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winstonhcomedy · 5 years ago

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“Dope A-F” - 7/30-8/11 - “Smiley Frown Live, Lady and the Tramp, a trip to Durham, and the Asheville Comedy Festival”

Let’s catch up you big sassy loves! Time to go over a nice little run of nine shows. So let’s not waste any more time!

7/30

I was excited about the prospect of doing three shows in one night. I was hanging out with a friend and then got the message that Mojos was cancelled and going forward was going to be moved to every other Sunday. I think it has something to do with scheduling and which bartenders enjoy comedy and which ones hate it.

So I head down to City Dogs for the Witty Dogs showcase. ben Braman usually runs this room, but he had just gotten kidney transplant so Jason Kusterer was hosting this one. The showcase was going to be Mu, Nate Izquierdo, Bryan Williams, Tom Hall, and then I was closing out. I messaged Jarvis at Fallout for a spot, and got ready for the show.

There were people here, but I got the vibe they weren’t going to be there for long. I have never had a great set in this room. It just is set up weird and the people there don’t usually seem to enjoy comedy at all.

Kusterer gets the show started and it is pretty packed compared to usual. He gets some laughs, and a few people walk out who just don’t want comedy. Then Mu goes up and does pretty well for the room. People are leaving and coming in. So it is like a constantly shifting audience. Nate goes up and does fine, as does Bryan. Tom goes up and you can tell he is not enjoying his set at all. This is definitely one of those nights where it just hurts.

I go up and try to do my act. I get halfway through and hate it so much I just started talking about my dad passing away. I use those jokes and they work pretty well. Honestly this set felt awful. Felt like I was bomibng but people said I did as well as I could have. Which always hurts to hear. I’d give this set a D-. I did not dig it at all.

I then headed to Fallout. I was lucky to get to go up in only a few people. There was a small crowd and I was ready for my set. I go up and work on some new stuff. I do much better here, but not as well as I want. I’d give this set a C+. I grabbed my stuff and headed home.

7/31

The next day there was two mics. The first was at Canon and Draw. I was going to do a new episode of my podcast there. I asked in the RVA comedy page if anyone could meet me. I ended taking down the request because someone hit me up and said I should have run it by them first, or called the venue. It wasn’t a big deal. I just only do my podcast because it is easy to do and I decided to pass on it instead of asking someone if I could. I didn’t want to start any problems, but also didn’t think it was that big of a deal so I left it alone.

I went to Canon and Draw and no one was there right after work. So I got to get a lot of video editing done. I also did some writing. I had some newer stuff I wanted to try at the mic so I was stoked for it to start.

People started to show up and file in. Paige, Jack Gerow, Dylan, Ry Mather, Taylor O’Sullivan, and Jesse Jarvis amongst others. We got a super good hang going before the show started. There was a nice crowd.

The show starts and Paige, Taylor, and Jesse are the featured acts. They all do well. The crowd is digging it. I think everyone is pretty happy with their sets. I am up first on the open mic portion. Before I am brought up Melissa tells everyone that’s the end of the showcase, but now it is time for the open mic.

I do not like when hosts do this. Legit not a fan. I think it opens the room up for people to leave. I honestly believe if you have an open mic after a showcase you shouldn’t even tell the audience which is which. You should just roll right into the next comic. This would help with audience retention, and would make a smoother show.

I go up and do some new materia. People had left, but I had a fun time. My stuff got laughs and I was able to sell some jokes in a different way. This was a super productive set. I’d give it a C+/B-.

After my set I grab my stuff and drive Paige over to Home Sweet Home for the open mic. I find out I am up pretty early. I hang with all of the comics, and Kusterer runs the comics meeting. He tells everyone if you’re going to be there in time for signup to not do presignup. Which is a fair rule.

The show starts and people are into it. A good crowd for HSH. I am up like second and I have a pretty fun set. My new stuff is working in most places. I’d give this set a B. I then grab my stuff and head home and pass out.

8/1

The next day after work I got to hop in my car and head directly up to DC. I was going to be on Ross Benoit’s live podcast at DC Comedy Loft. I met up with TJ and Chris at Tj’s place and we all rode in together.

We had a chill ride up and got a parking spot right at the venue. We head inside and Ross is already there. No one is at the venue yet, but it is set up beautifully. I set my camera up and we get ready.

We have a good hang going, but as it gets closer to show time we realize that no one is going to show up. I mean nobody. We start the podcast and just get right into it. Since it is a podcast we don’t really need an audience to do it.

The podcast is legit hilarious. There are some super duper funny moments, and I was stoked to be a part of it. About 20 minutes in one dude walks in and it turns out he runs shows all over. So he was just coming to support which was dope.

The rest of the show went great. Honestly one of the best podcasts I have ever been on. I felt like I was on fire and had some really good lines to go with everyone else. I love doing podcasts. It really plays to my strengths. I’d give my performance an A.

After this we headed back to Tjs and I hopped in the car and headed home. I needed to get a little sleep before work.

8/2

After work the next day I headed to Petersburg. I was on Wabi Sabi and it was going to be a killer lineup. I wanted to make sure I murdered. I also always just love hanging with these guys.

The lineup was going to be Klingman, Dylan, Wingle, Besiwck, Jaye, Paige, and myself. I get there and we are all hanging out and having an absolutely blast.

The show starts and the audience is super rowdy . It is pretty packed but they are super loud. Everybody has a pretty good set. They finally settled down when Dylan went up. He had a super hot one. After him people were paying attention and then it was my turn.

I went up and went right into crowd work. I did about 16 minutes and didn't do a single joke. I just wanted to have fun. It was absolutely killing. All of the crowd work was really hitting. I got everybody involved and had them from the get go. I had some good lines about the dj playing like 3 songs at once when I got on stage.

It was truly a super special set. I didn’t even have to close with a joke to get off stage. I had a killer callback to the first joke I made just from crowd work and I got off on that. It was dope. I’d give this set an A.

After Kenny went next we had Sex With Me is Like. It went really well. I’ve been doing great at this game lately. Everybody got some big laughs and Paige ended it on a really good one.

After The Who we hung out for a little while, and I headed over to my brother’s to spend the night.

8/3

I woke up the next morning and hung out with my niece for a while. After this I headed down to Durham, North Carolina for the Liquor House Comedy Festival. It is the first one, and honestly seemed like it was more of a showcase over two days than a festival.

I went down early with a friend and it was a wonderful day. We went to eat at the Blue Note Grill, and went to a killer barcade and played games. Then we walked around Durham for a while and found an ice cream place called The Parlour. I went into a gift shop and bought some homemade salsa for my brother.

We then walked to the venue which was Durty Bull Brewing Co. It is a pretty cool space. The lighting is really cool, and their beers looked delicious. I got ready for the show. I was waiting to someone to check in with to show up. A comic named Robert Schenider (usually runs the open mic at Durty Bull) showed up to put together the PA. I met him for a bit, and he told me who to check in with. Other comics showed up and people started to come in, but honestly I am not great with ingratiating myself with other comics when they don’t know me. I don’t want to come across like a douche, and I assume they’re going to hate me or wonder who I am.

I meet the host who performs under the name Ghettorauchi. He wears a bathrobe, and has this whole character thing he does. I tell him I am checking in and he tells me that he will put me in early. He had me going in the three spot which I was ready for. That is definitely one of the sweet spots in a show. I am told I am doing 10 minutes and right away I know what material I am going to do.

I had another friend who lives in Durham come out to the show. She used to be really good friend’s with my brother, and I knew her when I was just a little kid. It was so nice to be able to talk to her and meet her husband. We had a wonderful time chatting before the show.

The show starts and the microphone doesn’t work. Well it works, but there is a short in the cable. So they work on it for a while. Eventually the host just holds it like a sword and does his entire set not moving at all. He gets laughs, but this looks like an incredibly uncomfortable way to do standup.

