14 Years of Comedy

So today marks my 14th year of doing stand-up comedy! The dream started in 1984, when I was just four and I've always enjoyed making people laugh. I still remember making Katy Malloy spit milk out of her nose in kindergarten. When I was 21, that's when I decided to give it a shot. I was working at Pizza Hut on the westside of Albuquerque, where I met a lot of my closest friends. Nate Tramontina was the one who really pushed me into doing it. He was probably only 18 at the time and he said something like, "quit talking about it and actually do it." The night that I really got serious about it was when we had a big party at our house. I was living with Nate Guyre and Larry Campbell. Nate Tramontina's band, AnesthesiA, was playing and we had probably about 75 people at the house. It was pretty noisy, and the cops ended up showing up. Luckily no one got in trouble, but the band had to quit playing. Everyone ended up leaving, but about half hour later all of our closest friends ended up back at the house. Someone convinced me to hop up on the microphone and start telling some jokes.

I hadn't really started writing any material up to that point, and I was probably too hammered to remember it anyway, so I got up on the microphone and just started talking some shit. I don't remember anything I said, but I remember just roasting everyone basically and getting a lot of laughs. That's when I knew that I could give it a try. I did some research on the local comedy club, Laffs. They held their open mic the first Sunday of every month, so I picked August. I gave myself about four months to prepare five minutes of material. I talked to my good friend from Iowa, Matt Evans. Matt was and is one of the funniest people I've ever met in my life. I asked him if he had any ideas for jokes, I had no idea how to write a joke. So, Matt would send me joke ideas and some bits that he came up with. Most of them were kind of long, and I wasn't comfortable telling longer bits. When I wrote my own stuff it ended up being a lot of one-liners and shorter jokes. I did try some of Matt's jokes out, they were funny, but didn't really fit with the style that I wanted to do. I ended up using some of the funny lines and just shortening the bits. Matt finally got to see me perform a few years ago in Fort Dodge, Iowa. If it wasn't for him I would have had a really difficult time getting started.

My good friend, Dennis Verrall, was very helpful, too. He gave me some jokes that he had written, when I was first kinda starting out, too. I'm such a hack! I finally talked Dennis into doing stand up several years later. He only did a handful of shows, but I got him gigs in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and South Dakota. Not bad for someone who probably only performed like 10-15 times. I think if he really tried he would be really good at it. He's a talented sumbitch.

I started to become a regular at Laffs pretty quickly. The owner of Laffs, Russ Rivas, was very helpful and took a lot of time working with me and helping me get better. As I got to know him more when I worked at the club, I realized that he never did that, so I appreciated it years later. I know there are a lot of people who don't like Russ, but he really took me under his wing and made me into the comedian that I am today, and I am very grateful.

Don Morgan was another guy who helped me out a lot. I met him in Denver just shortly before I moved back to Albuquerque a few years back. We kept in touch and I ended up living with him in Denver for a few months after my divorce. He was very helpful, he's a good friend. And he's super funny, I love traveling with him. We got to spend a few days in Iowa performing and hanging out with my family and had a blast! My family really enjoyed him, too. Especially since he made fun of uncle Melvin! I think Don will do some great things in comedy, too, he's very sharp and likable.

My good buddy and writing partner, Marc Shuter, has always been a huge inspiration throughout my career as well. I was pretty bummed when he quit doing stand up, he was always one of my favorites to watch. We started writing a script a couple of years ago and we're pretty happy with it right now, can't wait for everyone to see it! Marc's a talented fella and I think he has a bright future in writing.

The past 14 years have had so many ups and downs, but I really love the lifestyle. I have met so many people and I've had an opportunity to travel all over the country and see some really beautiful things. I have performed in 24 different states, in December I'm performing in Utah, that will put me at 25! I have done over 1,300 shows and I've performed at some of the best venues in the country. I've even got to share the stage with Jim Norton, Brian Poshen, Josh Blue, John Caponera, T.J. Miller, Theo Von, Dante, Jackie Kashian, Harland Williams, Dan Soder, Ben Kronberg, Steven Michael Quezada, Michael Malone, Robert Hawkins, Carl LaBove, Troy Baxley and Chad Daniels. I've made so many great friends in this business, too.

Unfortunately, I've lost some good friends along the way, too. My good friend, Dave Ashley, died earlier this year and that broke my heart. I find myself thinking about him a lot, he was a great guy. We hit it off right away when I met him in Tulsa. I feel so awful for his wife, Beth, who was one of the nicest comedy club managers I've ever met. Dave always wanted me to go visit them in Jacksonville and I never got the opportunity. Some other great comedian friends who have passed: Lori Callahan, Jimmy Wiggins, Scott Kennedy and Kelly Moran. I know there are definitely others, but those are the ones who came to mind right away. It's definitely a tough lifestyle being out on the road away from family, but it's what we do.

