Moontower 2014

[MRaup]

Just thought I'd start a thread like I did last year about Moontower. First sessions were last night, and I saw:

7:15pm  |  The Parish  |  FOUR EYES
     Andy Kindler, Mike Lawrence, Nick Mullen, Sara Schaefer, James Adomian,
     Ari Shaffir, Rory Scovel, Host: Kerri Lendo

Kindler was hilarious, as always. Mike Lawrence, who I'd never seen before, was pretty damn funny and looks like an ogre. Nick Mullen is a former local guy who is on his way up, and holy shit, he slayed. Sara Schaefer was really uncomfortable in a really funny way, including a very graphic (and mildly terrifying) impression of a male orgasm. James Adomian, who I discovered at Moontower last year, killed again. He was the closer for this show, and he was a riot. Ari Shaffir was really funny, and told a very long and involved joke about smuggling pot gummy bears in to Australia. Rory Scovel, who I've never even heard of, killed as well. He was great. His style is all over the place, but he was REALLY funny.

9:30pm  |  Paramount Theatre  |  HANNIBAL BURESS
     Hannibal Buress, Dan Soder

I've never heard of Dan Soder, but he was pretty great. A stereotypical pothead early 30s guy, but his material was fresh and funny, and he kept the crowd at a high energy level throughout his act. And Hannibal Burress, if there's a hotter/funnier comedian right now, I don't know who it was. He KILLED. He was so damn funny, and it was almost all new material.

I just got a facebook update from Puddles Pity Party as well:

Hello, Mark! Tonight Parish 7:15 & Velveeta 9:30. Friday NYNY 8:25 & Parish 9:15. Saturday NYNY 8:15 & Stateside 10:00. I hope to see ya.

So anyone else Moontowering, go seek him out. SO worth seeing at least once.

Tonight I'll probably be at:

7:15pm  |  The Parish  |  ALWAYS BE CLOSIN' WITH RORY SCOVEL
     Rory Scovel, Puddles Pity Party, Sean Patton, Erik Charles Nielson, Host: Sara Schaefer

Erik Charles Nielson is slightly better known as Garrett on Community, one of the minor characters.

And my second session will be:

9:30pm  |  The Paramount Theatre  |  MARIA BAMFORD
     Maria Bamford, Erin Foley

Because Maria Bamford is amazing, and if you don't think so, you're an idiot.

If anyone else is Moontowering this year, let me know. I'm flying solo for most everything, and would love some company.

[Bench]

Mike Lawrence is hilarious.  Sadamantium is a great album. 

I enjoy these updates Mark.  Keep 'em coming. 

[Duke]

We did the Paramunt early and late.  Demetri Martin was the early show.  Very laid back but funny.  Nice start to the week.  Then Burress at 9:30.  Agree with you Mark.  He was awesome!

[MRaup]

Also, if anyone is interested, I've got a ticket to the Dennis Miller show tonight at Paramount at 7 that I'm looking to sell/get rid of. Make me an offer (that doesn't involve feeding turtles or Earth Day) and it's yours assuming someone else hasn't already snatched it up.

[MRaup]

Thursday Moontower Scorecard:

7:15pm  |  The Parish  |  ALWAYS BE CLOSIN' WITH RORY SCOVEL
     Rory Scovel, Puddles Pity Party, Sean Patton, Erik Charles Nielson, Host: Sara Schaefer

Sara Shaefer did her terrifying guy having an orgasm impression again as a host for this show, and it was just as awful/hilarious as it was the first time. She was great as the hostess for this show, and she's nerdy cute, which helps.

Erik Charles Nielson, AKA Garrett from Community, was hilarious. His act is kinda Lewis Black-like in his delivery, there's a lot of twitching and yelling about things, but not politics. He did a bit about horses maybe being people that was hilarious.

Sean Patton is absolutely ridiculous. I don't know where he comes up with his stuff, but it is just totally out of left field and great. He did a 5 minute finisher where he basically got stuck saying "Brother, butter?" over and over again after calling someone in the audience "Brutter, which apparently was a combination of butter and brother." It was SO weird, but hilarious.

Rory Scovel, who I saw last night in a short set, was the finisher for this show, and his long set was great. Highlights included him doing a bit at a piano of a guy that lied on his resume playing the piano in a hotel bar. Also, when one of his jokes bombed, he turned it in to a "I think I lost my wife" joke by wandering around saying "Honey? Where'd you go? Babe? Sweetie?" for a full minute. It was great.

And Puddles. Oh Puddles. He was just as glorious as ever.


9:30pm  |  The Paramount Theatre  |  MARIA BAMFORD
     Maria Bamford, Erin Foley

Erin Foley, the opener for this show was REALLY funny. I was blown away with how good her act was, and how polished she was while seeming totally natural.

