August’s popular Comedy Night at Gravely standup showcases show features Cincinnati comedians Chris Weir and Billy Devore and Louisville favorites June Dempsey, Crystal Phoenix and host Creig Ewing.
Tickets are free but ensure seating.
Come for a night of laughter, great craft beer and great burgers and more from Lil’ Toasty’s!
Tabari McCoy will be performing in Louisville on July 20 at Gravely Brewing Company! He will be joined by one of Cincinnati’s rising stars Gretchen Schultz and Louisville favorites Eric Groovely and Peter Swanz.
This is a free show, but you can reserve your tickets here!
Tabari is known for his conversational style of comedy and cites pop culture, music, sports, movies, and his personal experiences as his influences. He has released two albums and his debut special Be Happy was released on YouTube earlier this year.
Tabari was kind enough to answer some questions from Louisville Laughs.
Louisville Laughs: How long have you been performing standup and what made you decide to go for it? Were you always the funny guy of the friend group and how easily were you able to translate that to the stage?
Tabari McCoy: I began performing stand-up comedy in April 2006. I had loved stand-up since I was a child, literally, as I recall seeing a very famous special by a very famous (but now disgraced) comedian playing on the television of a long-closed department store. As an only child, there are plenty of lonely times growing up and when you’re laughing, you don’t feel alone, you don’t feel scared… You just feel happy.
At the time I started, I was working for a lifestyle publication produced by hometown newspaper, The Cincinnati Enquirer. I wanted to do a story on the local stand-up comedy scene and as part of that, I decided I was going to finally bite the bullet and do an open mic. I got laughs despite the jokes being half-baked and even less executed, and I was hooked.
I could be funny as a kid and knew how to use humor as both a way to get positive attention and as a defense mechanism having also done emcee battles 8 Mile-style in college despite not fitting a traditional battle rapper look. Over time, translating every day conversation to the stage has become much easier.
Did you get your start in Cincinnati? Do you remember any of the jokes from your very first open mic set and are there any that made it to an album? What’s the comedy scene like in Cincinnati?
Tabari: I started at Go Bananas Comedy Club, one of the best and most respected independent comedy clubs in the nation. I don’t remember one single joke from my very first set thankfully and none of them made it to either of my albums nor my special, “Be Happy,” now streaming on YouTube.
The stand-up comedy scene in Cincinnati is very good and filled with talented comedians who will push you to get better simply because if you don’t, you won’t last and/or fade into oblivion. Our proximity to several other major cities within a four-to five-hour driving range also makes travel and networking better than other situations.
Who are some of your comedy heroes? Have you gotten to work with any of them yet?
Tabari: There’s an old expression – “Never meet your heroes.” The real version of people can often be disappointing compared to what you think they are like. That being said, I’ve been very fortunate to meet several comics I respect and admire and save for a few random weekends where the comic in question would never remember meeting me, I’ve been very fortunate to avoid nightmare circumstances.
What advice have you gotten that has made the most difference in your journey as a standup? Do you have any advice for new comedians, writers, performers?
Tabari: The one piece of advice that readily comes to mind was something the late David A. Arnold told me one time at the Cleveland Improv. The Cleveland Improv is one of the most urban – that means filled with black people in the audience – clubs in America. I’m not built in the mold of many black comics who grew up in ‘hood situations. That is not a knock or judgment by any means; it’s just a fact.
Anyway, I used to struggle in front of crowds that I didn’t relate to because I went into the situation thinking they wouldn’t get me. A comedian’s job is to bring people into your world and make it relatable to theirs while establishing that “This is my stage” for the time they are on it.
David told me he got over those hardcore audiences “when I realized they wouldn’t stop coming just because I didn’t want them to.” Going up with confidence, swagger and establishing that you are in control helped me far more than just working on my jokes did – but those audiences definitely made me improve my joke writing and knowing how to perform for more than one audience. Does that mean I’m everybody’s cup of tea? Hell no – but I definitely have more people sipping from my cup than I used to.
There is also a Chris Rock quote that haunts me. I started stand-up late at age 29 and I have a house, like my neighbors and enjoy sleeping in a real bed. I know my situation is too comfortable – and I chose that word purposefully – for me to give up. But Chris Rock said “You can be the funniest guy in Detroit, but you’re the funniest guy in Detroit.”
The industry is in LA and NYC and it is extremely difficult to advance outside of those cities to be headlining nationwide and get other opportunities. I wish I was more of a risk taker, but I’m not in that sense. If I had some momentum or something to build on, then I would move to LA or NYC, so start before you have real responsibilities or commitments – that would be my advice.
What’s your comedy horror story?
