Summer headshot

My parents came up and visited this weekend. Unfortunatly for my comedy, I love my parents and we have a very functional relationship together. They don’t understand where my need to perform on stage comes from, but what they can understand is our shared love for all things fermented, but not distilled, so basically beer and wine. On saturday, we made like any upper middle class white family with kids over 21 and visited the great warehouse wineries of Woodinville, Washington. Six wineries later we ended up at Redhook brewery and captured this picture which looks strangly like a version of my bearded self 4 months ago (see “Images” section).

I think I’m doing a pretty good job holding it together in my sunglass that I think were stolen from my couisn’s Bat Mitzvah. I need sunglasses like 17 days out of the year here, and I usually loose things like that, so I haven’t invested in a decent pair. My parents and I shared some nachos, which were of course, the best nachos we had ever had, but that could have been the 6 wine tastings and a pint of beer talking. On the way out, my parents attempted to buy me a hat…

Ya I didn’t end up getting a hat, and my Dad still wonders why I insist on making faces like this when he tries to take a picture of me sometimes. After a long family dinner at my grandfather’s condo, my parents saw me do standup for the first time live at Laughs Comedy Spot in Kirkland. They then promply passed out from the long day and I had to drive them home. Thanks Mom and Dad for the awesome weekend and all the support!

Its no FAJÄRKKEN

This is what my friend Max sent me after his last trip to “The Ikea”…

I’m glad that my comedy is ringing true for some people

Why I love hosting

Last night I hosted for the stand-up troupe, “Stand-up and Deliver” at Laughs Comedy Spot in Kirkland. The members of that troupe are all very nice people and pretty good comics. That being said, I totally shit on everyone’s introductions from the get-go. I called a guy by the wrong name, forgot one of their last names, and called a Mrs. a Mr. That being said, it became this great running gag and the comic agility that I’ve been working so hard to get good at meant that I never really lost the crowd. So ya, it was a great show, and on of the reasons I love hosting.

That being said, I have a lot of non-hosting gigs coming up next month. Check out my MySpace page right now for a complete listing of performances. Coming up next week is Bumbershoot, which I’m getting more and more excited about performing at. It will be a chance to introduce what a do to a whole new slew of people.

Other notables this week: I wrote down 3 new premises that I’m looking forward to trying out next week at the open mics. This weeks open mic, my friend Jeff and his family and friends paid a visit to the Owl & Thistle. For their efforts, Jeff left with a slashed tire…

Booked as a Feature

Yes friends, the time has come when Brian moves up from a host to the coveted next role of “feature”. Its like I’m leveling up in some MMORPG, but its in real life and almost as nerdy. Basically, it means I’m going to be doing all my best material, almost 30 mins worth. The definition of best will be determined on how close I am to having 30 mins by the time I have to do this. Here are the tentative details:

Laughs Comedy Spot (12099 124th Ave NE, Kirkland, WA 98034)

October 24th & 25th, 8 & 10pm shows. There is a special preview show on Thursday the 23rd as well.

I’m doing two shows each night, plus the one on Thursday, so I’ll be doing a more than two hours of comedy that weekend. On the 19th I will be turning 25, my quarter century birthday. So this could be an awesome birthday present, or a reason to quit comedy. You won’t know unless you check it out. I’ll probably have a new clip come out of this weekend so if you’re not in Seattle, check back here after to see something.

Bite of Seattle

This weekend I hosted the “Bite of Seattle”, hosted by Comcast. I must have said that phrase a million times. This was my first big hosting gig outside of a comedy club, so that experience alone was worth it. I got to introduce some great headliners over the weekend. Some of the notables that performed included:

• Brad Upton
• Geoff Lott
• Joe Vespaziani
• Andy Peters
• Jack Mayberry
• Rod Long
• Marc Yaffee
• Vince Valenzuela
• Dax Jordan

What a list I know. And it was all for free! We had people staying the whole day. I think we handed out like 500 free passes to the Mainstage and Laughs Comedy Spot.

I was really shaky the first day, but by the end of the weekend I was flying through the intros. Sunday we had a special treat, the “Las Chica Cazadores”. I couldn’t say it because I’m very white and very Jewish. The lovely ladies travel around the country promoting Cazadores tequila with their amazing tequila tasting talent (read: amazing bodies and voices). I got to introduce and take them off stage, there was some touching, and a lot of douchebags in the audience who were jealous I’m sure (I know of at least one). My favorite line this weekend was after the ladies left the stage going, “I’m sure a lot of you guys had to turn to your wives right now and go, ‘I didn’t know, they said it was going to to be comedy, oh well might as well stay.’”

I didn’t do much comedy at the hosting gig but it was a chance to watch a lot of great comedians work and talk to them about the life of a comedian. I got paid too which helps. Ready for a new week and I have a lot of new material that I can’t wait to try out on stage.

Bremerton, WA: Thanks for the laughs…

Last night I had one of my first “road gigs” out to Bremerton, Washington. I want to say first road gig as it was the most time spent in the car to do comedy. One and a half hours there and the same back. It went fast due to the comedy stylings of Patton Oswald and his “222″ album. If you’ve never heard it, you must check it out. I cried laughing at one point, and I don’t think I’ve done that in a long time. I digress.

Bremerton was a great gig, over at the Cloverleaf Bar & Grill. Its in the Kmart parking lot in Bremerton, wherever that is, I wasn’t driving. Headlining was the great Peter Grey, who will be headlining at Laugh’s Comedy Spot July 5th. I’ve never actually watched him do more than an open mic set, so it was great to watch him really stretch out and be hilarious. One the way home, we “talked shop” about the comedy scene in Seattle and the next steps for my career. I look forward to working with him and all the other Seattle greats in the coming months (ie, comedy greats, take me with you to gigs please).

I probably need a haircut, but until then, like the awesome entertainer that I am, I will continue to make it a part of my act until that happens. No big gigs on the horizon yet for any of my adoring fan, but I’ll be sure to let you know when that happens.