Richmond is known for a lot of things; heaps of Civil War history, the birthplace of a bunch of seminal bands, beards, a questionably clean river, Best Friends Day & Slaughterama, a love of PBR… but up until very recently it was not known for being particularly funny. However, there are a significant amount of comedy fans, performers and purveyors dedicated to changing that and making Richmond known for people who are funny on purpose, rather than merely serving as the nation’s laughingstock during news appearances. Here are nine reasons to love comedy in Richmond.
1) It’s Cheap. It should be no surprise that a city that loves its PBR also loves being thrifty whenever and wherever possible. There are open mic stand-up nights and contests across the city many nights of the week, and they’re all free to enter and watch. You may have to order a drink or some food, but be honest, you would have done that anyway, and all of these events will be much funnier than that episode of Everyone Loves Raymond playing on the TV in your typical haunt. On top of that, the larger shows are all much cheaper than they’d be in bigger nearby cities (DC, Chapel Hill, Norfolk, etc).
2) Just like the melting pot that is our fine city, there’s something for everyone. Whether their tastes are vulgar (or really vulgar), offensive, bizarre, shocking or perverse, fans of comedy in Richmond should be able to find something they like. While most of the events aren’t exactly family friendly, the variety of voices involved in the stand-up, sketch, and improv communities should provide entertainment rated anywhere from PG-13 to a very hard R. Ultimately, nothing you’ll see onstage will be more shocking than something you’d see on the street any night of the week.
3) Comedy Minor Leagues: For years the Richmond Braves served as the AAA farm team for the Atlanta Braves, frequently attracting star talent on it’s way into or out of the limelight. Our city lends itself well to serving the same purpose for the comedy network. Just as a number of rising stars have moved on from Richmond in an attempt to increase their visibility, others have made Richmond a regular stop after connecting to fans here. The more love and support they get, the more they’ll be able to grow. We’ll worry about the consequences once it’s twenty feet long and costs more to feed than we can afford.
4) You Never Know Who You’ll See: The rumors are true–one night Andy Dick and his son Lucas dropped in on the Buckin’ Comedy Throwdown at Gibson’s. The younger Dick did a short set while Andy announced Dave Marie Garland as the winner of the Throwdown. Richmond is an odd little city where you never quite know who will show up at your event, and what famous actor you might find placing a cowbell around your neck.
5) We Do Get BIG Names Too: Within the past 12 months, Harry Shearer, Tracy Morgan, Jim Gaffigan, Mike Birbiglia, Sara Schaefer & Jon Dore, and Jerry Seinfeld have appeared and performed in Richmond. In the upcoming months, Whitney Cummings, Tommy Johnagin, Doug Stanhope and Daniel Tosh are scheduled to visit the river city. The more local support existing events get, the more often recognizable names will appear. On that note, once the Facebook group to help gathers 300 members, Paul will make arrangements to visit Richmond himself.
6) Get your drink on. Is it a lame excuse? Sure. But since Richmonders love drinking, and I don’t know of a single comedy-related show in a non-drinking facility. I find it necessary to restate the obvious: Why drink alone when you can kill two birds (and some braincells) at once?
7) Not a funny number
8) Aren’t We All More Than A Little Sick Of Music At This Point? Look, I love music, and you love music. I would never go as far as to suggest that Richmond music is dead, or doesn’t deserve your support, or that there are too many bands. But maybe next time, instead of seeing your friend’s band play some dump for the umpteenth time, you could consider taking a walk on the wild side and seeing some live comedy instead. Perhaps the rumors are true and laughter really is good for your soul (or was that chicken soup?).
9) It’s So Much Better In Person. I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that most people’s image of live comedy is highly influenced by TV. Whose Line Is It, Anyway? introduced millions of Americans not only to Drew Carey [Editor’s note: Actually, I’m pretty sure The Drew Carey Show introduced most Americans to Drew Carey, but whatever], but also to the world of Improv, thereby spoiling many on the form forever. Trust us when we say that you need to get yourself to a live improv show to get a more representative picture of the comedy (and silliness) that goes into an improv show, and to understand how funny it can be without Wayne Brady signing all over everything. The same goes for anyone who has recently bemoaned how un-funny SNL has gotten in recent years. You might be singing a different tune if you had been in the studio audience for any of those shows. And lastly, for those watching stand-up on TV, take it from us… Punchlines work so much better when not obscured by a *BLEEP*.
Part 5/6 – Cafe Diem Open Mic Comedy Night – July 5, 2010 from Silver Persinger
Links to: RVA-Standup, 955 Comedy, Cafe Diem, Funny Bone, RVA Comedy
Occasional Venues for Comedy: The National, The Carpenter Center, The Landmark, The Hat Factory, City Dogs, The Playing Field, Strange Matter
For more Richmond comedy check out the F-BOMB Comedy Festival at The Hat Factory next week. Day tickets and package deals are available HERE.
