evening. Venues were all pretty close. I saw an excellent panel (which was packed with fans and all-star panelists) on politics and comedy, and the big awards show. And I have to say it: Industry* were everywhere. (*"Industry" usually just means regular, friendly comedy people who happen to occupy positions with entities that employ or broadcast performers and writers. People in LA and NYC know they're approachable and relatively ordinary folk in general, many with their own writing and performing resumes, since they see them around at shows, but it can be a tougher lesson to grasp in Chicago, since TV and film aren't as pervasive.) In general there was a huge sense of camaraderie and of being taken excellent care of as a performer.
For me, far and away the highlight was hosting Friday's sold-out, prime-time "Chicago Comedy" show at the famous DC Improv. Hannibal Buress, Joselyn Hughes, Jared Logan, Brady Novak, and Team Submarine shook the rafters. The buzz afterward was that it was among the best shows of the weekend. I have DC connections and had five civilians in the audience, and they all raved.
To continue the roll call of Chicago talent who performed at the festival … Brooke Van Poppelen, Cayne Collier, Deb Downing, Greg Mills, Hey You Millionaires, Kumail Ali, Pete Grosz, Pat O'Brien, Pete Holmes, and TJ Miller. Not to mention films by auteurs Jordan Vogt-Roberts and Steve Delahoyde. Some great non-Chicagoans I saw perform: Tig Notaro, Todd Barry, and Andi Smith. A few personal faves I've seen before but didn't manage to see at the fest: Myq Kaplan, JB Smoove, Reggie Watts, and Baron Vaughn.
The festival did one thing which I've never seen before, that I loved. They had a rough-and-ready upstairs bar ("Solly's") booked for all three nights from 7 to 11 PM for informal sets by festival comics, run by a couple of local DC comics. Like a Schuba's for the festival, and they'd put you up when they could and according to when you had to scram for a showcase. You could use notes and do newer stuff and noodle around and shoot the shniz with other comics at a casual, clubby show. Nice non-comic crowds when I was there too. Other fests would do well to copy this, since it meant you could get in an extra, looser show under your belt before your bigger showcases.
What else? Of course lots of shuttling around to happy hours and then late shows and late parties with lots of good booze and good people, and 2 AM would come and go with no one paying much attention, which was fun, until breakfast the next day with your non-Festival friends, of course.
Ah well. It's the price you pay. All around a wonderful time, a very, very well done affair, and a glorious showing from the Windy City. Did my heart good to see my friends kicking such massive boo-tay.
Sean McCarthy of the blog The Comic's Comic talks about his experience at the DC Comedy Fest; lots of familiar names dropped in this write-up. He also alludes to a rumor we've heard from a few places unofficially -- TJ Miller recently auditioning (or pre-auditioning?) for Saturday Night Live. More once we get a hold of that guy. He's pretty busy.
Paul Thomas's solo show and latest project (because he needs yet another), "Comedogenic", opens tomorrow at Donny's Skybox.
First, we have to thank today's interviewee, David Pasquesi, for indirectly being the reason The Bastion was born. When we were studying comedy writing at Second City awhile back, we blogged about seeing him at Nookie's after class one day, and the Apiary's editor saw that blog entry and contacted us about starting The Bastion. So thanks, Dave, for being at Nookie's that day.
When did you first become interested in acting and comedy, and how did you go about getting started?
I was a fan of comedy as a kid. Loved The Marx Brothers, had heard of The Second City, but had never been on stage. When I was in college I tagged along with my older brother to the Players Workshop of the Second City. I had Judy Morgan (Second City alumna) as a teacher, and she was wonderful. I got hooked right then. For the first time I really had great fun doing something. I then read the book, Something Wonderful Right Away, by Jeff Sweet, and that cinched it. And Chicago improvisation has this great tradition of really cool people. Then I finished college and along the way, I met Joel Murray and we performed a bit, then I went with him to Del Close’s workshops when he was coming up with The Harold. Just happened into it.
We first noticed you as Stu the Meat Man on Strangers with Candy. How did that gig come about, and what was the most fun part of doing that show?
Like many things, it came from friends. Paul Dinello, Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris and Mitch Rouse all worked on Strangers and were friends from Second City in Chicago and had brought me out to work on their previous show Exit 57. The most fun was that I got to work with friends. It is always better to work with people you like.