My first week as a professional comedian at Laffs in Albuquerque with Lonnie Bruhn and Jason Russell.

Marquee in McAllen, Texas - Cine El Rey Theater.

Me and Jack Bullard outside of Loonees in Colorado Springs.

Sold out show at The Box in Albuquerque. Maybe I should finish my DVD soon.

My first writing credit! The AVN Awards on Showtime.

TV promo for The After After Party.

The Des Moines Funny Bone with Johnny Beehner and Dwayne Perkins.

Me, Marc Shuter and Matt Peterson in Angelfire, NM.

Me, Theo Von and a fat trucker named, Chris, at the Loony Bin in Oklahoma City.

Brian Posehn show in Albuquerque at the Envy Nightclub!

Me, Robert Hawkins, Carey Cool Tripp, Butch Lord and Josh Blue at Hyenas in Fort Worth.

Me, Josh Blue and Adrian Lara at Hyenas in Dallas.

Me, Mark Poolos and Johnny Beehner in Atlanta.

I'm on TV! The Morning Brew with host Dan "I love to wear scarves" Mayfield.

Envy Nightclub in Albuquerque with Niki Mangin and Steven Michael Quezada.

Sarah Kennedy, me and Jim Norton at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque.

TV again! The Duke City Comedy League.

TV once more! The After After Party with Steven Michael Quezada.

Vinny Oshana, Matt Peterson and me at Loonees in Colorado Springs.

Dante, Jay Dee and me at the Tulsa Loony Bin.

My cousin, Devon Green, Don Morgan and me at Patty's Pub in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Where I've Been the Last 70 Days

My last blog was in January about moving away from Albuquerque, this one is basically about me moving again, this time back to Albuquerque and to Los Angeles. On February 10th I packed up the moving van (hopped on a Greyhound with hardly any of my shit), and hit the road for Denver! My good friend and comic, Don Morgan, was super helpful with my move to Denver. I was only in Denver for a day before I hit the road with Dave Testroet. The first night of our Tribble Run was spent in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, checking out the Grand Tetons.


2/12 Idaho Falls, Idaho - The Peppertree Lounge (feature)
This was the first gig of the week, and I had done the show before. This place is pretty notorious for being a "shit gig" for comics, but I actually did pretty well my first time there five years prior. This show got started pretty late, but I did pretty well in the feature spot, it seems like it's always a little rougher for the headliner. People start to trickle in to the bar not realizing there is a comedy show going on and they just started talking louder and louder as the night goes on.

2/13 Billings, Idaho - The R-Club (feature)
I had a cold, so, of course, I lost the hearing in my left ear. I know it probably doesn't sound like a big deal, but when you're a comic you definitely need to be able to hear what these yokels are saying. Needless to say, it wasn't a fun gig for me, my timing was off, it was a strange show.

2/14 Miles City, Montana - The Trails Inn (feature)
Hey, good news, I could hear out of my left ear again! Bad news, couldn't hear out of my right ear. This show went a lot better than the Billings show, especially once they turned the microphone up. I really liked the people that I met at this show, a lot of cool folks in this town.

2/18 Denver, Colorado - Blush & Blu
Back in Denver and I had the pleasure of performing at Blush & Blu, a pretty cool little bar on Colfax. Had a nice little 10 minute set and then had to head over the Deer Pile for Too Much Fun.

2/18 Denver, Colorado - The Deer Pile (headline)

Showed up at the Deer Pile and the headliner couldn't make it, so they asked me to do it. Had a really fun set, great crowd, a lot of talented comics, too. It's always good to see Sam Tallent, Nathan Lund, Chris Charpentier and Bobby Crane. If any comics pass through Denver on Wednesday night, I would highly recommend trying to get on this show.


2/20 Boulder, Colorado - Amante Coffee (headline)

Got to headline at a little coffee shop in Boulder hosted by Jacob Rupp, who is super funny. It was another fun lineup, had a couple of comics from NY on the show as well. It was a tiny place, but it was pretty packed.

2/26 Indianapolis, Indiana - Morty's Comedy Joint

Flew in to Indianapolis a day early to catch Mike Merryfield at Morty's and ended up getting a guest spot. Unfortunately, it was a pretty light crowd for such a kick ass lineup. Michael Malone popped in for a guest spot, too, and the feature act, Raanan Hershberg was great. I didn't get to see Merryfield do his full show, but it was still fun to see him, he's one of my favorite comics, he also has one of the few podcasts I listen to.