In-between the host and the next comic they work on it some more and try to tape it. I go to my car to get my cables to try and help, but they use a different cable not a standard XLR which sucks. This is when they tell me that they are bumping me up to 2nd and putting a local in the three spot. I am assuming this is because I’m just a no name person and the local was like come on you’re going to put me up after whoever this is. This is fine with me. I tell myself I am going to try and bury everyone after me. I want to prove myself, and I want to destroy.

The first comic does ok. He doesn’t really project, and his jokes are on the edgier side. His mic keeps cutting out until he just decides he is going to stand in one spot. He has an ok set, but I know this crowd is ready to crack. There is about 80 people jammed into the room. It is packed, and more people are trying to file in.

I go up and since I’ve dealt with microphone shorts before I know exactly how to hold the mic/cord. I am able to move around and do my normal act. I do about a couple minutes of crowd work and then go into the jokes. I absolutely killed. It was an amazing feeling to have all those laughs wash over me. I did all stuff that always works, and was able to call back to my crowd work when I needed to. The mic only cut out 3 times and it didn’t affect my set at all. I’d give this set an A.

When I got off stage everyone was way more willing to talk to me and was super supportive. I wish I had recorded it, but honestly it was so packed there was nowhere to set my camera up. I talked and met some people. I handed out some business cards, and got a few IG followers. Said goodbye and headed home. I had a long drive back to my brother’s.

I get there and hang with my mom a bit before passing out. I was exhausted from such a fun day.

8/4

I spent all day with my mom and niece. I then had dinner with my whole family when my brother and his wife got home. It was a super fun and special day. It was also great because I got to head over to Mojo’s and do the new Sunday night show that got moved. I was excited to get a set in kind of early before heading out.

I get to Mojos and Ryan Mather was hosting. He was going to get there pretty late so he asked me to help set up the PA. So I did. I put it mostly together and let him do the finishing touches once he got there.

it is pretty much just comics there. There is a pretty good sized list and I am up second. I am so happy to be able to get up and get out. Mather does a few new things before starting the show, and bringing Mike Engle up.

After Mike I go up and only do stuff that is in progress. I try one brand new thing that gets a pretty good response for the room. I usually like to do newer material if I’m performing for comics. Some stuff didn’t work at all, and I was pretty exhausted from yesterday. I’d give this set a C-.

After my set I think Ryan and talked to Dylan about some comedy business stuff. We discuss middling/featuring for the Funny Bone, and some other stuff. It was a good talk. I say goodbye to everybody and head home to pass out.

8/5

The next night after work I headed up to The Southern. I set everything up at the venue, and did a little writing. I was having a pretty tough day. I had been missing my dad a lot and those feelings finally hit me a little bit.

It was nice to meet up and record an episode of my podcast The Winstmas Games. I had made up my mind to do a release schedule for content each week and the first thing is get back to doing The Winstmas Games weekly. I was able to get John Marg, Keaton Ray, Samantha Padgett, and JR.

The show ended up pretty good and hopefully people dig it! After this I went back in and waited for the show to start.

There was an ok crowd. Nothing too crazy big, but they were into it. Everyone was doing ok but no one was really killing.

I went up in the middle of the show and had an ok set. Some of the new I worked on came out ok. I got a couple good laughs on a few new bits, and I ended ok. All in all definitely very pleased. I’d give my set a C+.

The rest of the show went well and Paige went up last and had the set of the night. He seemed loose and comfortable. He was connecting, and even did some crowd work. It was nice to see. After this I said goodbye and headed home.

8/7

This was my last day of work for the week. As soon as it was over I hopped in my car and headed up to Arlington to close out Ragtime. This is Rahmein’s show and I always have a blast doing it.

This week Michael Summers is hosting and there is a lineup consisting of a few of the student’s from Rahmein’s comedy class, a dude named Jamal Russell and then myself.

I get there super early and get some video editing done. I am really trying to get stuff ready for my new release schedule. While I am doing this Gigi Modrich (dc comedian) shows up. She is there to support her boyfriend Eric Koucheravy (comedian and the guy who designed The Winstmas Games logo). We have a nice conversation about comedy, and how she’d been. Then Eric showed up and I was able to talk to him for a bit as well.

After Michael got there we got to catch up and shoot the shit as well. There was two huge tables full of people who had been there since like 5 who just wouldn’t leave. So we knew when comedy started it would thin out. We figured we’d probably have no crowd tonight due to how nice the weather was.

The show started and people had actually came in. As the night went on more and more came in and it was actually almost completely full. This was going to be an awesome time. Michael had a really good hosting set. His material was working, and he did some crowd work as well.

Then he started bringing up the students. The first was a girl and she did ok. She was super new, and she had a few things hit. Then Eric went up and he had a killer set. He broke that crowd wide open. They loved him. Then after him Jamal Russell killed for 20. Like destroyed. All of his stuff worked. You could tell this was a dude who had 20 and was finally getting a chance to showcase it. The audience loved him.

Then I went up. I had a really strong set. I had a few lulls but for the most part I was very happy with it. I tried some dad stuff in the middle and it didn’t really work the way I wanted it to, but this is what this show is for. I opened super strong, and honestly did about 2/3 new stuff. The other 1/3 was stuff I hadn’t done in a while. I am still struggling to find a way to really build a tight 25 minute set. I get too bored and always want to do new stuff, and I really think in the short run that is going to hurt me.

I had a few things hit incredibly hard and a few things stink up the room. The dad stuff really brought them down. Thankfully I was able to bring them back up and close strong, but still it is disheartening for material I have worked really hard on to not get what it deserves because I legit think the dad material is great. I’d give this set a B.

I said goodbye and talked to Michael for a few minutes after before I hopped in the car and headed home. I wanted to pass out since tomorrow I was leaving for Asheville for my first real comedy festival. I was nervous and wanted a good night’s sleep.

8/8

I woke up at around 9 and got ready. I then hopped in my car and started the 6 hour drive down to Asheville for the 13th annual Asheville Comedy Festival. It actually isn’t that bad of a drive.

I get there and unload my stuff at the airbnb. It’s my first time using it and its a cute cozy little house. I walk around downtown for a few hours and do a little window shopping.

After walking around I tell Dylan to meet me at Buxton Hall bbq for dinner before the show starts. I get there and just by surprise the only other comedian I know at the festival is at the bar. It is Natalie McGill (redacted tonight). Her, Dylan, and I have dinner together. It is nice to catch up while they meet each other.

After dinner we head to the Diana Wortham Theatre for the early show. We get there and start to introduce ourselves. I meet Rafe Williams, Nat Baimel, Carter Deems (KOTD), David Sitrick, and Dan Carney. We get a pretty good hang going on before the show starts.

The show starts and I get to watch a little bit of it. It was at about 400 people for the Thursday night show. There were some really funny comics on this show. Zach Chapaloni had a super dope set, and I was a big fan of his. After watching a few comics I went back to the green room to hang.

Dylan was on the late night show at the Lazoom Room a few blocks away. So after a while I went over to meet him over there. I get there and meet a few other people including Chris Flanagan, and Aviva Siegel. The show gets started and Dylan is up third. The crowd was super tight when he went up. It was lightly attended and they weren’t really enjoying the show. He worked really hard and cracked them a bit, but they were just pretty dead.

After he was done we headed down to this place called Ben’s Tune Up which is a bar that was having an open mic. We put our names on the list and we were going to be going up crazy late. Dylan didn’t really want to do it, and was ready to leave but I had to get up so he stayed.

David Sitrick comes as well and is hanging out. Along with Ben Bryant. The setup is wild. There are like 9 chairs at the front, the stage is outside, and there is like 70 people loudly talking around the show. There was also two giant jenga games in the back that luckily no one was playing.

