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.

El Roberto started the night off right. A well-known name in 209 comedy, Roberto is renowned for his clever and funny material. El Roberto's style was just right for the young crowd comfortably filling the Fat Cat.  I liken his approach like someone petting a new cat: you don't rush up on it - just let it come to you.

El Roberto never pandered to the crowd, doing his thing and letting them meet him halfway. His attitude has been shown to soothe the savage beast in the past, and His Roberto-ness took an unsettled crowd and got them spinning in the show's direction. Although he features on a regular basis, I understand he's been embracing the host position more frequently of late, and it shows.

Will Fisher followed with a short, but surprisingly strong guest set. I've never seen Mr. Fisher perform before, and I got the impression that he's early on in his comedy career. At one point he quipped: "Wow, this is great: I'm not used to laughter!" Joking aside, I wouldn't be surprised if Will ends up getting used to laughter pretty soon. His set was over in about four minutes, and he left the crowd wanting more.

Jayna King was up next, doing about nine minutes. Jayna looked great, brought good material and staked out territory that was confident, brassy and smooth. Remember when I said the comics weren't afraid to work for it? Jayna ended up doing some of the heavier lifting, with clever, enjoyable material about her vocation as a stripper, drunk-driving a train, and people with heavy accents during sex. Don't hate her because she's beautiful! In fact, don't hate her at all - she's a funny performer who didn't show up in a hoodie and jeans.

Austin Hodge kept it going, starting off with jokes about comedy getting you laid (maybe the way he does it), transitioning to oral sex, and finished his eleven-minute set with "A Strip Club Theme Song," sung to the tune of "Over the Rainbow." Austin's performance was a wonderful fusion of funny material and talented delivery. I couldn't help but admire his polish; I got the impression of a lot of hard work over time, culminating in a finished product that entertained and made it look easy. Mmm, that's some good comedy. I look forward to seeing him again.

Anthony Krayenhagen co-headlined, sweeping in like a storm, drenching the crowd in laughter and leaving to thunderous applause. In between, he showed the dividends that a busy comedy career can pay. He started off with witty, improvised commentary that hit the mark solidly. He moved on to topics like a head shop proprietor of Indian heritage, and funnily played on stereotype without stumbling near the pitfalls of "hack." He continued fluidly, applying Facebook paradigms to real life, to hilarious results. He wrapped up with a bit about breast milk, a potentially uncomfortable topic, but Anthony K was like a comedic Tetris master, laying the pieces smoothly in place like they belonged there all along.

I was impressed with Anthony's performance, in a way that was like seeing a long lost relative after time apart; "My, how you've grown!" He was no slouch the last time I saw him work, but watching his busy calendar between then and now, it felt like a lesson in the benefits of stage time. Anthony K was a comedic gymnast, doing routines that wanna-bes can only marvel at. With a smooth confidence (and the requisite results therefrom) that only comes to those who earn it, Anthony built the energy of his performance to a crashing success, and the crowd paid him back with an adoring send off at the end of his twenty-minute set.

Ryan "Lefty" Anderson brought the show home, wearing a sharp suit and dancing nimbly into the start of his set to Vanilla Ice's "Ice, Ice, Baby." Anderson's finishing set was quirky and unflinching in the face of the oddness of his topics, a realm of comedy that I especially enjoy. Ryan's performance encompassed tweekers, short people (Anderson is well over six feet tall), sixty-nining a short girlfriend, and a bit about a one-legged wrestler that sounded too real to be entirely fiction.

The show's poster and Facebook event description included Chris Cruz as the headliner, who never appeared. Nonetheless, the show was strong overall, and I don't think anyone felt as if they missed out on a thing.

Seeing live comedy is a unique experience, apart from even seeing it on television, where it's edited, processed for concerns including commercialism and decorum. Having seen enough live shows and other engagements, one performer often tends to emerge a breakaway hit, and it's not always the headliner. Friday's show at the Fat Cat was the rare and unexpected treat where there was not one or even two surprise standouts, but several, and every single performer contributed strongly to a night that the crowd was sure to enjoy.

For some excellent photos of the performers on this night, see Russel Reno Limprecht's photo gallery on Facebook!