Richmond is known for a lot of things; heaps of Civil War history, the birthplace of a bunch of seminal bands, beards, a questionably clean river, Best Friends Day & Slaughterama, a love of PBR… but up until very recently it was not known for being particularly funny. However, there are a significant amount of comedy fans, performers and purveyors dedicated to changing that and making Richmond known for people who are funny on purpose, rather than merely serving as the nation’s laughingstock during news appearances. Here are nine reasons to love comedy in Richmond.
1) It’s Cheap. It should be no surprise that a city that loves its PBR also loves being thrifty whenever and wherever possible. There are open mic stand-up nights and contests across the city many nights of the week, and they’re all free to enter and watch. You may have to order a drink or some food, but be honest, you would have done that anyway, and all of these events will be much funnier than that episode of Everyone Loves Raymond playing on the TV in your typical haunt. On top of that, the larger shows are all much cheaper than they’d be in bigger nearby cities (DC, Chapel Hill, Norfolk, etc).
2) Just like the melting pot that is our fine city, there’s something for everyone. Whether their tastes are vulgar (or really vulgar), offensive, bizarre, shocking or perverse, fans of comedy in Richmond should be able to find something they like. While most of the events aren’t exactly family friendly, the variety of voices involved in the stand-up, sketch, and improv communities should provide entertainment rated anywhere from PG-13 to a very hard R. Ultimately, nothing you’ll see onstage will be more shocking than something you’d see on the street any night of the week.
3) Comedy Minor Leagues: For years the Richmond Braves served as the AAA farm team for the Atlanta Braves, frequently attracting star talent on it’s way into or out of the limelight. Our city lends itself well to serving the same purpose for the comedy network. Just as a number of rising stars have moved on from Richmond in an attempt to increase their visibility, others have made Richmond a regular stop after connecting to fans here. The more love and support they get, the more they’ll be able to grow. We’ll worry about the consequences once it’s twenty feet long and costs more to feed than we can afford.
4) You Never Know Who You’ll See: The rumors are true–one night Andy Dick and his son Lucas dropped in on the Buckin’ Comedy Throwdown at Gibson’s. The younger Dick did a short set while Andy announced Dave Marie Garland as the winner of the Throwdown. Richmond is an odd little city where you never quite know who will show up at your event, and what famous actor you might find placing a cowbell around your neck.
5) We Do Get BIG Names Too: Within the past 12 months, Harry Shearer, Tracy Morgan, Jim Gaffigan, Mike Birbiglia, Sara Schaefer & Jon Dore, and Jerry Seinfeld have appeared and performed in Richmond. In the upcoming months, Whitney Cummings, Tommy Johnagin, Doug Stanhope and Daniel Tosh are scheduled to visit the river city. The more local support existing events get, the more often recognizable names will appear. On that note, once the Facebook group to help gathers 300 members, Paul will make arrangements to visit Richmond himself.
6) Get your drink on. Is it a lame excuse? Sure. But since Richmonders love drinking, and I don’t know of a single comedy-related show in a non-drinking facility. I find it necessary to restate the obvious: Why drink alone when you can kill two birds (and some braincells) at once?
7) Not a funny number
8) Aren’t We All More Than A Little Sick Of Music At This Point? Look, I love music, and you love music. I would never go as far as to suggest that Richmond music is dead, or doesn’t deserve your support, or that there are too many bands. But maybe next time, instead of seeing your friend’s band play some dump for the umpteenth time, you could consider taking a walk on the wild side and seeing some live comedy instead. Perhaps the rumors are true and laughter really is good for your soul (or was that chicken soup?).
9) It’s So Much Better In Person. I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that most people’s image of live comedy is highly influenced by TV. Whose Line Is It, Anyway? introduced millions of Americans not only to Drew Carey [Editor’s note: Actually, I’m pretty sure The Drew Carey Show introduced most Americans to Drew Carey, but whatever], but also to the world of Improv, thereby spoiling many on the form forever. Trust us when we say that you need to get yourself to a live improv show to get a more representative picture of the comedy (and silliness) that goes into an improv show, and to understand how funny it can be without Wayne Brady signing all over everything. The same goes for anyone who has recently bemoaned how un-funny SNL has gotten in recent years. You might be singing a different tune if you had been in the studio audience for any of those shows. And lastly, for those watching stand-up on TV, take it from us… Punchlines work so much better when not obscured by a *BLEEP*.
Part 5/6 – Cafe Diem Open Mic Comedy Night – July 5, 2010 from Silver Persinger
Links to: RVA-Standup, 955 Comedy, Cafe Diem, Funny Bone, RVA Comedy
Occasional Venues for Comedy: The National, The Carpenter Center, The Landmark, The Hat Factory, City Dogs, The Playing Field, Strange Matter
For more Richmond comedy check out the F-BOMB Comedy Festival at The Hat Factory next week. Day tickets and package deals are available HERE.
