Comedy Outliers: Would You Like Be On My Show?

January 16, 2014
By Comedy Outliers

Today we feature another guest post from Comedy Outliers. They offer great advice to comedians, or performers in general, on how to survive and thrive in today’s competitive artistic climate.

The Comedy Outliers have their annual holiday show coming up this Saturday, January 18th at Lilly O’Brien‘s in New York City. Their shows are free but we highly recommend you pick up tickets so you don’t show up to a full house.

If you’re in New York or headed that way, be sure to check out their show. It’s rare to see comedy of this calibre without a cover charge or drink minimum. That said, if you want them to continue bringing these great shows to the Big Apple, we highly encourage you to support their efforts by hitting the “Donate” button on their website.

“Yes, I’m available! Let’s do it!”

Those are words that a producer loves to hear when they are trying to book acts for their shows. Reaching out to talent to perform on your show can be quite intimidating and it is often accompanied with rejection or delayed responses that may not come until a week AFTER your event happened. Nonetheless, when you get the act that you feel will be a great fit for your show it is extremely rewarding.

There have been times when we reached out to a comedian about performing on our show only to have them respond that they were unavailable. Did we leave it at that? Of course not! We politely follow-up every month or so with the next date and to inquire about their availability to perform on our show. Sometimes this back and forth goes on for months and in some cases it has taken almost a year to book specific comics (cough) Hannibal Burress (cough)!

Remember when you are trying to book talent that you need to be professional, polite and understanding of their schedules. Creative people, especially comics are impulsive and at times unpredictable which causes challenges when booking them. There have been times when despite our efforts a comic will bail last minute because of a random paying gig that came up…not going to knock that because everyone’s gotta eat! Other times they double-booked themselves (step your Google calendar game up!) However, we never take these cancellations personally but we do try to build line-ups where the comics compliment each other so it may be quite some time before we reach out to that particular comic again if we find that they aren’t the best fit for next month’s show.

Booking a show that will have numerous acts can be stressful and overwhelming at times but this is what we deal with to create the best show possible right? When you get the talent you’re looking for, don’t forget to make sure they enjoy themselves and have a memorable experience so that they can pass the word and hopefully make it easier for you to book other talent through positive word of mouth!

Comedy >

Foodie Friday: Chicken and Dumplings

January 10, 2014
By Patrick

Sometimes, the simplest dishes make both the most comforting and the most nourishing meal. Making a simple dish with the highest quality ingredients and utmost care will make all the difference in the final product. Therefore, when selecting produce for even the most basic dishes, it’s really important to get the good stuff. Try your local farmers market and even roadside produce stands if you have any in your area. If you are shopping at the grocery store, look for the certified organic veggies and hormone-free organic meat, fish and poultry. Although it may be a little more expensive it’s worth it.

Besides being organic, it’s also key that your ingredients are appealing to your senses. Smell, touch and taste everything you are putting in your meal. This separates a good cook from a great one, and adds a sense of ownership and unrivalled pride. Knowing that you lovingly selected each and every carrot in the soup will give you a deep respect for your meal. Carefully preparing the ingredients in a patient and ritualistic manner can be complete bliss for some. The smells and sounds of the kitchen meld together to create a culinary nirvana in your own home.

The following Chicken and Dumplings recipe is from my childhood and has always been a go-to for colds or warming up after a cold winter outing. Although it’s a fairly involved recipe, it gets easier the more you make it, and it is definitely worth it. You may want to make a double batch. We tend to go through a pot easily at my house. For those of you that are vegetarian or vegan, there is an alternative recipe noted with an asterisk (*) for you to follow. For our gluten free friends try rice, corn, or any kind of gluten free flour you like. And, of course, as with any recipe, feel free to “color outside of the lines” and make it the way you like it. Enjoy!
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Food & Drink >

The Pronto Podcast — Brown Paper Tickets’ Event Guide for Seattle

January 7, 2014
By Jeff Leisawitz

Welcome to The Pronto! Brown Paper Ticket’s event guide for Seattle.

Tune in every Tuesday to check out a few of our favorite events in the Emerald City! You can check back to the blog every Tuesday at 10am or hit “subscribe” on the player and get each week’s Pronto delivered right to your computer.

Have a friend that’s visiting Seattle this week? Why not share this podcast with them and give them ideas of something to do?

This week’s podcast features burlesque calendar girls, Thai food recipes and marketing tips for indie authors.

Tonight, Tuesday, January 7, it’s time for Self Defense 101 for Women at University Heights Community Center or Phinney Neighborhood Center. In this six week class you’ll learn everything you need to know to stay safe and defend yourself.

