SF Sketchfest – Spinning Platters

SF Sketchfest Review: Wife Material with Sydney Kane at Eclectic Box, 1/25/26

Eclectic Box SF is the kind of small Mission venue where nothing is hidden, and everything lands a little harder, making it an ideal setting for Wife Material. The show arrived wrapped in an I Love Lucy-adjacent aesthetic, all bubblegum pink and tongue-in-cheek humor, but quickly revealed something far more anxious and intimate underneath. Kane entered in full Britney pink, with a headset mic, sorority curls pulled into a half-wedding updo, and towering six-inch square platform heels, immediately establishing both control and exposure. From the start, she blurred the line between performer and audience, pulling a small cluster of front-row participants into a scripted interaction that cracked the fourth wall and set the tone for the vulnerability to come. Behind her sat two nonchalant, middle-aged indie rock types on drums and keys, steady and almost indifferent, which only heightened the emotional contrast onstage.
Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Wife Material with Sydney Kane at Eclectic Box, 1/25/26”

SF Sketchfest Review: Smoke Show with Sweetin at BATS Improv Theater, 1/24/26

Photo by Tommy Lau

Dave Coulier is forever marked as the guy who enjoyed his time in the theater a little too much. Lori Loughlin is permanently associated with the worst college admissions scandal of all time. Candace Cameron is an outspoken Trump supporter. John Stamos has never heard Papa Roach. Being a Full House alumnus is a hard job.

But you know who has stayed under the radar as the coolest from the show? Jodie Fucking Sweetin. We interviewed her a few years ago, and it was really fun. In the last decade, she’s managed to endear herself to the LA stand-up and improv scene and done something that few people have succeeded at- she’s progressed from child stardom to a truly respected and admired artist. It takes a lot to get me out to a 10:30 PM show. But, yeah. I need to see Sweetin do her thing.

Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Smoke Show with Sweetin at BATS Improv Theater, 1/24/26”

SF Sketchfest Review: Chaos: Natasha Leggero + Chelsea Peretti + Sabrina Jalees at Marines’ Memorial Theater, 1/25/26

Photo by Tommy Lau

Saturday was a weird day for me. Weird, because my day job had me working at an art festival in the city, and it was a really busy workday with only enough downtime to drink water and use the bathroom occasionally. I was oblivious to any news that came down the pipeline. As soon as we were done, I chugged a Red Bull and ran as fast as I could to the theater so I didn’t miss the show. Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Chaos: Natasha Leggero + Chelsea Peretti + Sabrina Jalees at Marines’ Memorial Theater, 1/25/26”

How Did Sydney Kane Get Here?

How Did I Get Here? is back for its first episode of 2026. And my chat was with the amazing musical comedian Sydney Kane ahead of her bringing her one-woman show, Wife Material, on a West Coast tour! We talked about, well, a bunch of the usual tangential silliness, all while learning about how she found her voice and her way into comedy.

Sydney Kane is bringing Wife Material to SF for SF Sketchfest at Eclectic Box on Sunday, January 25th (Tix Here) and to LA at Hudson Backstage Theater on February 16th (Tix Here). Follow her on Instagram for more everything. And, if you really want to learn about all things Bay Area Burrito, h ere is such a bonkers and well-researched guide that I will still argue is wrong at times.

Side Note: We discuss how amazing Jenny Slate is, and I realized she is ALSO playing SF Sketchfest. Catch her with Max Silvestri and Gabe Liederman at the Sydney Goldstein Theater on February 1st (Tix Here)!

A Nerd’s Guide to SF Sketchfest 2026

Hi. Have you read the news today?

I’m sorry.

You know what 2026 is desperate for? Some bloody joy while we can still get it. I’ve had a really tough time doing the nerd’s guide this year because the onslaught of life under Trump 2.0 has been brutal. Which is also a good reason to get out and enjoy some laughs in a space where you can really be yourself as yourself, while it’s still kinda legal. So be your own kinda nerd. We’ve got three weeks of fun coming your way. Here’s a small sampling of events. The full schedule is here! Continue reading “A Nerd’s Guide to SF Sketchfest 2026”

LOGISTICS FANS REJOICE! SF SKETCHFEST ARE DOING A SHOW ON A BART TRAIN!!

