Monday, June 30, 2014

A Note From A Mother of An Angel

Some time ago a woman wrote me to very politely and very matter of factly let me know that I was mistaken, God is real, and we'll be united with our loved ones in heaven.

I clicked on her profile and saw that she was very active in Mothers of Angels groups. These are groups for people who've lost a child.

I felt a cringe and an ache seeing that they have special decals they put on their cars so the sticker of a mom, dad, and children can also reflect children who have died represented by an angel with halo and wings.
She had poems and remembrances all over her timeline memorializing her angel.

I wrote her back and said "Thank you very much for the information and concern."

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

SESSION, A Jazz and Comedy Jam

As the audience took their seats at San Francisco's Punch Line local bass man, Woody Camaro (AKA Andy Woodhouse) was already on stage setting the mood for the evening. As the lights came down, four comedians joined the musicians on stage and for the next 90 minutes jokes, short stories, and from the hip interactions between the funny folks and the musicians flowed forth. There were magic moments where it all hit together perfectly in way that could not have been pre-planned and can not be recreated.

Magic moments are sure to happen when we bring the show to the Sacramento Punch Line (2100 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA 95825) on July 23, 2014 at 8pm. $15 cover, 18 and over. Questions, interview requests, offers to share coffee, vegan baked goods or pictures of baby goats please call (310) 692-4495.

Featured performers:

Keith Lowell Jensen will release Atheist Christmas, his 4th hour long comedy special this year on Stand Up! Records. He has developed an international following online where he shares personal stories, absurd one liners, and lefty political/topical material.
He loves jazz but has failed, despite numerous efforts to learn to play an instrument. This show is his way of filling a desperate need to do something with the feeling he gets when listening to Monk, Mingus, Ellington, Pops, Dizzy, Bird, (this list will stop here, but could go on and on)




Alfonso Portela is well known and loved in music and comedy circles. He was a drummer, performer writer with the popular cabaret show Graham-A-Rama, and he plays with gypsy band, Red Skunk. Alfonso will serve as our bandleader but that won't stop him from grabbing the mic and doing some jokes from behind his drum set like a comedic Phil Collins but with more hair.






Lance Woods is one of the hottest, most sought after young comedians working today! His high-energy style, unique storytelling ability and clever punchlines give him universal appeal. He has performed at some of the top venues across the country as well as for U.S. Marine Corp troops in Japan. Lance Woods is truly a comic to watch!


Sacramento's Johnny Taylor uses sharp wit, and off-beat sensibilities to communicate his sometimes tragic life experiences in a hilarious way.

A dynamic performer, Johnny has established a reputation for displaying a wide range of comedic styles.

He has opened for some of the biggest names in stand-up comedy, including Robin Williams, Bobcat Goldthwait, Brian Posehn, Wayne Federman, and more.

Johnny is a regular at every major comedy club in Northern California, including the San Francisco Punch Line, Sacramento Punch Line, Cobb's Comedy Club, and 142 Throckmorton Theater, and was recently featured on Comedytime.TV.

Matt Lieb is a comedian, writer, actor and street musician/Bone Thugs-N-Harmony cover band. He was named “one of my all-time favorite Bay Area performers” by the award-winning SF blog Courting Comedy and described as “extremely talented, charmingly dark and genuinely pleasant.”

He won 2nd place at the 2004 KZSC Comedy Competition, but the guy who won 1st place no longer does comedy so Matt basically won 1st place. He also won 1st place at the 2013 Rooster-T-Feathers Comedy Competition, which was very validating for him.

Matt Lieb has opened for many legendary performers including W. Kamau Bell, Ryan Papazian, Jeff Anaya, and 3rd Eye Blind. He is also Glenn Danzig’s neighbor and Emmy-winner Camryn Manheim is a family friend.

He writes for Filmdrunk. He has also performed at the Los Angeles Comedy Festival, the Santa Cruz fringe festival, and the S.H.I.T.S & Giggles Comedy Festival in Arcata, California.

He has 960 followers on twitter. If you play your cards right, you could be 961.

Alex Reiff is a beloved bass man from Davis who studied Music/Jazz Studies at Sacramento State. When he's not jamming with comedians he can found on stage with the Jason Galbraith Quartet.

Surprise comedian drop ins are a sure thing.