The show goes on and the host told us it was the most sign ups he has ever had there, but he was still letting everyone do 8 minutes. So I just ended up shooting the shit, busting balls, riffing, while we waited for like an hour or so to go up.

Everybody who is going up is doing ok. No one is paying attention and the people in the front were wasted. When it was my turn to go up I feel like I did fine. I got people to pay attention and actually got some laughs on the stuff about my dad. I worked out some new stuff at the end and it really helped my anxiety about the festival by being able to get up. I’d give this set a C-.

After this Dylan and I headed to the after party. I got to meet Dro Knows, Max Rosenblum, Zach Chapaloni, and a few others. We had a good riff session going until late at night. At around 2:15 Natalie offered to give me a ride back to my place which I took and was very appreciative of. We had some panels the next day so I wanted to get some sleep.

8/9

The next day I woke up and walked to the Diana Wortham Theatre. We had two panels this day. The first was a podcast panel with Joe Kiely who runs a podcast studio in LA.

It was a super helpful and informative panel. All of this made me realize I have to start putting my podcast out regularly. I have to be consistent. He also gave me some ideas about what to do with my podcast differently.

After this panel Natalie and I go grab tacos at the place next door. Then Max Rosenblum and Carter Deems joined us. We have a good conversation about comedy before heading back for the writing in Hollywood panel featuring M. Dickson (Disenchantment, Superstore).

This was a super eye opening one. I honestly learned a lot, but the biggest thing I learned was I have absolutely no interest in writing for a television show. I just want to do standup, and make my own stuff. I could write for my own show, but the thought of being in a writer’s room for someone else’s show sounded like dogshit and I really hope I can avoid it. It just doesn’t sound rewarding or fun. I know one day I might have to to make ends meet, but I hope I can just make it on standup.

After this Natalie and I went to 12 bones bbq. It was some of the bet ribs I have ever had. After stuffing our faces she dropped me back off at my place and I took a nice long nap.

I then woke up and headed back down to the Theatre to watch a bit. This is where I met Scott Eason, Kyle Mara, Mike Feeney, and Ian Aber. The hang was pretty fun. The show was also sold out tonight so about 500 people were there. The show started with a. bang, and everything I saw and heard was absolutely destroying.

I left halfway through to get to the Lazoom Room because I was on the late show. While waiting one of my brother’s really good friends from high school Scott Carson showed up. We got to catch up and talk for a while. It was a lot of fun to just chat it up and it meant the world he came out to the show.

I found out I was next to last so I will be going up crazy late. I am not excited about this, but I am just happy to be there. The show starts and it ends up being. good crowd. They are awesome for about 3/4 of the show. I keep pacing, and walking in and out just waiting to go up.

A few people in front of me struggle quite a bit. People start to leave, and it was incredibly hot in the room. There is no AC and it is brutal in the summer. I finally get ready to go up.

I start selling everything. I do as well as I can. I am not killing, but all of my jokes are working for the few people that are left. I didn’t do anything I am going to do at the theatre. I’d give this set a C, but I am pretty proud of how I rose to the occasion.

After the final comic and everybody cleared out I got to talk to Scott some more. It was a lot of fun and then he headed out. Dylan and I went to the after party again and it was a fun hang. Then I got another ride back and passed out.

8/10

I woke up and headed down to the theatre for the panels for the day. The two panels were pretty interesting.

The first was a social media presentation from Jay Vega (runs DL Hughley’s social media). He definitely did a great job explaining how to use social media to get a following. I definitely took a lot of it to heart, and am glad I got to sit through it.

The next panel was with Jeff Tully(Joel Mchale Show, Chelsea Lately) and about how to audition for panel shows. He had 16 questions he was gong to ask us and wanted to audition us in front of a camera. I was up 10th. We all auditioned in the room and answered a few of the questions. We had no clue which one he was going to ask. So I used the time I had to come up with jokes no matter what he asked me.

When it was my turn I went up and did really well. He said I was super funny, called me a “joke ninja” (no idea what that means), and said if he was going to cast me it’d be as a “voice of a generation type” like I could speak for people in my age range. He then said his only note for me was since I was so interesting that I should be on more podcasts. That would be great but there is nothing I can do about that.

I stick around for the end and then a group of us go eat at Tupelo Honey. Natalie, Hobert Thompson, Lucia Whalen, Caitlin Checkeroski, Maddie Weiner, and myself. The lunch was great but I was nervous.

I went to the theatre to take a nap. After my nap I found out I was going next to last again tonight. Honestly if I’m being frank this kind of upset me. Like having to go late on both of the shows made me feel pretty bummed out. Like I have been looking forward to this for a while. I also got to meet Courtney Gilmour who had to go up last on both of her shows so she had it even worse than me.

The shows have 15 comics and everyone is doing 10. So if no one runs the light then I will get to go up at the 2 hour 30 minute mark. So even though it is sold out in my mind by the time I go up I am going to have to work my ass off to do well.

The show starts and it is fire from the top. Mike Feeney is hosting and everyone does well. Dylan has an amazing set. He is a great comic, and was at the 2 spot. So he was able to hook them and just absolutely destroy it was good to see.

I spent the next two hours just pacing, and being in my head. Listening to music, and freaking out. I was trying not to be self defeating, but it was hard. Chris Alan sent me a motivational thing to watch and it really pumped me up. It is just a spot. Who cares? I can do this. It doesn’t matter when I go up.

When it is finally my turn almost all of the comics are standing at the wings. All the people I had met and gotten to know were there waiting for the final curtain call at the end of the night. I go out on stage and I could tell from the last few comics that the audience was tired. They were 525 strong, but still exhausted audience members. So I just went for it.

I sold everything I could. I did my material with no crowd work. It started ok but slowly started to build. By the 5 minute mark of my set I had them. After that everything was hitting incredibly hard. I didn’t kill the way I wanted to. I didn’t slaughter from beginning to end, but I put in work. I showed I deserved to be there. I closed incredibly strong, and got a few applause breaks. This was the kind of set that reminded me I deserve to be doing this and I have a chance to make this a career. I’d give this set a B+/A-

After the show there was a final after party. I got to hang and talk to everybody one last time for like 4 hours. I thanks Melissa Hahn and Ryan Folks for putting it all together. Ryan told me he put me in that spot on purpose. He said he had seen my video and knew I could handle it. This made me feel really good. It is a small compliment and honestly could have been bullshit, but just hearing it made me feel like a million bucks and put the whole set into context.

The hang was great. Made a lot of connections and friends. These were some incredibly funny and awesome performers. So glad I got to meet everybody. I was sad it was coming to an end. I really enjoyed every minute of this even when I was having panic attacks about my order in the show. This goes to show it doesn’t matter when you go up. You can do it.

I walked back to my place and passed out, before waking up and driving home so I can get ready for work the next day.

That’s it everybody. Another #cutecomedy blog in the books. I was able to catch up laydees and baybees. I am ashamed I was so upset about my order in the show. Like that is so dumb. I just wanted to do well, and I was contemplating not saying I was upset in the blog. Except I don’t want to lie to y’all. It is ok to feel those things sometimes, but never hold onto them.

I freaked out for a bit, but realized that I was going to have fun anyway. If I want to make it in comedy I have to be able to rise to the occasion. I have to become undeniable. I just want to get to that point, and these type of things are what gets you there.

I WILL BE BACK ON THURSDAY WITH A NEW BLOG POST! EVERY TUESDAY, THURSDAY, AND SUNDAY I WILL HAVE A NEW ONE! I love you all so much and thank you for taking the time to read! xoxo laydees!

