Boiler Room

    I've been walking a lot more lately now that I live close into the city. the walk to boiler room is nice, and I get to cross one of the many bridges so it is quite scenic.
     My set is pretty terrible, but that's what open mic is for. Only 5 people in the bar so....fuck it.
    I stayed out till two o'clock singing karaoke...so it was worth it

Curious Comedy Theater

     its been a long time since I've been in this theater...too long. I'm glad to be back, the stage is set and the audience, although small is here to have a good time. I'm the only person on the bill to even show up, luckily there are a lot of my friends / comedians here to fill in the spots.
    Show starts around 10 o'clock, and I'm the third one up. I started off pretty slow, but it works with my opening bit. Everything goes pretty well, my closer gets a decent response and I walk off the stage with a smile. Afterwards I head out with friends to hang out for a bit at the White Owl.
      Twas a good night.

Dan Mintz

    My friend gave me some free tickets to see one of my favorite comedians tonight, Dan Mintz. It was set in the Mississippi studios theater, a small but grand little of venue in North Portland. There were probably around 60 people in the audience for the show, which is crazy because this guy should have no problem filling the house but yet there were quite a few empty seats.
     My friend Jason was the host and did fantastic. he had a great rant about Christian Death Metal, I hope you fans on it cause I would love to hear more on the topic. Derek Sheen from Seattle was the feature spot and he killed it as usual. And then of course Dan was the headliner. Be there in about 45 minutes, giving just enough time in between jokes for laughter. And there was lots of laughter, this guy is a joke riding machine.
    I left the theater and head out to Gypsy. this is the last night for comedy at Gypsy so I figured I would be there. as usual there was a very sparse crowd made up of only comics, & I regretted being there. But that's how the ball rolls, you take the good with the bad. I'm still glad I went, I got to bs with friends, and tell some random jokes. productivity is always a good thing.

Bleachers

     I'm at a little bar called Bleachers in Beaverton tonight. A typical sports bar with plasma screen TVs hanging all over the room and the Big Buck Hunter arcade machine standing alongside the many video poker machines.
    I arrived a bit early, and made a shortstop to the local Goodwill (since I was in the area I figured why not?) but unfortunately I struck out. No matter, I take a table in the back corner and start writing down notes and watching a random interview with Mike Tyson on ESPN. 30 minutes to showtime, about 15 to 20 people in the bar, no sign of the host or other comedian...classic. Seems like a pretty chill bar, not too many bro looking people. I'm feeling positive.
     The show went fairly well, everybody did their time and got a decent response from the audience. not too many people really paying attention, a lot of people were talking loudly and playing video lottery which is classic sports bar showcase action. I had a couple of hits and a couple of messes, then I got to hang out and get high with some friends. so definitely a good night.
   

7 corners

    this bar is quickly becoming a popular late night hang out for the local comics. I am the first one in tonight, & I sit alone at a table writing untilthe host shows up. She arrives at 830 and I put my name on the list. A bunch of other people start trickling in around that time, & I don't recognize most of them. I guess I'm just getting to be an old comic now, most of the people here are new. but that's how it is, comedy is just a revolving door in some ways. There is always going to be someone new coming into the scene.
     The bar is pretty nice and divey, just the way I like it. Bathed in blue light, with a few small circle tables scattered around, and it's also close to where I live.
    The host start the show right at 9 o'clock and does well, getting the energy up and using a hula hoop while telling jokes. I watch all of my friends and fellow comics take their turns and for the most part the room is pretty quiet. its only comics, and not too much laughter though it's not completely dead either. I went up number 8, and I hate to toot my own horn but I felt I had a pretty good set. Using some brand new material and tying it into some older stuff, it worked out well.
    I left with a smile on my face.

Boiler Room

    A beautiful Monday eve spent at the Boiler. The weather is perfect so I walked here, only a couple miles and I get to go over a bridge so its scenic. I wear my headphones but am not listening to music, they just make me feel better about talking to myself in public.
    I'm one of the first comics there but they slowly show up and fill the room. Very small list, maybe 15 comics and about 15 spectators so there is a nice balance. The multi colored lights are reflecting off the mirror ball and are circling the room. I love the dive bar ambience in this place. Its not too pretty or too gritty, its just right.
    I go up 4th with some new material and it goes suprisingly well. Then I sit in the back corner under the mirror ball and watch my friends take their turns. Some hits, some misses.. but that's what an open mic is for.

Harveys....

    another weekend at Harveys! I'm hosting six shows Friday through Sunday and am pretty excited about it. I will update this post as the weekend progresses.
    First shows on Friday go great, the 730 crowd is super loud and they are digging me. The 10 o'clock show is a little less enthusiastic, which is a surprise given that they should all be pretty drunk by now, there was a Blues Festival in town and people have been drinking since 2 in the afternoon. They are pretty chatty as well for the later show. The headliner has to wrestle with them to keep them quiet during her set. But she's a professional, and she handles it well, she shut people down quick. This was a great way to spend Friday and I wouldn't want it any other way.
   

Helium and Dantes

     Tonight started off at helium, a very small audience tonight. The weather has been a wonderful outside, and when the suns out the comedy audiences are usually pretty small. Nobody was sitting in the front two rows of seats, so it seemed pretty empty. Regardless I go up there got a nice 5 minute set near the end, have a good time with some new material and chalk it up as a win. I did a lot of crowd work and just kind of freestyle my set.
     Then I am off to Dante's. It is a very small crowd maybe 5 or 6 people in the audience, and I am the feature comic at the show. Such an empty room, it was quite hilarious in the aspect of despair. Talking to an empty dark room, reminds me of a usual night at home, its very grounding. But hey, it was still a good time overall. Dante's has been one of my favorites spot to do comedy because it's usually a small city crowd, and it reminds me of when I first started out, working in dive bars.