Can you confirm and\or share your impression of the awesomeness of Amy Sedaris?
I am not at liberty to either confirm or deny her awesomeness.
No, she is great. She and the rest of the group are really fun to be around.
As you may know, you and your iO performance partner TJ Jagodowski are regarded by Chicago improv students as sort of living legends. How did you meet him and what do you think is unique about your relationship with him that makes it possible for you to do what you do?
TJ and I first performed together in a group that was cobbled together for one performance at the Chicago Improv Festival many years ago. I thought, “Hm, that guy’s really good.” Also, he has a great spirit and he and I seem to believe that improvisation can be wonderful. After that show, we started to discuss what we’d want to do on stage. And Charna Halpern gave us a stage at the iO and we started doing the show we still do. Now about the relationship. It is strange that we seem to communicate quite well, which is very helpful for improvisation. There’s really no reason for it. I had a similar thing once before, with Joel Murray. We improvised very well together and knew one another’s unusual logic or perspective. But we had been roommates in college and had spent a great deal of time together and in many weird situations. So it makes sense. But with TJ, it has been the same since day one…. But with no explanation.
Pasquesi stars in the Steve Delahoyde joint, Regrets: Hobbies.
You spent time earlier this summer in Italy shooting "Angels and Demons." What is your role in that movie like, and did you enjoy your time there?
I played a Vatican cop who speaks Italian and English with an Italian accent. Very little comedy. Had a ball doing it. Are you kidding? It was a great time. And it was Rome. I love Rome.
There seems to be an opinion floating around the Internet that you look like you could be Adrien Brody's equally hot older brother. Any thoughts on that?
I have not heard of the similarity before.
Equally hot? Really? We’re equally hot? Hm. Me. And Adrien Brody. Is he even hot?
We've been seeing your face on CTA buses this summer, in ads for your new show Factory. How much improv goes on in a show like that, and do you prefer roles that allow you to be a little more flexible like that?
The show is improvised. We write outlines and then we shoot. So we know what has to happen within a scene. I love it. It is great to have the freedom to say what you want. Also, the entire cast is made up of people from Second City or iO from Chicago, so it is great fun to goof around with old friends.
Photo of Pasquesi, right, with comedy partner TJ Jagodowski, lovingly snagged from the Villager.
Good open mics are as important to any city's stand-up scene as good showcases. Terrible open mics not only make you wonder if you're any good as a comic, they make you wonder if you even like comedy anymore. Ever had a night like this? You get there 40 minutes before the show starts to get your name on the list. A Cubs game blares in one corner of the bar, competing for attention. The host fails to make efforts to keep the crowd warmed up, or, worse, is openly hostile to the audience and/or the comics he's hosting. The host bumps you down the list so he can put his latecoming friends up earlier, forcing you to sit for three plus hours waiting your turn to try out new jokes to a largely indifferent audience.
A good open mic makes you feel welcome. If the host and/or producer doesn't know you already, he talks to you and watches your performance to see what you're all about, and if you become a regular, where you fit into the grand scheme of things. A good open mic is a place where you can try new things you're a little unsure of, and walk away with some idea whether those new jokes have potential. And when your five minutes are up, you can wander to the front of the room for another beer, checking in with familiar faces along the way.
Adam Burke and Cameron Esposito are collectively running two new-ish open mics in Chicago right now, and we're pretty sure you can count on them to run consistently good rooms. First, every Thursday at 9:30 there's the Straight-Up Stand-Up open mic at Chinasky's, formerly Whiskey Road (1935 N. Damen). Sign up at 9:00 and expect, as Burke says, "just a down-and-dirty open mic. Comics get 5 minutes and we go for as long as there are comics to put up or until the bar closes."
Then, every other Wednesday at 9:30 (the next one is the 20th) Esposito and Burke are running an open mic at Charleston (2076 N. Hoyne). The format and frequency are in flux right now but we can confirm there are $3.75 well drink specials for the cheapskate drunks among us.
Burke acknowledges he's learned a lot from Your Sunday Best open mic, every Sunday night at Schubas, run by James Fritz and hosted by Prescott Tolk. Or, as he said, "for my money Schuba's is the best open mic in the city, and I'm trying to blatantly copy everything that they do so well."
Andrew DeWitt @ Apollo Theater Chicago 8/09/08, by Elizabeth McQuern.