#comedy #jokes #standup #nc #asheville #comedy fest #improv #friend #bomb #heckler #fest #comedyrva #richmond #virginia #charlottesville

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winstonhcomedy · 5 years ago

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“Dope A-F” - 7/11-7/29- “Birthday Heckler, Winstmas Games, DC, and Amazing Shows”

Only a few days behind. That’s ok because I know I can catch up. Definitely doing way better than I was. It has been a chill week. I am still trying to adjust to losing my dad, and just trying to still enjoy comedy. So let’s hop right into it!

7/11

There were a couple of open mics this night. There was The Camel hosted by Jameson Babbowski right after work, and then after that will be Garden Grove which was going to be guest hosted by Brandon Beswick.

I headed over to The Camel right after work. I got there about 4:10 and ordered my dinner. I got to catch up and talk to the bartender/owner for about an hour. We talked about music, and the band my brother was in He is a super cool dude. A few more comics show up while I am waiting.

Liz and Mu were headlining so they both got there relatively early. There were a few comics from the standup class I subbed in. I got to ask them if what I was saying was helpful at all, and they all said it was. So that helped me feel pretty good about it. Anne Meng showed up as did. a few others comics. So we had a good hang going on.

Jameson finally gets there and sets the lineup. The hang continues for a bit and then the show starts. The first few comics do pretty well. There is an ok sized crowd. Better than the last few I had been to. I grabbed my light from the car because the first few comics you couldn’t see. We get it set up and then Mu goes up and has a really hot set. After him Liz goes up and she does pretty well too. She has a super drunk heckler during her set. She did a good job of not losing her shit on him, but he was just yelling the worst stuff. It kind of derailed her set.

After her were a few more comics. Then it was my turn. I had a good set. I did mostly new. I also did some dad material too. it is all coming together. I really enjoyed this set. People seemed to dig it, and I was able to really have a nice strong set. I’d give it a B.

I then hung out and watched the rest of the show. Most everyone did ok which was cool to watch. Legit 3/4 of the audience left right before the final guy which kind of sucked for him. He is new and he powered through it. After the show I grabbed my light and headed to Garden Grove.

It had started to rain so I put on my raincoat once I got to Garden Grove. I check in with Beswick and he lets know I am third. Mike Engle is there as are a bunch of my friends. Ry Mather, Jack Gerow, Jesse Pearlstein, Dylan, and Anthony Thompson all showed up. It was a super dope hang. The crowd was light, but the people there were really excited for comedy. There were a few people int he corner who were pretty loud, but for the most part everyone was at least attentive.

Brandon hosted and really started to try and work the audience over to get them ready. he ended on a pretty good pop, and I think he did a super good job hosting. After him the first few comics went up and did ok. I went up and just tried my material. I had a good but not great set. For the room I did well. I didn’t go into crowd work for the most part and I just did my new jokes for like 7 minutes. This felt good. I love just doing jokes at the open mics, and then being able to flex my crowd work muscle on other shows. I’d give this set a B-. It was super productive. If I had done crowd work I would have done better, but I wouldn’t have gotten as much out of it.

After my set I kind of just hung around for a long time. I talked shop with everybody. There were a few more comics from the class who asked some questions and hung out. It was cool to see them out at mics watching, and a few did some sets.

We had a nice long chat outside about comedy specials. This is always the best. Just like 30+ minutes talking about who we like and why we like them. Comedy is the absolute best shit in the whole world. After talking forever I said goodbye and headed home to pass out. I was super tired.

7/12

I didn’t do a set on this day. This was the day I was using to celebrate my birthday with my family. I just went over to my brother’s, hung with my nice, had a nice dinner, watched a movie, and hung out all night. It was everything I wanted. Just like 10 straight hours being with the one’s I love.

I knew I had a big show tomorrow, and would only get the first part of the day with them so I wanted the night before to really be special. I missed my dad so much during dinner. He would have loved everything about it. I’m glad I was with the one’s I love the most.

7/13

For my birthday I was headlining a show at Intermission Beer Company. Liz Carr was running a Virginia is for Lovers comedy show. So all the performers had to be based or born in VA.

Before all of this I spent time with my family. Enjoyed my niece’s company, and then went to Hardwood to watch Alex Jonestown Massacre play a cover set of Anti Flag. It was a super fun benefit show. I got to chill with Kenn for a bit, and see a few of my other friends before I headed over to Intermission.

I got to Intermission and Liz was there. I checked in and we caught up. Trayvon Fulton was also down from Philly. I haven’t seen him in a while so that was nice. Newer comic Heather Joyce was also on the show. Then Brock Hall, Alida Harper, and Jeff Simmermon also showed up.

Jeff was down from NYC and I was able to link him up with Liz to do a spot. The lineup was set, and people had started to show up. It looked a little light at first but then people started rolling in. I had a couple friend from high school come out, and I had about 8 people from work come as well. I love when they come. It makes me want to try even harder.

I got to chat and catch up with them. We talked and hung out before the show started. But the time the show began the room was almost completely full except for the one table at the very front.

Liz went up and did ok. She was followed by Heather and she got some pretty good pops during her set. She is super new and I’ve honestly only seen her perform at intermission. After her was Brock. He had some of his one liners work pretty well, but because he didn’t take a set list up with him he got off stage a little early. Which is ok. Then Alida went up and this was when I started to get in the zone for my set. I was supposed to do 20 to 25 and I wanted to do really well since my friends were there along with a ton of other people.

I went outside and stretched, and ran over myself et in my head a bit. I jumped up and down and tried to just get as loose as possible. Halfway through Alida’s set Jack Gerow showed to support and that meant a lot to me.

Alida got off stage and Jeff went up. By this time the front table had filled up completely. So the room was packed and Jeff went into his act. He did really well. He is a good comic and an even better dude. He handled the crowd a bit. He didn’t go in on them too much, but they were heckling a bit, and throwing him off of his rhythm. He had a really fun set, and was killing it.

After he got off stage. Liz gave me a wonderful intro and mentioned it was my birthday. I get on stage and immediately go into my act. The table at the very front had been filled by a dude and four girls. He was absolutely wasted and had been interrupting a lot throughout the night. He wasn’t being a dick on purpose, but it was affecting the show.

I had just walked in on him in the bathroom so I apologized for that while also shitting on him for not locking the door. Then I got to know him. I asked his name and he said it was Cody but he stood up when he told me. He didn’t have a job, but had a lot of money so I asked him what his dad did for a living. I also made fun of how he was acting the whole night. I

then asked the girls with him how they knew him. They wouldn’t answer. They were so embarrassed by how he was acting. He was absolutely super upset they didn’t have his back. I asked one of them if they were his gf and she said hell no. He looked at her shocked. This was the first he had found out about this. I started to feel bad so I apologized, and joked around. The crowd was loving it. I was killing.

He started vaping and I had to get him to stop. I joked around with them some more and then went into my act. Everything was working. It felt so good to be doing so well. I was having a hot one. I’d do a bit and then address the crowd a bit and then go right into the next joke. I did about 35 minutes and it was all working. I closed really strong, and honestly got a good fun video out of it. I hope the audio turned out well because I can’t wait to rewatch all the crowd work stuff. I’d give this set an A.

After my set they sang happy birthday to me, and I got to hang with my friends. I said thank you and all of my goodbyes. Then Cody drunkenly drove off with the other girls in his car. So we told the owners and we all kinda hung out before heading out. I then got dinner with Jack Gerow and we talked comedy for a long time. It was a blast and a great hang. Then I headed out with my coworkers and saw some other comics. It was an awesome birthday. I finally headed home to get a good nights sleep because I had a lot of driving to do the next day.

My first birthday without my dad had all of the ingredients to be a horrible time. I miss him so much. I didn’t know how it was going to go, but all I knew was he would want me to have a great time. I am so thankful I have my friends, coworkers, comics, family, and loved ones to be there for me and make surety birthday was as amazing as it could possible be.

