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Spit Take Saturday: Tom Shillue

shillueWelcome to Spit Take Saturday, courtesy of Brown Paper Tickets’ Comedy Doer Julie Seabaugh and her professional comedy criticism site The Spit Take. Julie’s goal with the site is to “elevate the public perception of stand-up comedy to that of a legitimate art form, and to enable comedy criticism be taken as seriously as that of theater, film, music, food, even video games. No a**-kissing. No bias. No mercy. Just honest, unfiltered, long-form reviews written by professional, knowledgeable comedy critics.” 

Every week Julie will select an entry from the site to be included on our blog and hand-pick some related events happening that week that she feels all you comedy lovers out there will appreciate.

So, without further ado, let us introduce you to this week’s Spit Take Saturday!

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“Edgy” isn’t the word that jumps to mind when describing the likeable, profanity-free storyteller Tom Shillue. Thus his decision to devote one album in his “12 in 12” project to racier material seems like more of a challenge to himself than a sampling of his material. It’s a brave choice to venture outside of his comfort zone as part of this grand experiment, and his immense talent means that even though taboo-busting isn’t the best use of his storytelling skills, the album is still very funny.

“Racism,” the first of two tracks on the 29-minute “Edgy,” begins with the strongest material. His musings on white panic and whether he’s inadvertently contributing to a culture of racism are both clever and mixed with an appropriate amount of liberal guilt. But the second half of the track, about whether women should rule the world, is more a story about telling a joke than a joke in itself. Comparing the Manhattan crowd at the taping with a past, über-liberal Brooklyn audience who had rejected his pro-male defense, one assumes he hoped to re-capture a great, confrontational set but instead gets a slightly put-off but mostly just unconvinced crowd.
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Comedy >

10 ways to get more cash out of your fundraising events

 

 

 

 

For all the time and effort poured into your fundraising events, you’d like to raise the most cash possible. Transforming a meh fundraising event into a cash cow can be simple. Really. Here are ten of the best ideas we’ve seen for getting more out of your fundraising events.

Ten ways to get more out of your fundraising event:
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Event Tips >

BPT at SXSW: Fair Trade Comedy at Esther’s Follies

Get ready Austin, Brown Paper Tickets is coming to SXSW 2012 and we got some great events planned.

One that we’re especially excited about is a comedy showcase organized by our very own Comedy Doer Julie Seabaugh. Julie has long been active in the stand-up comedy scene, first as a journalist and then working in PR, booking and production, and in February she launched The Spit Take, a comedy review site that hopes to serve as an honest, unbiased, taste-making entity that helps comedy criticism be taken seriously. 

The “Fair Trade Comedy” showcase will take place this Wednesday, March 14, at Esther’s Follies. Officially presented by Brown Paper Tickets and the Spit Take, the showcase will feature stand-up from headliners Todd Barry and Brendon Walsh, two comedians that have been taking the comedy scene by storm. You may know Todd Barry from his appearances on Bored To Death, Flight of the Conchords, Lucky Louie and Chapelle’s Show. Brendon Walsh calls Austin his hometown and was the winner of the “Funniest Person in Austin” award in 2004. He’s appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live as well as Comedy Central’s Premium Blend. He’ll also be featured in his own half hour comedy special on Comedy Central this spring. The show will also feature Nick Flanagan, Kristine Levine, DC Pierson and will be hosted by Nick Turner.

Here’s a little preview of what you can expect:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3ABntRq3nE]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RS2IUmQ5KfI]

Be sure to stop by our table in the foyer of Esther’s Follies and say hi. This is going to be THE comedy event of SXSW, so don’t miss it. We’ll see you there.

Comedy >

Fair Trade Music Bash in Austin this Wednesday

This Wednesday, March 14 in Austin, Texas six great acts are coming together to christen a brand new venue. Once called The Empanada Parlor, the venue at 709 E. 6th St. has been though some changes in the past few years. It’s newest incarnation is definitely the nicest one yet. Now called the Easy Tiger Bake Shop and Beer Garden, the place is looking nicer than ever, turning out great food, serving great craft beers and, once again, adding live music to the menu. This will be the first show at this familiar place with a new face and it will be followed by four days of two-showcases-a-day fun.

The first soulful showcase is being thrown by none other than Brown Paper Ticket! It seems a given that the fair trade ticketing company would throw a fair trade music bash. Right?

The show is free, but if you register online and get a ticket, you will receive a cool free gift at the show.

The line up is truly awesome with national and international acts and even two well known comedians!

Here it is….

12:00-1:00 LZ Love Band
1:30-2:30 Graham Wilkinson
2:45-2:55 Mike Lawrence
3:00-4:00 Bruce James Soultet
4:30-4:40 Kristine Levine
4:45-5:30 Chic Gamine

Chic Gamine “Closer”

Graham Wilkinson “Focus”

LZ Love “Been Lonely”

Come and out and say hello, raise a pint and show some soul!

Music >