HOLY SHIT!!!! I’ve been dreaming of this my entire life! Our dear friends at SF Sketchfest are doing the most logistically bonkers thing I can imagine a festival doing- A STAND UP COMEDY SET ON A MOVING COMMUTER TRAIN!

Here’s how it will work: ticket purchasers will meet at 12th St/Oakland City Center at 2 pm on Saturday, January 24th. Ticketholder will then be given a headset to listen to the set on (because, um, trains make noise, so this makes sense) as well as instructions on how to make sure you are on the right train and car. Brent Weinbach, Brittany Carney, Natasha Vinik, and Hunaid Shakoor will then each do 15-minute sets while you ride. They won’t be selling tickets at the door, so make sure you buy your ticket in advance from BART at this link!

Honestly, SF Sketchfest has done a LOT of cool things. But this is probably the coolest.

SF Sketchfest 2026 Initial Line Up HAS DROPPED!!!!!

Our dear friends at SF Sketchfest have, once again, given us reason to look forward to the January doldrums. They’ve put out a bonkers lineup that I’ve barely scratched the surface of. (As an esteemed member of the press, I did get this a day early, which might not have been enough time to digest this.)

As usual, you’ll get my full “Nerd’s Guide.” My early nerd view reveals a few amazing bits. Like, are you a fan of both The State and melodramatic singers from the 80’s? GOOD NEWS! You have your choice of Ken Marino & David Wain & Friends doing the music of Billy Joel, OR Thomas Lennon & Friends doing the music of Morrissey & The Smiths. Like your music legends more subversive? Devo legend Mark Mothersbaugh is taking us on a tour of his film score work with the excellent Red Room Orchestra.

A few other surprises include “The Women of SNL,” which, in addition to Sketchfest regular, Laraine Newman, we have rare appearances by Ellen Cleghorne (!), Julia Sweeney (!), Robin Duke (!), Cheri Oteri (!), Rachel Dratch (!), and Ana Gasteyer (!) sharing a stage which, really, is just warming my Gen-X, TV addicted heart. Panels with the creators of Doug and Futurama, as well as Smoke Show with Jodie Sweetin (A beauty pagent for comedians?), will do that, too.

Anyways… I can go on forever. However, I digress – take a few hours to review the schedule here. Tickets go on sale for EVERYTHING this Sunday, November 16th, at 10:00 a.m. PST.

SF Sketchfest Review: Jeopargay! with Spike Einbinder and Honey Pluton at Club Fugazi, 1/24/25

Thank god for SF Sketchfest! Seriously, if there’s one thing I hope we can all agree on in America right now, it’s this: we need comedy. Give us a reason to laugh. We may never see eye to eye or agree on who’s right and what needs to change, so there’s never been a better time for us to come together and soothe our uncertainties with the balm of a few hours’ worth of laughs. And last Friday night, that’s exactly what I did. I grabbed my cousin (and fellow Jeopardy! lover) and we headed to Club Fugazi for Jeopargay! with Spike Einbinder and Honey Pluton. It promised to be a fun night of trivia and humor. Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Jeopargay! with Spike Einbinder and Honey Pluton at Club Fugazi, 1/24/25”

SF Sketchfest Review: Tinder Live! with Lane Moore at Cobb’s Comedy Club, 1/24/25

I adore Lane Moore. She’s a gifted human with an impressive perspective on the human condition. Her two books, How To Be Alone and You Will Find Your People, are genius. I’ve been following her for years, yet I haven’t seen her signature show, Tinder Live!

Thanks to the good people of SF Sketchfest and their persistence in bringing her out west, I finally got to experience it. Holy shitballs, that was magic. Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Tinder Live! with Lane Moore at Cobb’s Comedy Club, 1/24/25”

SF Sketchfest Review: Airplane! 45th Anniversary Live Read at Palace Of Fine Arts, 1/18/25

Photos By Jakub Mosur

I have no idea how old I was when I first saw Airplane!. All I knew was that it was likely far too young, but it’s been a significant part of my entire life. Which makes sense since I’m 45, and it turns 45 this year. Who is to blame for this movie following me my entire life? You guessed it. My own father is the one who showed me this piece of chaotic art at far too young an age. Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Airplane! 45th Anniversary Live Read at Palace Of Fine Arts, 1/18/25”