A Comedy Store Tradition: Friends & Family The Comedy Store is one of the few remaining major clubs committed to developing and nurturing young talent from within, sort of like a farm system in baseball.  It begins with the weekly Sunday & Monday open mics.  Once Talent Coordinator Tommy Morris sees something he likes in an open miker, he watches their development week by week until they’re ready to be passed to Friends & Family.  The Friends & Family list is comprised of employees of The Comedy Store and those folks who have “graduated” the open mic (sometimes that graduation also comes with a job offer).  They get regular spots on Sunday and Monday Potluck after the open mic has finished, as well as spots on the independently produced shows featured in our Belly and Main Rooms throughout the week.  Tommy likes to call this time “marinating” as growing comedians find their voice, learn to take risks, and get more comfortable with all types of audiences.  The goal is to get strong enough to take your place alongside the Paid Regulars in the nightly Original Room and Saturday Main Room shows and it’s how the majority of our Paid Regulars get passed. We’re proud of this tradition and you can be a part of it by joining us for Potluck every Sunday and Monday beginning at 7 pm. Photo by @TheBooSauce - Friends & Family waiting for their Potluck spots (From L to R: Josh Adam Meyers, Paul Palmeri, Jay Mandyam, Angelo Bowers, Rell Battle and Jackie Gold)

A Comedy Store Tradition: Friends & Family

The Comedy Store is one of the few remaining major clubs committed to developing and nurturing young talent from within, sort of like a farm system in baseball.  It begins with the weekly Sunday & Monday open mics.  Once Talent Coordinator Tommy Morris sees something he likes in an open miker, he watches their development week by week until they’re ready to be passed to Friends & Family.  The Friends & Family list is comprised of employees of The Comedy Store and those folks who have “graduated” the open mic (sometimes that graduation also comes with a job offer).  They get regular spots on Sunday and Monday Potluck after the open mic has finished, as well as spots on the independently produced shows featured in our Belly and Main Rooms throughout the week.  Tommy likes to call this time “marinating” as growing comedians find their voice, learn to take risks, and get more comfortable with all types of audiences.  The goal is to get strong enough to take your place alongside the Paid Regulars in the nightly Original Room and Saturday Main Room shows and it’s how the majority of our Paid Regulars get passed.

We’re proud of this tradition and you can be a part of it by joining us for Potluck every Sunday and Monday beginning at 7 pm.

Photo by @TheBooSauce - Friends & Family waiting for their Potluck spots (From L to R: Josh Adam Meyers, Paul Palmeri, Jay Mandyam, Angelo Bowers, Rell Battle and Jackie Gold)

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There’s no real way to experience the full wonder & chaos of The Naughty Show if you missed it, but we do have this great video from the other night.  Steven Brody Jobs shares the unusual testing methods for the iPhone’s new Siri feature.

#IstayedTil2 Moment of the Week

Last night, we had a die-hard group of about 20 audience members who just couldn’t get enough, staying even past last call.  They were treated to feats of strength when Nick Youssef attempted to bench press Sarah Tiana.  Then they ended the night with the Comedy Store’s own rock n roll show like no other - the Barris/Kennedy + Overdrive.

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Mark Ellis & Kristian Harloff give Red Tails the @schmoesknow treatment.  Catch Mark opening our Original Room show tonight!

Why Do You Stay Til 2?

@suddenlyhugo shares a fun tale - what’s your favorite #IStayedTil2 moment?  Blog it up and send us a link on Twitter or Facebook.  We’ll repost our favorites, so there’s eternal internet glory in for you, plus a free weeknight pass for the best of the best.

Why You Stay ‘Til 2 The BKO All-Stars - Don Barris, Maryjane, Steven Brody Stevens, Bryan Callen, Justin Martindale, Tony Hinchcliffe, Pete “Best” Cornaccione and Ben Seaward rocking out at the end of the night.

Why You Stay ‘Til 2

The BKO All-Stars - Don Barris, Maryjane, Steven Brody Stevens, Bryan Callen, Justin Martindale, Tony Hinchcliffe, Pete “Best” Cornaccione and Ben Seaward rocking out at the end of the night.

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We are big fans of #SXSW but @duncantrussell, he is not so much.

Compensation for comedians has always been an issue - most comedians in LA or NY perform for little or no money for years at bars, strip clubs, pizza joints and even people’s livingrooms because the forces of history and economics have just shaped it that way.  In 1979, the comedians of The Comedy Store famously went on strike to get paid for their sets in our Original Room (“”I’m Dying Up Here” is a great chronicle of that time).  So, we’re not saying SXSW is completely out of line with their expectations, but we are saying this video is hilarious.

You got room for one more “Shit ___ says..”?  This one’s a goodie.  Catch Justin Martindale tonight in our Original Room.