2/27-2/28 Fort Wayne, Indiana - Snickerz Comedy Club (feature)

I had a really fun weekend featuring for Alex Ortiz at Snickerz in Fort Wayne. I hadn't been to the club in over 5 years, so it was nice to get back there. The crowds were really fun all weekend, and Alex was really nice to work with. I ended up getting snowed in and had some travel issues getting to Iowa. Someone tried to commit suicide at the Greyhound station in Indianapolis and then I got delayed in Chicago and had to sleep at the bus station.


3/4 Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Penguins Comedy Club

Don Morgan flew in to Iowa and we drove to Cedar Rapids and did the open mic night at Penguins Comedy Club. Had fun checking out Cedar Rapids, I hadn't been there since I was pretty young.

3/5 Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Club Basix

Did another open mic in Cedar Rapids, but spent most of the day in Iowa City walking around the campus, go Hawkeyes! Iowa City is one of my favorite places, it's a cool little college town. It was pretty damn cold that day though. I got to see the hospital where my mom was born, that was pretty rad, it's right across the street from Kinnick Stadium. Also got to have lunch with gay comedian, Nathan Timmel, one of my favorite gays on the planet. The open mic was pretty fun, it was a gay bar, was surprised to not see Timmel there making out with some guys. I did get to hang with Tom Garland a little bit, I met him last year in New Mexico while he was touring with Bill Blank. Super funny guy, check him out.


3/6 Fort Dodge, Iowa - Patty's Pub
Don and I got to Fort Dodge a day early and my cousin, Devon, was able to get me a spot on a show at Patty's Pub. A rockabilly band from Des Moines, Rumble Seat Riot. They were cool enough to let me tell some jokes and promote my show at the Laramar the following night. They were great guys and a lot of fun to watch!


3/7 Fort Dodge, Iowa - Laramar Ballroom (headline)

This was definitely one of the best nights of my life, sharing the stage with my good friend, Don, and getting to perform in front of tons of family and friends. It was a special night and it wouldn't have happened if it weren't for my cousin, Devon. He put in tons of time promoting the shit out of the show and setting up the room. It was cool to see people that I hadn't seen in almost 20 years.


3/10 Denver, Colorado - Comedy Works

Got back in to town and did New Talent Night at Comedy Works with a ton of great comics. I didn't have the best set, started off kind of slow and wasn't very prepared. I ran into a lot of comics I hadn't seen since the last time I was in Denver.

3/11 Denver, Colorado - Improv

I showed up at the club and saw Troy Baxley was there, one of my all time favorite comics! He was one of the first comics I ever opened for at Laffs back in 2003, so I've known Troy for quite awhile. I was excited knowing that Troy was on the show, until I saw the lineup and it had me "headlining" and following Troy. I was only expecting to do a five minute set somewhere on the show, but they had me do seven after Troy, but I had a solid set. It was a lot of fun working with Troy again, too. Also got to see Leslie Henning, who I worked with at Laffs a long time ago as well.

3/13-3/14 Tucson, Arizona - Laffs Comedy Club (feature)

Almost didn't make it to Tucson, but I'm glad I did. I got to work with Vince Morris, who I had never seen before. I saw him handle a heckler better than I've seen anyone handle a heckler, and it lasted for probably 25 minutes. It was pretty magical. The crowds were really amazing for all four shows, and I got to see some friends that I hadn't seen in awhile. Can't wait to go back! Laffs always feels like a home club when I'm there.


3/18-3/21 Colorado Springs, Colorado - Loonees Comedy Corner (feature)

Went up to Loonees a day early to check out the open mic night, they let me close the show so I worked on some new material, some of it went pretty well. The shows went really well, too, I worked with Vincent Oshana, who was a really cool guy and very funny, the crowds loved him. My good friend, Matt Peterson, from Albuquerque, was the mc for the week, too! I love working with Matty. This was also my second time celebrating my birthday at Loonees! Thanks to Erik and Loren and the staff, you guys rock!


3/28 Goodyear, Arizona - Austin's (headline)

Drove out to Phoenix for a show at Austin's, which is a cool sports bar in Goodyear. They block off one of the sides of the bar for the comedy show, which was really nice, it was a good set up for a show. The crowd was a little older, but I had a really good time. Also had a couple Albuquerque comics on the lineup, Mikey Mayes and Keith Breckenridge.

4/1 Mescalero, New Mexico - Inn of the Mountain Gods (feature)

This show was a lot of fun, I always enjoy going down to Mescalero, it's a nice little drive less than four hours away from Albuquerque. The hotel is gorgeous, too. The crowds are sometimes a little light, but we had a nice crowd for this show. Waylon Wilcox was doing his first comedy set and brought a lot of people. He hit me up on Facebook probably a month before the show and told me he was going to do his first set. It's always exciting to see comics do their first sets, it always reminds me of my first time ever going on stage. He did a nice job for his first time, had good stage presence. The headliner was Dom Pare from Canada, he's super funny and a really nice guy. He also has a cool mustache.