Dan Telfer @ Apollo Theater Chicago 8/9/08, by Elizabeth McQuern.
Tron Guy Jay Maynard guest stars in "The Sickest F***ing Stories I Ever Heard," photo by Trefrog66.
Allison Leber at Chicago Underground Comedy, by Elizabeth McQuern.
John Leadley at Chicago Underground Comedy, by Elizabeth McQuern.
Nate Craig at Chicago Underground Comedy, by Elizabeth McQuern.
Contestants at the final Don't Spit the Water show, August 9, 2008, by Elizabeth McQuern.
Ken Barnard as Nicky Mouse and a contestant at Don't Spit the Water, August 9, 2008, by Elizabeth McQuern.
Erica Reid as Cutie Bumblesnatch and a contestant at Don't Spit the Water, August 9, 2008, by Elizabeth McQuern.
Chip Aucoin of the Chicago Sashay Dancers at Don't Spit the Water, August 9, 2008, by Elizabeth McQuern.
See your photos here! We can't be everywhere. Do you have a Flickr account? Are you taking pictures at Chicago comedy shows? Add them to the the Bastion Flickr pool or email us here. Links are preferred to pictures. Thanks!
The Bastion went to the Water Tower Theater Sunday night to see the Lookingglass Theatre Company's production of Alice, and was impressed to see one half of sketch troupe KevInda, Kevin Douglas, in multiple roles. Let's just say the guy is brilliantly talented. The entire play was a visual feast and every member of the cast performed incredible physical, dramatic, and comedic stunts. If you're ever in the mood to take a break from your usual comedy routine and see some theater, we highly recommend scoring some cheap ($20) tickets like we did.
Jena Friedman is moving to New York in a few weeks, and though, as she says, "I'll really miss the Chicago scene and the people and entertaining Julia (her weekly stand-up show at Town Hall Pub)," she's excited to be taking her musical comedy Refugee Girls to the Fringe Fest in New York. Before then, check out her two preview parties for the show at the Lakeshore Theater on Aug 13th and 14th at 8 pm (tickets $10). The parties will feature "some awesome comedians - Palascak, The Puterbaughs, Hannibal, Fay, and a bunch of other jokers we all know and love," said Jena.
The Chicago Comedy Series at the Apollo Studio Theater this Friday and Saturday night will be repeating the lineup from this clip, which features gregariously hilarious series host Andrew DeWitt, Bryan Bowden, and Dan Telfer, and to sweeten the pot, this week's show will also include the uber-talented Adam Burke (sadly NOT featured in this clip, tho!):
Bastion Video: Kyle Kinane and David Angelo Interviews and Performance Clips
We're kicking off a new feature here at the Bastion -- original video content. Check out our first effort at combining performance clips and live interview bits with Kyle Kinane and David Angelo, Chicago comedians who are now exploring opportunities in Los Angeles and New York, respectively, but come back to visit us every once in awhile.
And by "opportunities," we mean performing at Comedy Death Ray, in sketches on the Carson Daly show, and at Pete Holmes' fabled Gutbucket show at the UCB Theater, not to mention hanging out with Holmes, John Mulaney, Kumail, and at least one half of Team Submarine at Coney Island on Memorial Day. (We'll let you figure out which guy did what.)
And if you're doing stuff like this - catching shows and/or talking to comedians on tape - send us a link and we might share your stuff, too.
Pix from a Second City student improv show on the main stage, Sunday August 3, 2008, by Elizabeth McQuern:
Cathcart & Olson at The San Francisco Improv Festival, photos by Clay Robeson:
Don't Spit the Water, August 2, 2008, featuring amazing special guest, Jay Maynard, also known as internet phenomenon (and eventual show winner) The Tron Guy:
Kristen Studard, as "A Cat," tries to make Tron Guy spit:
...and eventually succeeds:
July 29, 2008 Chicago Underground Comedy photos by Bryan Bowden.
Did you have a long, hot, exhausting week? So did we. So much so that we didn't hold ourselves to a daily posting schedule this week. But today even after letting ourselves off the hook from writing altogether, we were laughing aloud at recent blog entries by some folks in our orbit and we thought we'd share.
First, Matt Braunger talks about preparing for his first season on MadTV:
I start hanging out with the writers next week for Mad. Basically, I hang out and pitch ideas. My only worry is becoming that guy who won't leave at a party. "You guys want some coffee or anything?" "Fucking no, dude! Stop standing in the corner and staring at us!"