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Road Dog: A Benefit for Angelo Bowers & Josh Adam Meyers Multitask for a great cause: Laugh your ass off, honor Angelo Bowers and raise funds for Josh Adam Meyers and Angelo’s family.  Join the very talented friends of Angelo & Josh in the Comedy Store’s Main Room as we tell jokes and remember our friend. On January 2nd, best friends Angelo Bowers and Josh Adam Meyers we reunited for the first time following the holidays.  Angelo had just received the good news that he had a clean bill of health after having a tumor removed from his chest this fall. They performed together, working out new material at the open mic at Red Rock Bar on Sunset Bl.  While driving home, their Jeep was struck by a drunk driver, both Josh and Angelo sustained serious injuries.  Angelo passed away later that day at Cedars Sinai while Josh remained hospitalized for over a week.  Josh’s survival is a miracle and the rate at which he is recovering is amazing, but both families now face large medical and legal bills.  The close-knit comedy community has suffered a devastating loss and we thank you for your generosity at this time. The lineup includes: Anthony Jeselnik Jeff Garlin Sarah Silverman Melissa Villasenor Ian Edwards Chris D’Elia Sam Tripoli Bobby Lee Plus a video montage of Angelo Bowers’ Standup performances The full price of your ticket will be donated to the families of Angelo Bowers & Josh Adam Meyers.

Road Dog: A Benefit for Angelo Bowers & Josh Adam Meyers

Multitask for a great cause: Laugh your ass off, honor Angelo Bowers and raise funds for Josh Adam Meyers and Angelo’s family.  Join the very talented friends of Angelo & Josh in the Comedy Store’s Main Room as we tell jokes and remember our friend.

On January 2nd, best friends Angelo Bowers and Josh Adam Meyers we reunited for the first time following the holidays.  Angelo had just received the good news that he had a clean bill of health after having a tumor removed from his chest this fall. They performed together, working out new material at the open mic at Red Rock Bar on Sunset Bl.  While driving home, their Jeep was struck by a drunk driver, both Josh and Angelo sustained serious injuries.  Angelo passed away later that day at Cedars Sinai while Josh remained hospitalized for over a week.  Josh’s survival is a miracle and the rate at which he is recovering is amazing, but both families now face large medical and legal bills.  The close-knit comedy community has suffered a devastating loss and we thank you for your generosity at this time.

The lineup includes:

Anthony Jeselnik

Jeff Garlin

Sarah Silverman

Melissa Villasenor

Ian Edwards

Chris D’Elia

Sam Tripoli

Bobby Lee

Plus a video montage of Angelo Bowers’ Standup performances

The full price of your ticket will be donated to the families of Angelo Bowers & Josh Adam Meyers.

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Good vs Evil

Good vs Evil

Q from @dafakeblake: Has anyone ever lived in The Comedy Store? I’d live in there so fuckin’ hard.

Well, we have some permanent residents… very permanent.  The Comedy Store is haunted by a number of ghosts, including Gus, The Lady in White and that Thing in the Basement.  You can take a tour of the haunted Store every year in the weeks leading up to Halloween or ask any employee or comedian and they’ll tell you some stories that’ll make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.

Over the years, we’ve also had some temporary squatters - comedians who have chosen homelessness over letting a day job get in the way of their art and have figured out dark corners where they can sleep very quietly and very still so as not to trip the security system.

And for a time, Mitzi Shore maintained an apartment complex nearby where many of the broke comedians lived for little or no rent.  But, no, there have been no official, living residents of The Comedy Store.

Fahim Anwar is the best dancer in the place… the place being his apartment

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Bobbum Man: Pro or Con? Coke vs Pepsi, Red Sox vs Yankees?  Love or hate the “Bobbum Man” epsidoe of FX’s The League with our own Steve Rannazzisi?  Some things divide a nation. breaking-the-league: Bobbum Warehouse am full with rusty equipmunk. And rusty equipmunk do be worst damage  at underneathf.

Bobbum Man: Pro or Con?

Coke vs Pepsi, Red Sox vs Yankees?  Love or hate the “Bobbum Man” epsidoe of FX’s The League with our own Steve Rannazzisi?  Some things divide a nation.

breaking-the-league:

Bobbum Warehouse am full with rusty equipmunk. And rusty equipmunk do be worst damage  at underneathf.

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Please Welcome our Newest Paid Regular Esther Povitsky

Esther Povitsky 

The Comedy Store is pleased to welcome our newest Paid Regular, Esther Povitsky.  Esther is a home grown talent, working her way from the open mic through the heart of the Store to her first 9 pm spot in the Original Room last night.

Esther’s comedy is sublimely awkward.  She plays on the audience’s perception of her as a much younger, gawky teenager and her own insecurities (that we all share) to hilarious effect.  She has parlayed this into appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Fox’s hit New Girl, not to mention the cult favorite character ”Little Esther” featured in Sam Tripoli’s Naughty Show videos.  She tours nationally and can be seen as co-host of the Brode and Esther podcast with Paid Regular Steven Brody Stevens on the Deathsquad podcast network, as well as, of course now in the Original Room of the Comedy Store.

Follow Esther on Twitter (@Little_Esther)

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Willie Hunter & Ryan Mirvis can not BELIEVE you can get a shot of Jameson and a PBR for only $9.  What a fucking deal! 

Willie Hunter & Ryan Mirvis can not BELIEVE you can get a shot of Jameson and a PBR for only $9.  What a fucking deal! 

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