7/14

The next day I got in my car and drove to Virginia Beach to the all day VB Strong comedy show and benefit at the Virginia Beach Funny Bone. It was 12 hours of comedy to benefit the shooting that happened in VB recently.

There was a huge number of comics and they ended up raising over 20 grand. It was a killer event and I was really glad to be a part of it. I ended up stuffing my face with wings and catching up with some friends waiting for my set to start. I was on the 6 o clock show, but I got to the see crowds for the 3 pm block and it was pretty full. It was so cool to see the community come together for a good cause.

When the 6 o clock show started Mike Easmeil (super dope VB comic) was hosting. He along with Rick Bruner (GM VB Funny Bone) are a couple of the dudes who were in charge of putting this whole thing together. I went up after Mike. It was about a half full room, and we were told to work somewhat clean. So I did my best.

I had a solid set. My material was working. I was cleaner than most. People connected with me and I was happy with the response I got. It also felt good to be doing a set for a good cause. I’d give this set a B.

After I got off stage Terry O’Quinn from Lost (does Improv) came over and said hi and he dug my set. I immediately texted my friend Kenn who loves Lost. This was a cool moment. I said goodbye and thanked Rick and everyone else. I then signed a poster that all the comics were signing and hit the road.

I headed to Cozzy’s because I was headlining Sunday Funnies. Mindy Ess was hosting it this week. I get there right as she is finishing up. There is a nice little crowd of about 20 non comics there. Which I am excited about.

A bunch of my friends are on the show. Francesca, Anne Meng, Richard Woody, and Paige are there. Also local comics David Vega and Wyatt Bowman were also doing spots. Wyatt and David went up first and they did ok. The crowd wasn’t really popping. Then Francesca, Richard, and Anne also went up. They had varying degrees of success. They just didn’t seem to really want jokes that much. Also the stuff they did and did not laugh at was weird as hell.

Paige went up and had he had a pretty good set too. He was able to get them on his side and kept working them. It had its down moments, but he was the first to really get any good pops from the audience.

After Paige it was my turn and I had a blast. I did about 20 minutes of crowd work. I started talking to this dude who had the name Mario Alfredo Lucero. I got some big pops talking about what a great name that was, and that he should have a pizza shop. I then talked to his wife, and also bounced around the room. I got some good pops throughout. Legit was doing the best I could have done.

At the end of my set I did 5 to 7 of new material. I knew it wouldn’t work as well as the crowd work because it was new, but I am trying to not just do crowd work at these tough shows. I figure if I do 75% crowd work and kill it is ok to bomb with 25% new stuff. I want to do well, but also want to work out material to get even better. So this was the strategy I used. It worked well. I’d give the whole set an A-.

I got off stage and said my goodbyes. Paige road down with Richard so he rode back with me. On the way back we go to talk, and then also we got stuck in traffic forever. After dropping him off I headed home and passed out!

7/15

I went to work today. Afterwards I kind of relaxed around town and watched some TV. I didn’t do anything too crazy. Tonight was The Southern but Chris Alan was out of town so JR was going to be guest hosting.

I get there right around 8 and it s a super light crowd. There is also only around 11 comics. So everybody is going to get about 7 minutes which should be fun.I get to hang out with a bunch of my friends. JR, Jack Gerow, Paige (showed up halfway through), John Marg, Sam Padgett, Samantha Wood, Luzader, Jericho Zornes, Johnny Rad, and some others I am sure I am forgetting. I was up like 7th. It was. fun hang and I was ready to get the show rolling. I walk in the back and change out of my shorts and put on a new outfit (because I can’t perform in shorts).

The show starts and I am recognized by this girl who tried comedy a few years ago. She had me talk to her standup club in college. I was so new I never should have done it. I was only like two years in and was trying to be edgier. My thoughts on comedy have changed dramatically. So it was going to be cool for her to see my material since hopefully I have evolved as a performer.

JR actually did some crowd work. He was a little aggressive. It was like he was channeling Chris. He did a pretty good job of getting the show rolling. Then Jericho went up. He had a pretty good set. People were doing ok. No one was really killing, but we were having a really good time. Eventually Johnny Rad went up and he did pretty well. He started shitting on Jericho. They were busting each other’s balls and that was fun.

After him was a new comic. He brought a table of people and he wasn’t terrible. He seemed nice and it seemed like he had worked really hard on his material. After his set it was my turn. I got up and made fun of Jericho and Johnny Rad bullying each other. I talked to the new dude and gave him a comic to check out. Then I just went into a bunch of new material. I have to sit down and write some of this out, but for the most part it was a really fun set. The new stuff was working, and if it didn’t work I at least know why. I’d give this set a C+. I got some good pops, but overall if I had stuck to crowd work it definitely would have gone better.

After me a few more comics went up. Sam Padgett had a good set too. She was all over the place. It was fun to watch. She forgot one part of a joke and said the wrong thing, but she played it off super well. She got some big laughs and it was fun to watch.

I then went outside to hang a bit. Paige eventually got there and we talked for a while. It was super fun, but I was exhausted and headed home. I ate some cereal at the house and then passed out!

7/16

During the night my grandpa was rushed to the hospital. They thought he was having a heart attack. Luckily he was ok, but I was planning on doing a podcast after work so I cancelled it before I knew he was fine. I got to work two hours late because I didn’t sleep well.

After work I went to therapy and got to have a pretty helpful session. Really struggling with missing my dad. Like it is not getting any easier. Honestly my brain tries to forget it even happened, but that is impossible. I also had to tell my therapist I couldn’t afford to come once a week. Which sucks, but I can still go every two weeks so I think I will be ok. If I realize I need once a week I will have to find a way to get a few hundred more dollars out of my budget.

After this I txted my friend Kenn and we grabbed a quick dinner at En Su Boca. It was a lot of fun. I love this dude to death and wish I got to see him more. I really cherish our friendship. We can talk about everything and he has always been there for me. I have become a lot more mindful in the time I have known Kenn and I hope that I have also been a positive influence on him as well.

After dinner I headed to meet up with Jason Kusterer. I just watched him play video games for a few hours. I just felt bad, and wanted to be around friends. It was a super fun hang and hopefully we can do more,

I drove us both to Mojos. I got to catch up and joke with Dylan and Ryan Mather. Carlton K showed up. There was a pretty good amount of comics so we were all going to get 5. Mike Engle was there as well. Claire Hakala was the bartender this week, but I don't know if she is going to get to do it from now on.

The show started and I went up second. Ry Mather was hosting and he may take over the show. He did a good job hosting and then Kusterer went first. He did half jokes and half a sweatlist. His set went pretty well all things considered. He made me laugh.

Then I went up and bombed my dick off. The dad stuff wasn’t working. Neither did my brand new joke that I like a lot. It still needs work. No one gave a shit what I was talking about. I wasn’t likable on stage, but I didn’t resort to crowd work and I just worked the bits. I’d give this set an F. It legit felt terrible.

I then hopped off stage and drove Kusterer and I to Fallout. I get there and there is an ok sized crowd. Maybe 10 people who weren’t comics. I am up in a few. Brock Hall, Danny Dunlea, Jack Johnston, Jack Gerow, and some others were there. Jarvis was hosting.

I didn’t watch a lot of the sets. I kind of just chilled. No one was really cracking them while I was there. There was a new person who went up and they had brought a table. I go up a few people after them.

I go up and honestly don’t enjoy my set. I do better than Mojos though. I do dad stuff, and the new joke works better. I know there is a way to get that joke to hit really hard. I need to just sit down and write. I am horrible at that. The rest of the set goes ok. I closed kind of weak, but honestly it was a learning experience. A very productive set. I’d give it a C-.

