Rory Scovel returns to Nashville June 5th at The High Watt for what is sure to be another fantastic Corporate Juggernaut show. Even if you’ve seen Rory every time he has played here, you still have no idea what to expect, unless you expect to see a brilliantly funny improvisational genius who uses his already excellent prepared material as a loose framework on which he builds a unique one of a kind experience that leaves the audience feeling like they’ve just started to peak on their magic mushroom fueled comedy trip.  He’s one of the most innovative live performers of this generation and if you miss this show for any reason, then you are a fool.

Rory made his television debut on Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham” and appeared on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” Rory was featured on “John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show” for Comedy Central as well as “CONAN.” His second  half-hour Comedy Central special premiers May 11th at 11pm.

This video is six years old. Watch it and laugh and just imagine how much funnier he has gotten since then:

Here’s a ridiculous promo video Rory made with Todd Glass to promote his new Comedy Central special:

Here’s a short interview Rory did:

Corporate Juggernaut presents: Rory Scovel
Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 – 9:00pm
$10 (buy tickets now)

The High Watt
1 Cannery Row, Nashville, TN 37206

(Facebook event)

More infos about Rory:
RoryScovel.com/comedy/
Twitter.com/RoryScovel

Buy Rory’s album on iTunes or Spotify.

Riley Fox has been described as cerebral, energetic, sarcastic, laid-back, engaging, and other seemingly contradictory words. He’s also very funny. On December 16-17, 2011 he recorded his shows at Out Front On Main in Murfreesboro and is now releasing his debut stand-up comedy cd, “Unamerican.” Here’s what Mr. Fox has to say about it:

“I’ve always loved all kinds of comedy, but my favorite kind was comedy that was daring, fearless, and challenged society. Hopefully, I’ve met that personal standard with Unamerican, my debut live comedy album. This album represents a versatile collection of EVERYTHING I love in stand-up comedy: hard-hitting social commentary, silly observations, and impressions. Oh, and religious jokes. Lots of religious jokes. So if you enjoy those sorts of things, you’ll love Unamerican. If you don’t, then feel free to buy the album anyway and just give it to some kid wearing a Rage Against The Machine t-shirt or something. They’ll probably enjoy it more.”

Register now to win one (1) copy of the new Riley Fox: “Unamerican” cd from NashvilleStandUp.com. We’ll pick THREE winners on May 13th.

Find more from Riley Fox online:
http://www.rileyfoxcomedy.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/riley_fox
http://www.facebook.com/rileyfox

Rik Roberts

Stand-UP Level One: Writing
Mondays 4/30, 5/7 & 5/21
5:30-7:15 PM @ Zanies Nashville
The 3 session class fee is $200 total

If you are starting from scratch this is your class. If you have “dabbled” in stand-up and can’t find the consistency you need from your material, this is your class. If you write, blog, tweet or just want to find out how to be funnier … this class is for you.

Ask yourself the following questions. Be honest with yourself!

How solid is your material now?
Do you know the reason each joke gets a laugh?
What techniques suit you the best?
Are you able to mix it up for different types of crowds?
Can you turn a story into a comedy bit?
Do your jokes get consistent laughs?
Are you able to get a laugh every 10-15 seconds or so?

If you don’t know some of the answers, then you’d benefit enormously from the writing class!

You can pay by check, credit card or money order. Once you’ve paid for the writing class once you have a “Lifetime” membership which allows you to attend any and all of the future writing classes at no extra cost.

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Improv Comedy Level One: Games
Mondays 4/30, 5/7 & 5/21
7:30-9:30 PM @ Zanies Nashville
The 3 session class fee is $200 total

Want to release the inner genius trapped inside you? Me too! In the meantime, why not sign up for the Intro to Improv Comedy Class?

I started my comedy career as part of Midwest Comedy Tool and Die – an incredible Improv group in Columbus, OH. We were one of the few traveling Improv troupes to conquer comedy clubs. Our approach was big on laughs with a respect for the art form of Improv. In this intro to Improv class we will do the same.

