I need to stop procrastinating.

But I'll probably just put that off, too.

Sorry Denver, I wont disown you for that long again. The winter funk is clearing and I'm once again on the train of productivity. I know, I've said it before. But this time I really mean it. I was told the egos of Denver comedy rely on this. If this is what you're relying on for your ego random Denver comedian, well, uhh, good luck to you friend.

I've actually seen a shitload of shows since the last time I wrote. Let's go through the quick and fading memories of the past two wks:

Chris Charpentier's Funny Final Four

Charp's team was clearly on their game this night. They scored a solid 82 points, which I've heard is the highest score of any team that's ever stepped foot on the Funny Final Four stage. And they earned it.

Andrew Smyczek's set held a unique weirdness that fit him, and Matt Thornton was an obvious crowd fave. They both had really memorable, stand-out sets. And Prakash Hosalli MVP'd for the night. Deservedly so. He hits you with things that you dont see coming. And it's pretty awesome. Mark Lee and Troy Baxley co-headlined to wrap up the fun, and they did it in style. Charp did a fabulous job as the emcee and pulled together his night in a way that only a true Daddy could. Well done, Daddy's kids. Awesome show.

Comedy Works...Ryan Lowery, Deacon Gray, and headliner Sugar Sammy

Thanks to Deacon, I got to check out this show last Saturday night. I'd never heard of Sugar Sammy, as I'm generally clueless about most things in life. But I just checked out his wikipedia, and the dude has really done alot of cool stuff. Check it out so I dont have to list it.

Anywho. I got there just in time to Ryan Lowery's set. The guy is a Colorado Springs dweller, so all of us Denver snobs can initially look down our noses at him, but he definitely brought the funny and had some bits that I really liked. Also, he calls Colorado Springs the conservative deep South. So he knows. Fave line: "Watching the whole birthing experience reminded me of a turtleneck I had growing up." Indeed.

Deacon hit the stage pre-Sugar Sammy and slammed the rambunctious crowd with a hilarious set. I think within Denver Deacon is one of the masters of taking you somewhere you had no idea you were going with a joke. Pretty sure he turned a joke about girl scout cookies into a joke about a crackwhore. Ok, maybe we saw that coming a little bit, but it was awesome. And after catching up with Deacon, I found out that this crowd was the better one of the night so far. They were St Patty's Day drunk, and you could tell. Especially when Sugar Sammy stepped into the spotlight.

The dude had charm. A lot of it. And he laid it on real thick-like. I didnt really know what to expect from him, but I think one person compared him to a lesser version of Russell Peters, and as I watched, I was like "No way" but the whole time I was thinking of Russell Brand so basically he wasn't like a lesser version of Russell Brand. So I guess that's good for him. I dont know where I'm going with this.

His act was interesting...his main focus ended up being the crowd, and in the same way a magician shouldn't show you all of his tricks in one night, I felt like the crowd focus was a little over-done; however, it was well done. He made the choice to befriend his hecklers rather than shame them into silence, which definitely took a step outside the norm. And to the heckler's credit, they were really drunk, so I guess they made easy friends if not good ones. He asked one man what his job was and the guy replied that he was a "craps dealer up the hill" and it took more than a little while for most to realize that he wasn't stealing people's shit, but that came up a few times that really fit in well into the set. A gay man named Christian found his place in the sun multiple times and I think we would have all been embarrassed for him if double S hadn't so affably welcomed his loud and very drunk opinions. It went a little too far, but the graciousness didn't go unnoticed. Sugar Sammy, what a nice guy.

But I was a little disappointed that his whole deal wasn't more meaty. It felt very improvy which isn't bad, and also probably isn't a word, but you guys get what I mean. His game plan was sitting in the crowd for that particular show, and I wanted more of what was in his head.

But you cant always get what you want. All in all, a decent show. And I was walking behind two dudes post-show that very loudly said "Man, I thought the guy before Sugar Sammy was the funniest of the night." So there you go, Deacon. Denver wins again.

Random Open Mics

I went to a couple random open mics in the past few wks. Lion's Lair. Benders. BB Talent Showcase isn't really an open mic but it kind of is so I'll lump it in with the bunch. Sorry to those of you who have invited me to some late night shows, my professional responsibilities are blowing me out of the water right now so when I start to slow down again, you'll see my face out there more.

About these open mics, I actually had some of you talk to me about putting together new stuff and really delving into the creative side of performance and I think that is really cool. And I've seen it from some people who I hadn't really seen it from before.

Just a good word about these particular nights. Sam Tallent and Roger Norquist took over the Lion's Lair for the time being while Andy Kaufman is writing dissertations and being smarter than the rest of us, and the first night was really a lot of fun. There was a marked difference from the previous wk I had attended and it didnt go unnoticed. I think these guys are going to run a really fun and productive night and I'm looking forward to actually being able to attend, since it's not after my bedtime. I know. So sad.

Benders not only had comedy but fodder for comedy in some of the other performers. I am not really a live music person (read: not a hipster to those of you who might think that I am) but there were some talented musicians in the bunch as well. I had to cut out early (that bedtime thing) and I actually only went because Lion's Lair had a plumbing accident (Who is surprised?) so we'll see how long I can hold a steady job and maybe I'll be able to hit up more of these late-nighters whenever that dies a hard death.

BB Talent had kind of a weird night this past Wednesday. There was a bigger crowd than the last time I went but it was a noticeably tough one. I dont know if tough is the right word. As it was St Patty's Day, I'm going to go with "too drunk to know what was going on" and "prob not smart enough to get it anyway" but that's just my opinion.

In other news...

I'm on my way to go to Casselmans to catch Gary's show with Jordan Zuckerman tonight and as the roads are complete shit I'm gonna get out of here. More to come this wkend. I mean it this time.

And the weekend begins!