I go in the back and ask Kusterer if he can find another ride home. Jack said he would give him a ride and I head home. It is a long sad drive. I am in my thoughts the entire time. I get home and pass out. I don’t really feel good about comedy, but I feel good about the people in my life from comedy. It is an odd feeling.

7/17

I get off work and drive down to Norfolk to meet up with Nick Deez and Ryan Dix for their podcast. I am in traffic for what feels like ages, but I finally get there. I love doing podcasts. It is a ton of fun. I usually get to let loose, and there is no pressure since I am not the one hosting it.

I get to Nick’s and we start the DeezDix podcast. I ended up just ball busting. The first 20 minutes Ryan Dix was getting pretty heated. Apparently he had no idea I was busting balls and he was getting pretty upset. In hindsight that is hilarious, but he was definitely taking offense. After that part though everybody got into a rhythm and it was a pretty fun hour.

We made fun of Nick’s pop collection. We talked about Ryan making Gundams. Also we went over my fear of being serial killed ( a dumb irrational fear, but a fear nonetheless). It was a solid and fun podcast.

After this I headed to Hampton to perform on Wyatt Bowman’s show at Stuft.. It took me a while to find it because my GPS was acting up. Once I got there I saw it was a pretty dope spot. It had an actual stage, and it was legit packed. It was nuts the show actually started on time.

Wyatt Bowman went first and had an ok hosting set. People were laughing, and also paying attention,. After him was Torrey Huggins. He got some good pops up front. Some nice laughs. I could tell the crowd wanted to crack, and they were so close. I like Torrey a lot. Good dude, and works his ass off. I respect the hell out of that.

Then it was Nick Deez. Nick had an ok set. He had them early, and lost them a bit. The crowd was weird. They wanted to laugh, but when they weren’t into it they started to talk, and go back to their meals. Nick also works hard, and is another good friend of mine.

Then Justin King goes up. He couldn’t get them to connect with him. Justin is a dude I like a lot. He is also a comic that has an edgier take when he is on stage. They just weren’t the type of crowd that was digging that. He didn’t bomb, but you could tell the people were a little tight.

I go in the smoking room to talk to Nick and Torrey. They are kind of going over their sets, and just decompressing from the room. Another comic comes in the room and tells Nick and Torrey an audience member grabbed them when they were going into the bathroom. The audience member asked him if they were a comic and they responded yes. They then said the audience member said well I hope you are way better than the first few comics.

So I am in my own head trying to get ready for this set. I don’t really know why this comic said that. I don’t think it was malicious, but it was just weird. It didn’t seem like a joke/ball busting, and I just felt bad for the guys. These two dudes are obviously aware they didn’t have their best sets. This isn’t a constructive comment and a thing that could have been saved for later when they could have appreciated it. Like I said I was already in my own head, and I can only go off of my own personal experiences, but right after I am off stage is not when I would want to hear that.

I am getting ready to go up. I don’t really want to honestly. I saw how the first few sets went and I didn’t really feel like doing crowd work. I know that is what would work, but I didn’t want to fight this crowd that hard. I talk to that comic before going up and they’re like you’ve got to be loud and dirty because that is what this crowd wants.

I knew what I needed to do to succeed, but I didn’t want to do it. So I made the decision to just do my jokes, and really sell them. I put faith in myself as a comedian that my jokes would work. There was a crowd. They had shown they wanted to laugh. So why wouldn’t my jokes work?

I went up and had a really hot set. I felt really good about it. I did ten minutes of just material and I was destroying. Everybody was into it and there was no table talk. I had everyone’s attention. I did all teaching material, and it was really fun to do. I wish I had recorded, but alas I did not. I felt like I had gotten the show back on track, and done my job. Which felt good since I was just doing a guest spot I asked for since I was already in the area. I love being able to follow through when I ask for something. I’d give my set an A-

I leave and head to Cozzy’s to get a quick set in before going home. This is the open mic that Nick usually runs, but since he had a show he had Addison Hall running the mic.

We get there and there is like 5 audience members and the rest comics. It is a low energy kind of night. A few people go up before me and do ok. The people in the audience seem to enjoy the show so I am ready to have a good time.

Nick goes up and does ok. He has a new premise he is working on that made me laugh. I’m excited to see where that joke goes. After him it is my turn. I go up and just do new stuff. It is working ok. I know some of it needs work (all of it does), but it feels good to try new and get some laughs. I lost the crowd in the middle when I worked out dad material. The audience members weren't on board. It did not matter how good the jokes were (could have been perfect) they weren’t into it. So I closed with a few different things. It turned out ok. I’d give my set a C-. I learned a lot, but didn’t do as well as I wish.

I grab my stuff and head home. Unfortunately I left four of my notebooks so I have to wait until this coming Sunday before I can get a chance to get them back. I have a friend who is going to snag them and I am eternally grateful. I drive home, and then pass out.

7/18

I was stoked for today’s show. Kenny Wingle asked me to be on Buckin Comedy at the Funny Bone. It is going to be a fun time. The lineup is going to be me Klingman, Bounce Adams (doing a guest spot), James Paulk, Kenny Wingle, and myself. Then we are going to do sex with me is like at the end.

The room is about half full, and we have been having a pretty good hang. It was nice to catch up with James. I don’t know him very well, and have only worked with him a couple of times, but it was nice to see him and talk. He has some more free time now so he is getting back into the comedy game a bit.

Wingle was running a little late, but the hang before the show ruled. Wingle finally shows up and we start the show. Klingman goes up and does ok. It seemed like he was nervosa to swear, but once he did he really got them locked in toward the end of his set. Bounce went up and had a very strong 5 minute set. Very rarely have I seen him not do well. His 5 minutes is kind of undeniable. It is good to see, and it gets the crowd going.

It is my turn and I go up and I feel like I am doing ok. Some jokes are hitting, and some aren’t. Everyone is having some fun, but it isn’t what I want. I have this one lady int he front row who keeps screaming every time I say anything. I finally address it and get a huge laugh. I”m like, “I am so happy you love what I’m doing, but every time you scream everyone in this crowd hates me.” So she stops, but I know I am going to have to revisit her situation.

I go back into my set and it is doing ok. It is like a wave. I”ll get a huge laugh and then a chuckle. Which isn’t bad, but I just want to be killing. I go back into the crowd and talk a bit more and I finally go back to the drunk lady. Her name is Theresa and she’s a prison nurse. I bust her balls because of how drunk she is and I ask her about the craziest thing that has ever happened at work. She said she can’t tell me because it is a “penis story”.

So I go into a long thing about how she has to tell me. I thank god for sending me a heckling angel. After she tells the story, and I bust her on it some more I get off stage. The crowd work killed, but the material did ok as well. I’d give my set a B-. After this I went and got a weekend of work and talked to Jason (RVA Funny Bone gm) about what steps he thinks I need to take to kind of get to the next level.

James and Kenny go next, but during this time I am in and out because I am eating. I called my mom to talk a bit. I miss my dad a lot. He would have super enjoyed this show. The show is going well, but I am ready for sex with me is like to happen.

At the end of Kenny’s set he brings everybody back up and we go into the game. They love this way more than they liked the standup portion. It is crazy and filthy and dirty. I got a huge laugh on almost all of mine. I felt like I was on fire. Everybody had good ones, and even when they don’t work it gets a laugh because we are busting balls. I’d give this portion of the show an A. It was a crazy fun time.

After the show I say goodbye, and get some pictures with audience members. I grab what is left of my dinner and head out. I watch some tv and pass out. This was a successful day.

7/19

The next day after work I went and met my mom. I had been booked to do a private birthday part for the mom of one of my best friends from high schools. It was a 50th birthday party and mom was invited. It was good for mom to see her friend and meet new people. I had a blast catching up with my buddy Steve. He asked me to be his his wedding and of course I accepted.