Tabari: I’m not rich or famous enough to go into detail, but I’ll say this: There are few things worse than working with someone who needs to FEEL like a star off stage at all times versus simply being a good person. I’ve had that happen more times than I care to remember.
Every comic gets booed at some point – anyone who says they haven’t hasn’t been doing it long enough and/or is just a liar – but egomaniac comedians make me wish I didn’t have a mortgage, family I care about or no common sense so I could just wild out and go full Rick James/Charlie Murphy (who I got to emcee a weekend for once at the old Louisville Improv) on them.
What’s your comedy highlight so far?
Tabari: I’ve put out two albums (Remarkable in 2018 and Laughing with a Panther in 2013), performed on the main stage of a major event in front of thousands of people and even put out a special which has 5,000+ views (and counting) on YouTube. I also got to perform on the main stage of a historic theater in my native Cincinnati. I’ve got miles to go, but the ride has had some nice highlights thus far.
You have a podcast called A Tight 45 with Tabari McCoy, you’re a movie blogger, writer, journalist, and standup comedian. How do all these different creative endeavors inform your standup?
Tabari: I haven’t put out a new episode of my podcast in months because it became too hard to try and book guests on a routine basis and every comedian (or person that THINKS they’re a comic) has a podcast. I enjoy doing it, but I gave it a year to build and it didn’t reach where I wanted it to listener-wise if I’m honest. I am thinking of bringing it back because I enjoy it, but when you are juggling so many balls, it’s best to focus on a couple to do them well as opposed to possibly doing them all mediocre.
I have a STRONG belief that drives me, however: People make time for what’s important to them. That applies to every avenue in life. I made time to do my podcast, my daytime hustle, my movie blog (http://mccoyonmovies.blogspot.com/) and of course stand-up because I make time for them. The same principle applies to dating and any other job/hobby. If it’s important to you, you’ll find time to do it and do it well.
I try to make opportunities when I’m not getting them because it’s important. I’m doing this interview because anyone that might be interested in seeing me perform after learning more about me is important to me. And going up on stage and making people laugh and showing I’m a good comic is important to me. That will all come out Thursday night.
What do you hope to achieve in a standup performance? What are you aiming for the audience to take away from the Tabari McCoy experience?
Tabari: My goal is to make the crowd laugh. If I can make them think, cool. But the job is to make them laugh. I love comedy for two reasons: (1) Comedians are the last truth tellers we have in society and in every good joke is a modicum of truth. (2) You can cry from laughing, but rarely laugh from crying – people that do that probably have bodies under their house.
I will say this: I’m single. If women come out and see that I am an honest, decent human being that can make them laugh, that’s my in. I just saw the Barbie movie tonight before doing this and having seen Ryan Gosling’s physique in that movie, I NEED to be funny!
You’ve released multiple comedy albums. You released a special this year called Be Happy. Congratulations! What was that experience like and what made you want to put out a special? How did you prepare for the special and was this preparation different from what you’ve done ahead of your past album recordings?
Tabari: The internet is to comedy in 2023 what The Tonight Show was to stand-up in the late 1970s and mid 1980s. You have to get eyes on you to make other people be willing to book you to put asses in seats. Why do you think I’m doing this interview – to NOT have people show up?
I prepared for this special by doing everything possible to make it feel special to the audience. Jokes are jokes; a special should feel like a moment in time captured on video and/or audio. There were jokes I look back at that I could have tightened up, added to, said differently, but it was all captured in one take in real time. I literally only cut out one joke from the final cut and added the monologue at the end back in because it meant something to me that I wanted those watching to feel, too.
Now, I’m working on building a new 45 minutes to hour of material and I already have new material I didn’t have when I was in Louisville earlier this month. If you want to come laugh and maybe help me pay for another pair of sneakers by buying my merch after the show, I hope to see whoever is reading this at Gravely Brewing Thursday night!
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area. If we missed your event, let us know. (Information on how to sign up for open mics at bottom).
UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, July 19
7:30 p.m. — Laughs In The Lounge Comedy Open Mic, The Caravan Louisville. TicketsTo sign up to perform, email CaravanOpenMic@gmail.com
8 p.m. — Laughing Dad Entertainment presents: Stand-Up Comedy Night with Jake Hovis and Lucious Williams, VFW Post, 1919 Grant Line Road, New Albany, IN. Tickets $25 includes BBQ dinner
Sundays — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign up
Sundays — Comedy at Ten20 Craft Brewery open mic. Every first Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Sign up in advance by messaging Louisville Laughs on Facebook or emailing LouisvilleLaughs2@gmail.com
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 8 p.m. To sign up, email pottmondaymicopenmic@gmail.com.