We will sample many of the games you have seen on “Whose Line is it Anyway?” as well as many you may have never seen. You’ll learn the ground rules that apply to Improvisational Comedy. You’ll be onstage a LOT and will learn to trust your instincts.

You’ll also benefit if you are pursuing stand-up comedy. All of the games in this course can be applied to writing and developing your material. Many students develop characters and bits that they integrate into their act.

A minimum of 8 students is necessary for this class to go forward.

If interested, send Rik an e-mail at comedyhomework AT aol DOT com with the following information:

Which class are you sign up for,
Writing or Improv? ___________________

Name: ____________________________

Cell#: ____________________________

Best E-Mail for class news: ______________

Preferred method of payment (Check, Credit or Cash) ___________________________

And feel free to tell me about any past performance or writing experiences. A link to any YouTube clips would also be cool.

Keith’s first Letterman appearance was on February 6, 2009. Here’s that video:

More from Mr. Alberstadt:
KeithComedy.com
Twitter.com/KeithAlberstadt
Facebook.com/keith.alberstadt

This is a country spoof of the song “Moves like Jagger”. It’s called “Moo’ves like Haggard” and it’s about a chick who looks like Merle Haggard in a dress. We are in NO WAY making fun of Merle Haggard. We love him! He’s awesome! This is just about an imaginary chick who LOOKS like Merle Haggard. Written by Jon Reep & Zach Selwyn. Music by Toby Semain. Directed by Zach Selwyn. Edited by Jesse Selwyn. Chic played by Brian E. Kiley.

NashvilleStandUp asked Nashville’s own Brian E. Kiley how it happened and this is what he said:

“The two planned to shoot the video for the song in Nashville to take advantage of the country music scenery and themes. Originally Reep was set to play the part of the women himself. When he arrived in Nashville and realized he was working with me again, he instantly knew that casting a 300+ pound man as the woman would make the video that much funnier and he offered me the part. His description of the video was so hilarious that I didn’t even flinch at the idea of being seen in drag, doing some embarrassing things. It was one of those moments where the comedy overpowered the ego. The next two days were spent filming at Zanies and on Broadway in Downtown Nashville inspiring shock and awe in the passers by. The rest is comedy history!”

Here’s the video:

Download Moo’ves like Haggard on iTunes

The new musical that’s leaving women across the country saying “that’s my life!” is coming to a city near you in 2012. Motherhood the Musical® is the incredibly funny, poignant musical that shows four different perspectives. Written by Nashville’s own Sue Fabisch, the show humorously captures every stage of motherhood including the changes that happen to the body after pregnancy and nursing, succumbing to driving a minivan and becoming a grandma for the very first time. Declared as “Engaging, hilarious and touching!” by Variety, Motherhood the Musical® is produced by GFour Productions, the team who has successfully brought Menopause The Musical® to multiple international markets and every major market in the United States.

The “Motherhood the Musical” CD featuring all your favorite Motherhood songs:

“The Kids Are Finally Asleep”, “Minivan”, “I’m Danny’s Mom”, “Not Gonna Take It Anymore” and of course, “Costco Queen”. All 20 songs from the hit show featuring the vocals of the talented Kareema Khouri, Lisa Manuli, Margot Moreland and Laura Turnbull.

Get your Mother’s Day CD’s here!

For more info about Motherhood the Musical, visit:
http://www.motherhoodthemusical.com/

Open mic stand-up comedy show hosted by Sean Parrott the first Wednesday of every month. Sign-up at 9p, show starts at 9:30. All are welcome. No cover.

There’s always an element of danger with comedy shows at Springwater. Several things can be rough: the crowds, the language, and finding a seat in the packed house. You never know what’s going to happen, but you can bet it’ll be funny and exciting.

