I caught Christopher Titus's show at Tommy T's in Pleasanton, California on December 8th 2011. I thought a Thursday night would be roomy and quiet - boy, was I wrong! The place started filling up early, and continued steadily until there was hardly a seat left open by showtime.

Damn, was this place hard to find. I can't blame the venue though, they've actually got some good info on their website to address the fact that the venue has as much parking lot as a phone booth.  I mistakenly trusted Google maps' directions, which got me on the same street, but from there I struggled mightily. With the sun passing through my dirty windshield and into my eyes, I was practically blind. I must have circled the place six times before I parked nervously in the lot of the Goodyear tire shop next door.  I shouldn't have been so nervous - after reading Rooster T. Feathers' website, they advised to do just that. Good for them for thinking of their customers.

Marcella Arguello and the Miserable Men of Comedy

You've gotta love it when an ambitious crew brings comedy to a Valley hamlet. For my money, you can't beat barbecue, brews, and belly laughs. And for a ten dollar ticket, this night brought all that and more to the Clubhouse Theater at the French Camp Golf Course.

Mike Betancourt Headlines the Fat Cat

It was June 10th, 2011, and the gloomy, late-spring weather had just broken, giving way to hot days and warm summer nights. It was as good a metaphor as any for the flourishing rebirth of comedy going on at The Fat Cat Music House and Lounge in Modesto.

Ryan “Lefty” Anderson has put on great shows at the Fat Cat before, including “If They're Free, I'll Take Two,” with Anthony Krayenhagen, recently written up in this space. If Anderson continues to put together such strong shows, he might just develop a reputation for solid nights of comedy.

Open Mike Spotlight - Kevin Albritton's Pizza Blast

I was fortunate to attend the inaugural open mike night run by Kevin Albritton and El Roberto, at the “Pizza Blast” in Salida, California. It is a comparatively small room with no indigenous stage or sound system, but when Kevin and his cohorts arranged the place and brought in the sound system, and a happy, attentive crowd filled the place to overflowing, the size of the room was never a downside.

Anthony K & Lefty Anderson @ Fat Cat

Friday, April 8th 2011 was a night of stand-outs at the Fat Cat Music House and Lounge in Modesto, CA, with one sharp, funny performance after another. The house was packed, but the crowd wasn't terribly warm; no problem, the comics weren't afraid to work for it.

Jay Smith's "Oysters, Beer, Comedy" at Lagorio's

If you asked me to describe in a single word Jay Smith's "Oysters, Beer, Comedy" show at Lagorio's in Farmington last Friday night, I would pause to search for a way to explain the loud, discomfiting and funny madness that is a Jay Smith show at Lagorio's. And I would fail.  The best I can do is: "unique."

Lucky for me, I have a lot more than one word to work with.

Joe Rivera and Matt Fuentes have begun a new open mike comedy night at the Argus Lounge in San Francisco, and they have big intentions to make this open mike something special.

The Argus Lounge (at 3187 Mission St. in San Francisco) is a bar in The City that hosts bands and DJs on a weekly basis.  I am told that they hold the dubious distinction of being one of the few bars that serve Tecate beer.  That may not be enough to get you in the door, but dammit, it's something.  Lucky for them, they've got one of the hardest-working booker/promoters in their corner in Joe Rivera, who has partnered with Matt Fuentes to put on the newest open mike night in the area.

[Editor's note: as of 7/23/10, and per the event's organizer, Nate Lewis, the Open Mike at The Blackwater Cafe is on hold until further notice. - T.B.]

Nate Lewis's Open Mike Night at the Blackwater Café in Stockton is everything an open mike should be: it's free (as in free speech), cheap (as in cheap beer) and has the hazy, bohemian feel that somebody in this place is working on their next creative piece, and making some headway. Or buying weed. It's just something in the air.

[Editor's note: at this time, the Open Mike Night at Hero's is discontinued/mutated to another venue. Contact Isaac Ames for more information and how you can get in on his new improvisational venture at the Guru - T.B.]

Open mike nights come in all shapes and sizes.  They occur at wildly diverse venues, including: dedicated comedy clubs, bowling alleys, laundromats, cafes, restaurants and bars.  Sometimes you get a stage and a sound system, and hey, sometimes you don't. 

With that in mind, the patrons of Hero's Lounge & Pizza Company have got it pretty plush: a roomy, raised stage, a dedicated sound system (often piloted by a skilled DJ), a full service bar and a big open room.  This could be open mike heaven.

The February 2010 stand up comedy show at La Contenta Golf Club and Event Center in Valley Springs further proves that there is a sophisticated crowd in the area and they're hungry for live comedy.

Dubbed:  "Comedy Night 2" by its producers (La Contenta & HumorMeComedy.com), it's the second of its kind in recent memory, following a successful show in November of 2009.  Tickets were sold out in advance of this show, as they were at the previous event.

It was a crisp, clear Saturday night in Valley Springs, and the stage was set for what would be the area's first live comedy show in recent memory.  The doors at La Contenta  opened at 7pm, and the sold-out crowd didn't wait long to fill the Event Center.  The crowd itself was what those in the business might describe as "warm;" loose, and ready to laugh.  The stage was set.  This had the potential to be a very good night.

What's She Up To Now? Black Oak Casino Willow Creek Comedy Showcase

A warm spring night in Modesto - no better conditions for stand up comedy.  The place filled up quickly, with a young, energetic audience that was ready for a good time.