And I won't even describe Maria, because, she's basically indescribable. She was hilarious, as always.

Tonight's game plan is as follows:

7:00pm  |  Paramount Theatre  |  MIKE BIRBIGLIA
     Mike Birbiglia

Second Session, I'm debating between:

9:15pm  |  The Parish  |  UNHINGED
     Puddles Pity Party, Erik Charles Nielsen, Dan Naturman, Andy Kindler,
     Brody Stevens, Michael Priest, Mike Lawrence, Host: Kurt Metzger

and

10:30pm  |  Speakeasy  |  1st AND TEN
     The Sklar Brothers, Ian karmel, Jen Kober, Erin Foley, Andrew Santino,
     Dom Irrera, Brody Stevens

I may start at Parish then slip over to Speakeasy.

And Late Night:

idnight  |  Paramount Theatre  |  MARC MARON
     Marc Maron, Andy Kindler, James Adomian

If I'm not feeling totally dead.

[Duke]

If I'm not feeling totally dead.
[/quote]

I hear ya man.  These late nights out on a school night are really making me drag ass.

Thanks for the update.  We did the Paramount again all night.  Dennis Miller rocked.

[Bench]

  Dennis Miller rocked.

Ah, Dennis Miller.

[MRaup]

7:00pm  |  Paramount Theatre  |  MIKE BIRBIGLIA
     Mike Birbiglia

If anyone has mastered the art of the awkward self story that leads to huge laughs, its Birbigs. Man, he was great. His material is almost all about his life, and he just keeps on delivering funny throughout his set. No opening act, and an encore where he told his original Sleepwalk story, which is great.

9:15pm  |  The Parish  |  UNHINGED
     Puddles Pity Party, Erik Charles Nielsen, Dan Naturman, Andy Kindler,
     Brody Stevens, Michael Priest, Mike Lawrence, Host: Kurt Metzger

Erik Charles Nielson didn't perform in this show, no idea why. Dan Naturman is a funny dude. He's very New Yorky, and his delivery is awkward and very staccato. He was great, though. Andy Kindler is Andy Kindler, he's doing old man comedy jokes, and still making me laugh. Brody Stevens routine is very meh. He's angry and yelly and crowd reactiony, and mostly just not that funny. He tries REALLY hard, though. Michael Priest was the first bomb I've seen all week. He was terrible, and even he knew it. Ugh. Mike Lawrence was just as funny the second time around as he was the first. He's a goofy good. Kurt Metzger is pretty funny in an offensive New York kinda way. He's a terrible host, though. His jokes are not very well suited for hosting, so mostly he told awful stories then introduced the next comedian. And Puddles was Puddles again. Watching crowd and comedian reactions to Puddles is so great for people that don't know who he is and what he does,

Late Night:

Midnight  |  Paramount Theatre  |  MARC MARON
     Marc Maron, Andy Kindler, James Adomian

Andy Kindler AGAIN?! Yup, he did a lot of the same jokes as he did in the previous show, but he still got plenty of laughs. James Adomian for the second time, he was great. Did his Andy Kindler impression again, and killed with it. He is SO talented. Marc Maron is still angry about all kinds of things, and was a bad guy to be seeing so late at night. He was funny, but the crowd was so tired/subdued, that it took a LOT of effort to get big laughs. The highlight of the show was him railing on a few girls talking during his show a few rows away from the stage. He raged on them, then came back to them a little later when they started talking again, then went passive aggressive and apologized while still raging about it.

[MRaup]

Saturday Moontower Possible Agenda:

7:15pm  |  The Parish  |  COMEDY JACKPOT
     Bobcat Goldthwait, Brent Weinbach, Cameron Esposito, Jackie Kashian,
     Paul Varghese, Nick Thune, Hasan Minhaj Host: Chris Cubas


7:30pm  |  Stateside at the Paramount  |  SKLAR"TACULAR"
     The Sklar Brothers, Damien Lemon, Andrew Santino, Host: Kurt Metzger

Not sure which of these shows I want to go to. I've never seen Bobcat, so I'm leaning toward the Parish, but I'd like to see the Sklar Brothers too, since I've never seen them.

Moontower Note: Puddles is performing at NY NY during the early session for anyone that wants to try and catch him today.

Second Session:

10:00pm  |  Stateside at the Paramount  |  WHISPER LIVE
     Puddles Pity Party, John Ramsey, Andrew Santino, Kurt Braunohler,
     Christela Alonzo, Hosts: Beth Stelling & Sara Schaefer

Leaning toward this show, but not 100 percent on it yet. There are not a lot of obvious picks today, lots of mixed up shows.