1st Wednesday of Every month
9:30pm show; 9pm sign-up
no cover

Springwater Supper Club & Lounge
115 27th Ave N.
Nashville, TN 37203
615-320-0345
SpringwaterSupperClub.com

(Facebook Event)

My mental image of Paul Strickland is him in the Zanies green room looking over pages of his material that had been typed out word for word.. reading it under his breath, rehearsing the inflections and energy he would put into each line. A few years ago, this process struck me as funny because you just don’t see a lot of comics doing that. Most have scraps of paper or napkins with one or two words written on them that represent each joke.. or notebooks full of scribbles – sentence fragments, punchlines, random words and broken thoughts and ideas. You generally don’t see comics going over full transcripts of their acts, or talking about the “arc” of their set or the “through-line” they’re trying to establish but I associate these things with Paul’s process. I’m assuming it was his background in theater that led to these habits, but whatever it is has worked in Paul’s favor.

From his first open mic in February 2006, Paul already seemed to have a good head for the business of comedy. He was always working on new, bookable material. He put effort into everything he did and treated it like a job from the very beginning.. which is exactly why he was able to quit his day job in 2009. Since then he has written and performed his one man shows and traditional standup all over the country.

Paul says, “I firmly believe that making people laugh at themselves and their world is a good way to help them escape while, hopefully, gaining some perspective on what they’re escaping from, and distracting them from the fact that I just took their money.”

Strickland recorded “Levels of Difficulty,” his first stand-up album, a few hours up the road at the Comedy Caravan in Louisville. It is available to buy right now at iTunes and Amazon.

As a ‘thank you’ to the local comedy fans in Nashville who supported Paul from the very beginning, NashvilleStandUp and Paul are happy to be giving away three (3!) copies of the cd on April 22nd. Enter to win below.

Paul says, “Listen, people laughed when I said the things on this CD and we recorded both their laughter and the things I said. Now YOU can laugh WITH people that laughed months ago AT the same things I said MONTHS ago! Building community, that’s what I’m about.”

[UPDATE: the contest has closed! Buy the album already, cheapskate!]

If you don’t have time to screw around, waiting to see if you win, feel free to go ahead and buy it right now:
- iTunes
- Amazon

For more from Paul Strickland, stalk him online:
http://talkingpaul.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/talkingpaul
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1080223703

Renard Hirsch is a stand up comic out of Nashville, TN who has appeared in several films including Lincoln Heights, The Green Mile, Drumline, and Hannah Montana, The Movie. Television appearances include BET’s “A Time to Laugh,” and “Who’s Laughing Now” on Comcast. In addition to his hilarious, energetic stand-up performances, Renard also wrote and performs a one man show about civil rights leader, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Also, it should be noted that Renard “gangsta walks at every party.”

Here’s a video of Renard performing in Memphis a while ago:

The NashvilleStandUp.com Showcase featuring Renard Hirsch
Wed., May 2, 2012
doors open: 6:30pm
showtime: 7:30pm

Zanies Comedy Showplace
2025 8th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37204
615-269-0221

tickets:
$5. available at the door, online, or at the Zanies box office at: 615-269-0221

Facebook event:
Wed., May 2, 2012 – 7:30 pm

More info about the N’Sup Showcase @ Zanies is available at: http://NashvilleStandUp.com/showcase/

From the minds who brought you ImprovNashville, Music City Improv, The Nashville Comedy Theater, and the Ultimate Comedy Stand-up Show comes a brand new, hilariously funny sketch comedy show. It’s ridiculous, so beware – and try not to hurt yourself.

Here’s a promo video they made:

Blue Lotus Comedy
Friday, May 11, 2012
Doors open: 7:30 p.m., Showtime: 8:00 p.m. sharp.

$10 in advance online at bluelotuscomedy.com
$12 at the door (credit cards accepted)

The Performance Artist Co-op
107 N. 11th St., Nashville, TN 37206
(a purple building beside the BP in East Nashville’s 5 Points Area)

(Facebook event)