4/2 Bernalillo, New Mexico - The Stage (feature)

Here's another show I was looking forward to for quite awhile. It was nice being back in the Albuquerque area, I was able to get a lot of friends to the show. Matt Peterson opened the show, too, and killed it! It was my first time featuring at The Stage and it was a blast! Definitely my favorite show that I have done there. Dom Pare headlined the show and we got to hang out a lot afterwards, I hope to work with him again sometime. Thanks to everyone for coming out to the show! I did get some pretty terrible news after the show, I found out that a good friend of mine, Dave Ashley, died. I was hoping it was a bad April Fool's Joke, but sadly it wasn't. I'll miss you, buddy, you were one of the good ones and way too young. You'll always have a special place in my heart, Dave.


4/3 Albuquerque, New Mexico - Comedian's Power Hour

This show was pretty insane, it was a comedy/drinking contest against my ex-wife. We also got to team up with comics from LA, I was paired with Jeff May, and she was teamed up with Adam Tod Brown. I really liked both of those guys and hope to catch their shows sometime. I ended up losing in a sudden death round, but I had a lot of fun. The crowd was pretty insane! Genevieve Mueller and Drew Wayne run a damn fun show.


4/4 Albuquerque, New Mexico - Cool Water Fusion (headline)

I did the Potential Problems Podcast earlier in the day with John Cuellar, Allen Clark, Nick Sitterly and Lucas CorVatta. You can watch the episode here. The show at Cool Water was a lot of fun, I've always had fun sets there. The crowd was pretty small, but they were there to laugh, which was nice. Danger Varoz, Jessica Osbourne and Lucas CorVatta were also on the show.

4/10 Brewster, Minnesota - Brewster Legion Hall (headline)

I wasn't sure what to expect with this show, my friend, Roger Peterson, set the show up. It was in his hometown, so he brought in a good crowd. I think we had about 80 people at the show, not bad for a town of less than 500 people! I guess I should explain the picture of that guy in the bathroom. I walked off stage and went in to the bathroom and took a picture of him just after he got done taking a pee.


4/11 Anoka, Minnesota - Legion Hall (headline)

It was Roger's birthday, so he put this show together. It was kind of a strange crowd, but I had a blast. I got to see an old friend from high school and met her husband and her friend. They seemed to really enjoy the show. You know who didn't enjoy the show? The old man sitting in the front, the only time he cracked a little bit of a smile was when I told a racist joke. Jon Stambaugh opened the show for us, he was really funny and super nice. He was also a foot taller than me. Roger did his set as Rodney Dangerfield, which is always entertaining.


4/15 Denver, Colorado - Improv

I was fortunate enough to do another set at the Improv, this time it was a five minute set and I didn't have to follow Baxley. It was another great lineup, I really like this club. And they asked me to feature the two Saturday shows, too, so I decided to stay in town for a few extra nights.

4/16 Denver, Colorado - Sushi Hai

I was supposed to do this show on the 23rd, but Jon asked me to do this one since I was heading back to Albuquerque. I was pretty surprised how big the crowd was when I walked in, it didn't look like it was that big of a place, but when you walk in there's a lot of people. Chuck Roy headlined, too, I hadn't seen him in a few years.

4/18 Denver, Colorado - Improv (feature)
This night was a lot of fun, I got to work with Chuck Roy again, and the headliner was The Ragin Cajun, John Morgan, one of the nicest headliners I have ever met. Chuck is a great mc, too, I had never really talked to him before until that night. He gave me some great advice and it really helped from the first show to the later show. It's amazing how much you can still learn about comedy after so many years of doing it. Thanks to the Improv for having me on the shows! I got to see Ron Ferguson, too, I hadn't seen him in quite awhile.


So, after traveling over 12,000 miles, doing 40 shows in 70 days, being delayed 15 hours by Greyhound, and performing with comics like Mike Merryfield, Michael Malone, Alex Ortiz, Troy Baxley, Vince Morris, Vinny Oshana, Dom Pare, Chuck Roy, John Morgan, and several other fantastic comics, I find myself back in Albuquerque for a couple of months before the big move to Los Angeles! I probably won't be doing much comedy around Albuquerque, Marc Shuter and I are going to start working on a new script. We just found out that our other script, "The Consequences of a Feeble Mind," has been selected as a quarterfinalist in the Write Movies Contest, we made the top 60 out of 1,000 scripts! Thanks to everyone who let me crash at their place or gave me rides to bus stations, airports and gigs, especially, Don Morgan!