Luckily I've met most of them and they seem like nice folks, so there's that. Also, the cast is super amazingly cool. I went to a press gala for Fox at the Santa Monica Pier last week and they couldn't have been cooler to me. And I got to hang out with JB Smoove! You may know him as the greatest man working in television today.
Of course, none of this has sunk in at all. Probably won't until we tape in front of a live audience for the first time. Seriously. Right now I'm just trying (usually failing) to write, going to my acting class, going to physical therapy, doing shows around town, and drinking with pals on the weekends. The pictures they took of me on the red carpet at the gala have, as far as I know, been destroyed. I KNEW I should have threw my arm around Hugh Laurie's shoulder. Boy, that was bizarre. The publicist walked along next to me and would announce to the camerapeople, "This is Matt Braunger. He just joined the cast of Mad TV." And then they'd smile and take my picture, laughing as I said such typical red carpet dialogue as, "I don't know what to do right now" and "Where do I look?" and "Do people usually smile?"
Then, Braunger's tale of the mysteries of feline carnality:
I just heard what sounded like the worst catfight/fuck ever. Angry yowling and furry thrashing. Then it stops. Looking outside I see two cats laying side-by-side peacefully in a sunbeam, looking at each other. It suddenly occurs to me that I've heard them do this before. There's the horrible cat sounds (rare), and the two annoying dogs who bark at nothing all day (all the time). Kyle was right when I told him about them and he said, "Time for a poison steak." I've considered it.
But I wonder what makes the cats go crazy, then lazy. Sure, sex is the first thing that comes to mind, but I don't think that's it. I think they're like Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor back in the day.
"Fuck you!"
"No, fuck you!!!"
[angry yelling and hard punches and slaps, furniture being destroyed]
[silence]
"Oh, I can't stay mad at you. Come lay with me in the sun."
"Christ, I'm drunk."
"Me too, my love."
Yeah, that's it. Mystery solved.
Dan Polydoris tallies up the sum of his eBay purchasing shame:
I literally just finished the transaction for one of the top five lamest ebay purchases in my life. I am officially now (thanks to Buy It Now!) the proud owner of an ABC's "Lost" Series One John Locke Action Figure. All it took was some money, a couple of minutes on Paypal, and most of my dignity. On top of that, this isn't even the first (or worst) investment I've made on ebay.
Some of my other notable ebay purchases (in no specific order):
1970's Lord of the Rings Brass Belt Buckle
The Elvish writing on it states, "Speak friend and enter." Surprisingly, no woman has ever gotten close enough to read it.
Set of Four Loose/Incomplete A-Team Action Figures
I spend more time with them than with my girlfriend.
1980's Vintage Pacman Lunchbox with Thermos
Nothing says "retro" like being the creepy temp in the office eating his lunch out of this gem.
Vintage A-Team Helicopter with Accessories
I had already bought the team. How the hell were they supposed to get around?
Mint on Card Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Action Figure
The UPS driver punched me in the face immediately upon the delivery.
And finally, Mike Burns encounters a seemingly fit and healthy Los Angeles lady...or is she?
This morning while getting my morning 44 oz. fountain Mountain Dew from the Shell station, there was a woman, presumably fresh from a yoga or gym workout, dressed in appropriate clothing for such an activity. Made me feel bad like she had already worked out and was ready to go into her day, while I was just barely starting mine, having only accomplished the smoking of 3 Parliaments and about to drink a sand pail of white trash breakfast juice.
She was, oh, maybe in her late 30's, in excellent shape, etc. etc...
Anyway, so this gal is getting herself 2 big ol' energy drinks...I look closer and notice that they're not energy drinks, they're some sort of Sparks-esque 8.0% alcohol fruity malt liquor beverages. Mind you this is 10:30 am.
Then, she leans over the counter and says, "Do you have any scissors?"
The clerk says, "yes", and she says, "can you cut this off and throw it away for me?", extending her wrist and displaying a hospital bracelet.
He did as instructed, and she walked out the door, cracking one of the brown paper wrapped cans of anti-shakes medicine on the way out the door.
Looks like someone just either snuck out of rehab or spent the night in a government bed, sick with alcohol poisoning, and needed to avoid the d.t.s.
The Bastion went to the Water Tower Theater Sunday night to see the 
First, 
And finally, 