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area. If we missed your event, let us know. (Information on how to sign up for open mics at bottom).
UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, July 12
7:30 p.m. — Laughs In The Lounge Comedy Open Mic with guest host Vander and special guest James Ferguson, The Caravan Louisville. TicketsTo sign up to perform, email CaravanOpenMic@gmail.com
4 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Comedy Emceeing class with instructors Keith McGill and Bret Sohl at TEN20 Craft Brewery in Butchertown. Fee is $75. Space is limited. Email LouisvilleLaughs2@gmail.com to reserve your spot.
7 p.m. — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown. Free
TO SIGN UP FOR OPEN MICS
Sundays — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign up
Sundays — Comedy at Ten20 Craft Brewery open mic. Every first Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Sign up in advance by messaging Louisville Laughs on Facebook or emailing LouisvilleLaughs2@gmail.com
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 8 p.m. To sign up, email pottmondaymicopenmic@gmail.com.
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area. If we missed your event, let us know. (Information on how to sign up for open mics at bottom).
UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, July 5
7:30 p.m. — Laughs In The Lounge Comedy Open Mic with guest host Zach Brumback and special guest Eric Kimbrough, The Caravan Louisville. TicketsTo sign up to perform, email CaravanOpenMic@gmail.com
4 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Comedy Writing class with instructors Keith McGill and Bret Sohl at Falls City Beer Taproom. Fee is $75 or take July 16 Comedy Emceeing class as well for $125 for both. Space is limited. Email LouisvilleLaughs2@gmail.com to reserve your spot.
4 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Comedy Emceeing class with instructors Keith McGill and Bret Sohl at TEN20 Craft Brewery in Butchertown. Fee is $75 or take July 9 Comedy Writing class as well for $125 for both. Space is limited. Email LouisvilleLaughs2@gmail.com to reserve your spot.
Sundays — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign up
Sundays — Comedy at Ten20 Craft Brewery open mic. Every first Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Sign up in advance by messaging Louisville Laughs on Facebook or emailing LouisvilleLaughs2@gmail.com
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 8 p.m. To sign up, email pottmondaymicopenmic@gmail.com.
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area. If we missed your event, let us know. (Information on how to sign up for open mics at bottom).
UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, June 28
7:30 p.m. — Laughs In The Lounge Comedy Open Mic with guest host Brandy Norton and special guest Mark Chalifoux, The Caravan Louisville. TicketsTo sign up to perform, email CaravanOpenMic@gmail.com
7 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Comedy at TEN20 open mic, TEN20 Craft Brewery, Butchertown. Comics can email LouisvilleLaughs2@gmail.com to reserve a spot. Free admission
4 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Comedy Writing class with instructors Keith McGill and Bret Sohl at Falls City Beer Taproom. Fee is $75 or take July 16 Comedy Emceeing class as well for $125 for both. Space is limited. Email LouisvilleLaughs2@gmail.com to reserve your spot.
4 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Comedy Emceeing class with instructors Keith McGill and Bret Sohl at TEN20 Craft Brewery in Butchertown. Fee is $75 or take July 9 Comedy Writing class as well for $125 for both. Space is limited. Email LouisvilleLaughs2@gmail.com to reserve your spot.
7 p.m. — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown. Free
TO SIGN UP FOR OPEN MICS
Sundays — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign up
Sundays — Comedy at Ten20 Craft Brewery open mic. Every first Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Sign up in advance by messaging Louisville Laughs on Facebook or emailing LouisvilleLaughs2@gmail.com
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 8 p.m. To sign up, email pottmondaymicopenmic@gmail.com.
Louisville Laughs is offering comedy classes in July designed to give newer comics a boost by improving their joke writing and ability to host comedy shows.
Instructors, which include Keith McGill and Bret Sohl, have decades of experience performing, writing and producing comedy shows.
Louisville Laughs is sponsoring a comedy classes with instructors Keith McGill and Bret Sohl.
Keith is an experienced headlining comic, who has worked acorss the country and on cruise ships. Bret put on shows at the Comedy Caravan for years and wrote jokes for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
How To Write Comedy is July 9 from 4-6 p.m. at the Falls City Beer Taproom, 901 E. Liberty Street.
Comics will get instruction on joke writing and suggestions on how to find their comedic voice.
Comedy Emceeing is July 16 from 4-6 p.m. at TEN20 Craft Brewery in Butchertown.
Comics will get the chance to test their material on stage and learn the craft of hosting a comedy show.
Classes are $75 each or $125 total for both classes.
To reserve a spot, email LouisvilleLaughs2@gmail.com. Class sizes are limited.