If this is the year you’re going to publish your book, you definitely want to make an appearance at Sell Your eBooks and Drive Reviews at the UW Center for Urban Horticulture also tonight, Tuesday, January 7. Listen to best selling author Ingrid Ricks share everything she knows about being a successful indie author.
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Arts >

Foodie Friday: DIY Cooking Classes – Passing Your Expertise On To Others

November 15, 2013
By Patrick

With a growing interest in the slow food movement, tons of us are getting better at crafting artisan quality foods and beverages. As a chef, farmer, bartender, or even a self taught brew master you have something valuable to pass on to others. We all have a need to learn, and once we have learned, there is a tendency to share the information in kind. People around you might very well want to learn the techniques you have perfected in your culinary adventures.
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Food & Drink >

Foodie Friday: Winner, Winner! Chicken Dinner!

October 18, 2013
By Brown Paper Tickets

This week on Foodie Friday, guest author Ronald Holden takes time from his Call Center duties to write about a hot ticket in Seattle that combines food and theater.

Dinner theater, that staple of summer resorts, gets a bad rap: tired scripts, bland food, performers of modest talent. But Seattle audiences have an admirable exception: a zany company of performers known as Cafe Nordo, whose twice-a-year dinner shows combine more-than-decent food (from pop-up kitchens) with pointed, topical satire.

It started four years ago, when Terry Podgorski and Erin Brindley, alums of a successful variety show known as Circus Contraption, created the persona of a fictional martinet, Chef Nordo Lefeszki. Their first production, in Fremont, brought together a cast of semi-professional entertainers for a show called The Modern American Chicken. The tuxedoed and feathered cast performed the saga of a hapless, happy hen named Henrietta.

“A hen is the egg’s way of making another egg,” said one character, energetically whipping egg whites. “And what makes a good egg? A good hen.”

From Fremont to Pioneer Square, from the International District to Washington Hall on the fringe of the CD, the Cafe Nordo players have found novel ways to tell their stories. A tribute to the Twin Peaks TV series; a nostalgic look at air travel; a parody of Gunsmoke-era westerns. The satire is always pointed squarely at big business, big government, big agriculture, easy targets for Podgorski’s sharp pen.
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Arts >

Tuesday Tease: The Sugar Frosted Crunchy Flake Friday Evening Cartoon Hour!

July 23, 2013
By James Ulness

Sometimes, the only thing you need to do is read the title of an event to know that you are in for an amazing and unforgettable experience. Such is the case with The Sugar Frosted Crunchy Flake Friday Evening Cartoon Hour! happening next Friday, August 2 at the Rendezvous/Jewelbox Theater in Seattle.

The name alone is enough to give you a Saturday morning sugar rush that will last well into Monday afternoon! Producer, Scarlett O’Hairdye, has put together an amazing show fuelled by love, nostalgia, glitter, cartoons and breakfast cereal that is sure to conjure up fond memories of childhood while simultaneously reminding you that there are some things that are better appreciated as a grown-up.

Scarlett, who has produced burlesque shows in Seattle since 2012, drew inspiration for this production from a “love of the cartoons of [her] childhood” and put together a program of “many amazing acts that referenced those cartoons.”

Scarlett says, “I wanted to bring them all together into one show and share that love with the rest of the world in the sparkliest way possible.”

From the sound of it, she accomplished her goal and then some!

The evening’s entertainment will be hosted by Vanadium Silver and feature performances by the “Wild Child of Seattle Burlesque” Evilyn Sin Claire, Randi Rascal, Bolt Action, Scarlett O’Hairdye herself (“The Nearly Naked Nerd”) and, coming all the way up from Portland, Oregon: Kit Katastrophic. All will be presenting acts that pay tribute to and elaborate on memories and iconic imagery of our childhoods! Be ready to have your recollections of cartoons, TV commercials, breakfast cereal and Thundercats changed forever!

Superstorm Sandy relief with i was really very hungry

December 3, 2012
By admin

We have been so happy to see our producers plan events with Superstorm Sandy in mind! Relief efforts are not over and there IS still time for you to make a difference. Many places continue to rebuild and recover from the damage. As a way to support their efforts, we have created a Sandy Relief Efforts page that lists all events in one convenient location, along with current news and ways to help you prepare your family in the event of another natural disaster.

Live in Brooklyn? On December 15th the Vinegar Hill Sound is hosting a holiday dinner by i was really, very hungry. Your support will help serve 200 residents of Far Rockaway just a week after the event with a warm meal and some holiday cheer.

If you need more enticement, your own warm meal will be absolutely decadent. Warm your hands on a wassail cocktail while snacking on a cheese log and house made charcuterie with house-made crackers. Dinner is a full, holiday spread: oyster pie, peas and carrots and rolls and duck butter; goose roulade with red cabbage choucroute; poppyseed yorkshire pudding; and brussel sprouts with currants and pecans. Top it off with rum cake and poached pears.

No better way to celebrate the holidays then helping those in need. Check out more about how you can get involved.

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