Helium Vs The Wheel

Tonight I am on a show at Helium Comedy Club called vs the wheel hosted by David and Adam. It's a great show that's been going on a long time and is now getting its own monthly showcases at Helium. Show premise is simple enough, you do 5 to 10 minutes of prepared material then you have to spin a wheel and improv off of the wheel suggestions.
   I go up first and have a pretty decent 5 minutes of opening material then get my first spin. The wheel was against me tonight. Both of my spins where it's not good. For my first spin I got characters. Which means I had to do jokes in character. I do not do characters. At all. Ever. So for my first character it was just really loud confident man which translated to me screaming at the audience like an asshole. For my second character it was super Southern hick guy which actually was easy enough for me and I told my swastika tattoo joke.
  My Second Spin was even worse. One liners. I am a Storyteller. That's what I do. So I was pretty screwed. I opened up my one-liners set with my cocaine off a stranger's dick joke because that's my quickest. And it hit really really hard. It was really good I kind of wish I had recorded it, way better audience reaction to that joke and that joke ever would deserve. Then I followed it up with my quicker jokes and it only got worse but I still ended well.
   Overall it was actually a very fun night, it just sucks when the wheel is against you. But that's the great thing about the wheel, it keeps you on your toes and is just a fun Improv brain exercise. I look forward to the next one

Double J Saloon

   A couple nights ago I had the pleasure of headlining a little saloon in Redmond Oregon called Double J Saloon. It's a small bar located on a quaint little strip of classic town americana. Old brick hotels, artisan al white people stores...the usual.
   The bar has a small front room and a large performance space in the back. No stage but cool lighting and a couch in the front row. The place is empty when I get there, but by the time the show starts it's packed. 50 ish people fill the room and the show starts right on time. The crowd is warm throughout the entire show, and I do about 40 minutes.
   The best part about a show like that is the nice 3 hour drive there and back, I like quiet drives alone.