A list of the upcoming comedy shows and open mics in the Louisville area. If we missed your event, let us know. (Information on how to sign up for open mics at bottom).
UPCOMING SHOWS AND OPEN MICS
Wednesday, June 21
7:30 p.m. — No Caravan open mic — private engagement
7 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Comedy at TEN20 open mic, TEN20 Craft Brewery, Butchertown. Comics can email LouisvilleLaughs2@gmail.com to reserve a spot. Free admission
4 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Comedy Writing class with instructors Keith McGill and Bret Sohl at Falls City Beer Taproom. Fee is $75 or take July 16 Comedy Emceeing class as well for $125 for both. Space is limited. Email LouisvilleLaughs2@gmail.com to reserve your spot.
4 p.m. — Louisville Laughs presents: Comedy Emceeing class with instructors Keith McGill and Bret Sohl at TEN20 Craft Brewery in Butchertown. Fee is $75 or take July 9 Comedy Writing class as well for $125 for both. Space is limited. Email LouisvilleLaughs2@gmail.com to reserve your spot.
7 p.m. — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown. Free
TO SIGN UP FOR OPEN MICS
Sundays — Sunday Night, Live!, all-entertainment showcase with Uncool Randy, 21st In Germantown Message @UncoolRandy on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter
Sundays — Comedy Attack! open mic, Kaiju. First Sunday of the month. Show up and sign up
Sundays — Comedy at Ten20 Craft Brewery open mic. Every first Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Sign up in advance by messaging Louisville Laughs on Facebook or emailing LouisvilleLaughs2@gmail.com
Mondays — The Planet of the Tapes Monday Mic, Planet of the Tapes. Show starts at 8 p.m. To sign up, email pottmondaymicopenmic@gmail.com.
Chance Willie is coming to Louisville to headline Planet of the Tapes and he is bringing a slate of local favorites for a show on Thursday, June 15th. Get your tickets here!
Chance Willie is a stand-up comedian from Nashville who has performed all over the country. He comes to us through Lexington comic and producer Jon Bass who has been booking shows in the area. Chance will be joined by some of Louisville’s best in Will McKenzie, Hilary Boston, Mairead Thomas and Jwal The Jerk.
Chance was kind enough to answer some questions from Louisville Laughs.
Louisville Laughs: How long have you been performing standup and what made you decide to go for it?
Chance Willie: I’ve been doing comedy for 7 years. I started after I spoke at my dad’s funeral and got some laughs. He and I watched a lot of stand-up together. I did my first open mic pretty shortly after that and got addicted to it.
Did you get your start in Nashville? Do you remember any of the jokes from your very first open mic and are there any that you still use today? What’s the comedy scene like in Nashville?
Technically, I started in Chattanooga where I did a handful of open mics. One of the jokes from my very first set was, “I live on the state line of Tennessee and Georgia, on the Tennessee side – which is great, because I don’t have to take out the trash. I just throw it across the street.” I don’t use that joke anymore.
The Nashville comedy scene is small, but everyone cares a lot. We’re all focused on getting very good at comedy. We all know each other and love to hang out, and it’s a great place to start. There are a few big guys around like Dusty [Slay], Nate [Bargatze], and Aaron [Weber] who are like lighthouses that help show us which way to go and navigate things. That’s really great to have.
What advice have you gotten that has made the most difference in your journey as a stand-up? Do you have any advice for young comedians, writers, performers?
Louis [CK] told me, “Live a life,” and Theo [Von] told me, “It’s a long race.”
My advice for new comedians is, “Don’t post mid – and keep writing.”
Do you have a comedy horror story?
I played a club once (which shall remain nameless) and as soon as I pulled the mic out of the stand, this dude in the front row yelled, “Fuck you, pussy!” and then I did 30 minutes of crowd work to a room full of people who won tickets on the radio. Fun night.
What’s your comedy highlight so far?
Playing the Chicago Theater with Theo Von. In the hallway you can see where every artist who has ever played there has signed their name. It’s every big act you can imagine. I signed my name on the fire alarm in really small letters. I didn’t even feel like I should be there.
I brought Theo up to the 90s Bulls’ walk out music. That feels like a dream.
What hobbies and interests do you have outside of stand-up? How does that inform your material and performance?
Playing chess with my girlfriend. She always beats me. Sometimes when I’m writing or performing I slip into a “cool guy” persona, but the funny stuff for me always comes from failing. There is no better exercise for that than being intellectually dominated by my hot girlfriend.
What do you hope to achieve in a standup performance? What are you aiming for the audience to take away from the Chance Willie experience?