We had a good time eating and just talking. I was supposed to perform for about 10 to 15 minutes outside beside their pool. Everyone had been drinking a bit, but it was supposed to be a clean show.

I went out and it was super warm. I get brought up before everyone is outside. So I stall a bit and make small talk. I do some jokes and get some laughs. It is just weird since it is outside, and everyone is pretty far from me. I do my act and it goes ok. Not great, and not terribly. People liked it, but they weren’t vibing with me. I didn’t get the same energy I was putting out. I’d give this show a C. It was fun, but it wasn’t amazing.

Honestly the bet part was seeing my old friend, and meeting his fiancee. It was a truly awesome time. I grabbed mom and we said our goodbyes before heading back home.

7/20

The next night I was booked by Var to perform on his Comic Shop show. It was my first time doing comedy in a barbershop so I was pretty excited. I had heard the last few were pretty fun, an dI think I am the first white comic who had been booked on it.

I get there and get to talk to Var. It was nice to finally get to have a conversation with him. Then Mike Jay, T Harris Jr, and Chris St. John showed up. We were hanging and shooting the shit. It was a lot of fun. Then Jayron showed up as well.

The show started and this dude Juice went up. I’d never heard him before but he didn’t really click with the audience. He got some laughs, but he was super unpolished, and you had to work for their attention.

After him it was time for T Harris Jr. He was outside having a smoke break or something. So there is this weird lull in the show. I stand up and motion I am ready to go up. So he brings me up. I go into my act and start busting balls. There is legit like 5 people on their phones and this one chick not smiling at all. I got some ok pops. I am proud of the set I did and I had some good crowd work moments. I didn’t really crack them, but I did do way better than I expected due to how the crowd was acting.

I definitely learned a lot, and it was cool to be the dude that was ready to go at any moment. I’d give this set a C as well. I could have done better, but I didn’t. I adjusted as well as I could, but honestly half of the audience didn’t seem to give a flying shit about the show. The people who were into it dug it and that’s all I can ask. I talked and hung for a bit before heading out to hang with some friends. I then headed home. I was ready for a day off.

7/22

The next night I drove all the way to Charlottesville for The Southern. I set everything up, and got to catch up with the GM Danny, and Jeyon. We talked about future shows, and I was ready to try some new jokes.

Then the power went out. That is right the power went out. So we waited until 7:30 to make the call, but we ended up cancelling the show. The few comics that came out all decided to go to Applebees and grab a bite to eat. It was me JR, Kenn, Chris, Johnny Rad, and Jaye.

We had a good meal, and talked comedy and all types of other shit. It wasn’t the same as doing a mic, but it was better than doing nothing. Afterwards I headed home and passed out.

7/24

I had off the previous night as well since there were no shows in town. So I was really excited for today. I was going to hit up two open mics, and also check out my friend’s at the funnybone.

On my way to work I hit a pothole and messed up my wheel. I called roadside assistance and the dude who came was a dude who was a fan of mine. I had met him a few times. He called and was like are you from Richmond. I told him no, and he was like oh that is weird because there is a comedian who has the same name as you. I was like yea that is me.

He was super helpful. His name was Richard and as soon as he said his name I remembered him. He got my spare on and I went to my grandads shop. I needed a new wheel they said so I was stuck with no vehicle.

So I drove it on the spare to my uncle’s body shop. I dropped it off and had my aunt/uncle on my dad’s side pick me up. We went to lunch and had a really good time. Talking about dad and everything else. Then they drove me to my mom’s car at the dealership where dad used to work. I grabbed the vehicle and headed home. By this time it was too late to really do anything so I hunkered in. Another night without comedy is a huge bummer, but I know I have a lot of shows the rest of the week. I did some writing and passed out.

7/25

I was stoked to finally be able to do some comedy this week. I had The Winstmas Games and a super good lineup. It was going to be team Charlottesville vs team Richmond. I had Chris Alan, Paige Campbell, and Heather Kilburn going up against Patrick Buhse, James Muñoz, and Brandon Beswick.

I got there crazy early to set up everything. I am hoping for a good turnout, but the summer is tough. You never know what is going to happen. Some of the comics start to show up and we get the hang going. I have about 8 or 9 people on the guest list so at least there will be a few guaranteed there.

I am also excited because Kyra Elizabeth of Kyra Elizabeth Photography came out and was going to take some pictures of the show. She does killer work, and it was awesome that she was willing to come out! I can’t wait to see the pics!

We start the show a little late and eventually we have around 30ish people there. This isn’t terrible, but I am definitely disheartened. We start the show and I start to bring everyone out. The energy is pretty weird for the first 20 or so minutes. Like good jokes aren’t getting any laughs. So everyone is trying really hard.

Eventually the show picks up and becomes really fun. The crowd enjoyed it and we did a good 70 minute episode of the show. My only problem was I felt like I was getting talked over the entire night. Which is incredibly frustrating when hosting. Like the thing I am best at is sitting back, and waiting to have a response to some of these jokes and I wasn’t getting n opportunity to do that.

I knew if I kept trying to do it then it would only hurt the show. So I was more silent than usual on the show. We still had a great show I just didn’t have as much fun as I usually do. I kept the games moving, but as far as making my own jokes I didn’t get a chance to do it.

Beswick and Muñoz did really well. They kept trying to one up each other. Buhse had some killer callbacks. Heather was pretty silent. She didn’t have much to say, but when she did she had some pretty funny lines. Paige and Chris both also did pretty well.

We ended with Sex With Me Is Like and that seemed to go well. I might do this going forward because it guarantees the show ends on a laugh. I’d give the whole show a B, and my own personal performance an F. I really didn’t enjoy it, and I felt like I sucked.

I hung out with some friends a bit after and then headed home. I had a long weekend ahead of me.

7/26

The next day after work I hopped in my car and headed up too DC. I was going to be working the Improv the next few nights. I get off work an hour early! I’m hoping I miss traffic, but this is not the case. It took me 3 hours to make an hour 45 minute. It was miserable.

I finally get there and park and walk to the club. I am stoked. I am hosting two shows in the lounge. It is the standup showcase. The lineup is myself, Alex Scott, Ross Benoit, Paris Sashay, and Tony Woods. It is legit one of the best lineups I’ve ver been a part of. All of these folks are killers.

I’m chilling in the back and the comics start to show up. The hang is pretty fun, and Alex Scott and I start shooting the shit. Then Ross gets there. We talk about our upcoming show on Thursday, and just generally catch up.

The show is pretty packed. It is almost sold out. I am hoping it is a pretty fun crowd, but I haven’t gotten to so standup since Saturday and I feel so damn rusty. The show starts and I go up.

I do an ok set. Honestly it was just weird. I didn’t do poorly and I opened them up. I just know I could have done better. I stumbled on my words a little bit and it took me longer to connect to them. I honesty just need to be more confident, but I am so scared performing in DC. I’d give this first set a B-.

After me Alex goes up. He has a pretty good set, but they are still a little tight. Same thing for Ross. They’re all doing better than me, and it isn’t a bad crowd, but it just doesn’t feel like they’re loving the show. Then Paris goes up and she had a killer set, which was followed up by Tony Woods have a good one as well.

All in all it was a fun show, but I really hoped the next crowd was going to be better. I just wanted to step up and provide an even better show than the first one.

I chill for about an hour waiting for the second show. People start to file in and the pre show energy is awesome. They seem ready to go. It is also getting pretty full. I am way more confident than I was the first show. The first show reminded me that I know how to do this.

The second show starts and I go up and have a dope set. All of my stuff is working. They clicked with me from the beginning. I was smiling more, and we were all on the same page. There were moments I didn’t feel perfect, but for the most part it felt like I knew what I was doing again and deserved to be there. Hosting in the lounge can be tough. It is a different vibe than the main room. Sometimes they are crazy loose, and other times they are tight af. I am so glad this was the former. I’d give this set an A-.

The rest of the show goes great. Everybody is killing. Alex Scott kills, Ross murders, Paris slays, and Tony Wood absolutely destroys. He brings the house down. From top to bottom it is one of the best shows I have ever been on.

After this I head over to Big Hunt. I hang with Dom Rivera, Lafayette, and a few others. We are shooting the shit and hanging out. Andrew Cook comes out and is looking for someone to go first. I volunteer. I love going early here. No just because the audience is still there, but because I love the idea of getting home relatively early.

The show starts and there’s a pretty good crowd. Sami Sfeir is hosting and he has a solid opening set. He brings me up and I have a good one. I try a few new jokes and one goes over really well. I also get my R. Kelly joke to work the best it has in a while. I can’t wait for this to be the only thing I do. I’d give this set a B+.

After this I walk to my car. I hop in and drive to Fairfax. I get some snacks from the 7-11 and head to my buddies house. I get there and TJ gives me one of his Pony Gang t-shirts. It looks super dope and I am psyched. We watch a few episodes of Last Chance U and then I pass out.

7/27

The next day I pretty much just slept. I am trying to get caught up on how little I have slept the last month. TJ made burgers and we talked a bit before I went and took another nap.

I head into DC and go straight to the improv. There are less comics on the show tonight. It is just Ty Davis, Alex Scott, Ross, and myself. Matt Brown had to drop off because he was featuring at Magooby’s.

The show is absolutely packed. It looks like it is going to be a light crowd, but like five minutes before show time people start to pile in.

I go up and this might be the best show of the weekend. Everything works and feels good. I have a hot one and even try a new joke. That even works and I am just feeling it. I bring Ty Davis up and she kills. Then Ross, and Alex both destroyed. We had a super killer first show.

After this show ends a little early I am just hanging out talking to the staff. They say the second show is sold out so I am anticipating a fun one. I was wrong.

I hated my set. I felt like I was bombing my dick off. I felt like no one was enjoying it. I’d get a laugh and then nothing. Then I’d get another laugh and then nothing. It was just awful. I was so upset about this set. I’d give it a D. I am better than this and I can do better than this.

Everyone else after me did well. They had to work a little harder than they did in the first show, but I felt like I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. I felt like a hack. I hate comedy when stuff like this happens. You can do well and then the very next set it looks and feels like I have never done comedy before.

After this show I headed to Big Hunt. It is an incredibly light crowd there for the open mic. But Sean Patton who was headlining left and was like, “ladies and gentleman that is how you don’t headline a room.” He said he felt horrible the entire weekend about the shows. This made m feel a little better. If this absolutely hilarious dude who is headlining feels this way then it is ok for me to.

I get to go up 8th. Dylan showed up and we get to chill a bit. It is always fun to talk comedy and see him. We chat about our shows, and then start to watch. I get to see some of my friends go up like Lafayette, Denise Taylor, Ross, Maddy, and a few others. They’re all doing pretty well. The crowd is hard to crack because they are all wasted and there is only like 15 of them. I tell myself I am going to try some new stuff when I go up.

I go up and I actually do pretty well. I get some pretty big laughs, and I tried a handful of new things. All but one of the new things worked. My energy felt good, and I just felt comfortable. I definitely felt like this was a very productive set. I really want to keep working at it and moving my way up the chain here. I’d give this set a C.

As soon s I am off stage I grab my stuff and say goodbye. I dipped out and started walking to my car. I have off tomorrow and I was so excited to just pass out at home and wake up and relax.

I get to my car and have absolutely no traffic the entire way back home. I get there around 3 and watch a little tv before passing out. I am ready for a day off.

7/29

Today starts pretty good. Get to go bowling for a field trip at work which was killer. Then I get a fb message from Kyra and she sent me some absolutely amazing photos of The Winstmas Games. At least it looks like the show was amazing. Legit hope she does some more because I was extremely impressed.

After work my mom picks me up since my car has been out of commission. She drives me to go grab my car and the bill ends up being half of what we thought. I ended up needing two wheels, but they sent one that had a flaw in it and they let me keep it for free. So I basically got two wheels for the price of one. Which is amazing and honestly I really needed it.

I grab my car and head up to Charlottesville. I met Keaton Ray for dinner. We talked comedy and about when his show was coming back at The Bridge. We go over some bits, and destroy some Jack Browns. Samantha Padgett and her significant other Lucy show up. We talk to them as we are leaving and tell them we will see them soon.

We head over to the Southern and I start to grab all of the PA stuff. I also take down all of the chairs, and get the tables moved. I don’t set the PA up yet because last time I did the damn power went out. So I just go and kind of relax as other comics show up.

JR shows up and he sets the PA up. A few people show up an hour beforehand and they aren’t even performing which is pretty cool. Some people brought friends and we have a pretty big lineup. John Marg showed up. As did Jack Gerow, Kenn Edwards (after I left), Jake Snyder, Paige (as I was leaving), Dylan, Sam Wood, Sam Padgett, Jack Johnston, and a lot more.

The hang is super fun. I go outside and Sam P called me over. She was being hassled by a weird dude trying to get a hug and sell her some drugs. It was sketchy af so I just chilled next to her until she was able to move.

Chris and I shoot the shit and are riffing inside before the show starts. It was nice to just kind of unwind and bust balls. It had been a minute since we had been able to do that. I really missed it.

The show started at around 8:15 and we had an ok sized crowd. Chris goes up and is having a fun hosting set. He actually tried some new jokes, and was busting everybody’s balls. As he went on I started to feel pretty sick. I don’t know what it was.

I honestly think a lot of it is stress from my dad. I haven’t slept much, and I have been having horrible stomach problems due to anxiety. I also think the greasy burger and fries I ate (as delicious as they were) did not help the situation.

Over the course of the show more and more people show up. I am up fifth, and before that I am running to grab chairs until we have a pretty awesome packed house for the open mic. Dylan went up first and he had a solid opening set.

Then a few more comics went up. They all did ok. The crowd had been enjoying it and kind of hot, but they hadn’t really popped yet. There was a gay comic from New York who said he used to do comedy in the 80s. He defiantly had an 80s vibe, but he also had a few jokes I enjoyed. I hope he keeps coming out.

Then it was Sam Wood’s turn. She goes up and I start to get mentally ready to try and have a hot set. I want to do better than I did the last day in DC. So I get new jokes ready, and I just want to go.

She brings me up, and people start to get up to talk and get drinks. So I am just patient and bide my time. I ask a few questions and use the first minute or so to just get people on my wave length and have them ready for the show.

Once people are settled in I proceeded to have a really good set. My jokes were working, and I was able to get some stuff tighter than it used to be. I also did some crowd work I really enjoyed. I got this one dude involved and pretended he was one of my favorite porn stars. I kept calling him Mike Rod and he was there with his mom. It was a lot of fun.

I’d give this set an A-. There were like one or two things that didn’t get the pop I wanted, but overall a great set. I got some big pops and woke up the crowd. I felt like I did my job, and at the same time got to work on some new material.

After my set I started to feel incredibly sick. I had to leave. I hung around for a few more comics and talked a little bit, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I packed my stuff up and said goodbye and headed out. I caught Paige on the way out and told him I felt shitty. After this I hopped in the car and headed home. I chilled for a bit with my mom and then just passed out. I needed it.

I AM CAUGHT UP AGAIN! You can’t keep me down laydees! I am defeating this damn blog one way or another. I refuse to not do it. I need to write about some other stuff that isn’t just my shows. I will figure it out baybees! Until then I love you so much and thank you for reading! See ya soon! xoxo

#comedy #jokes #standup #bomb #dc #charlottesville #richmond #va #rva #cville #comedyrva #improv #gameshow #podcast #hilarious

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