SF Sketchfest – Page 9 – Spinning Platters

SF Sketchfest Review: Turnt Up with Eliza Skinner at The Eureka Theater, 1/27/17

Freestyle rap and improv comedy have plenty in common. First, both have some very strict rules: you aren’t supposed to come in with any pre-written material, and you have to adhere to a commonly expected rhythm that is consistent with the rules of your craft. So it seems almost obvious that improv comics would want to at least try their hand at freestyle rap. And, who knows? Maybe they might actually be good at it. Comedian Eliza Skinner decided it was worthwhile to find out, so she put together a show that challenges comics to attempt to freestyle rap. And she brought that show to SF for the first time as part of this year’s Sketchfest, just to show us that it kind of works a bit.
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SF Sketchfest Review: Kirsten Vangsness: MESS w/The Right Now and Kevin Yee at PianoFight, 1/15/2017

It’s that time of year again: SF Sketchfest 2017 is in town, and as always, brings with it the promise of some great talent and good times. It also marks yet another anniversary for me with Spinning Platters (my 6th), which also always makes me smile. Anyway, this year is no exception in terms of the fun shows I went to, the first being this past weekend, at PianoFight. Kirsten Vangsness may be best known to many of us as her character Penelope Garcia on CBS’ Criminal Minds (or, as Shemar Moore’s character Derek Morgan called her, simply “Baby Girl”). But even if this is the only thing you know her from, my guess is that you, like me, adore her for the quirky, sweet lady she plays on the show. Her original one-woman show MESS intrigued me: I learned that she wrote it based on ideas from a TED Talk (which, admittedly, I haven’t had time yet to watch). I wondered if she would be anything like Garcia, or something else entirely. I admit, I had no idea what to expect, but I couldn’t wait to find out.
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SF Sketchfest Review: Upright Citizens’ Brigade: A.S.S.S.S.C.A.T. at The Curran, 1/21/17

Saturday, January 21st, 2017 was a historic day. It marked the most significant single day of protest the US has ever experienced. Nearly one out of every hundred Americans went to the streets to protest the agenda of the incoming administration. It was an amazing and profound experience, and I was proud to participate in it. With it, another, smaller record was broken: on this fateful day, 1,667 people experienced what will be known as the largest improv show in history. (Please don’t fact check this. It’s a joke. Don’t be that person.) Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Upright Citizens’ Brigade: A.S.S.S.S.C.A.T. at The Curran, 1/21/17”

SF Sketchfest Review: Hound Tall Podcast with Moshe Kasher at Swedish American Hall, 1/21/17

Moshe Kasher’s podcast Hound Tall takes several comedians and one expert on a subject and makes either a glorious or terrible mess of things. When the podcast is great, it is so great. And when it misses, it really misses. Last year I watched the electronic music episode and it was so much more than I thought it would be. This year the topic was “Planning a Non-Violent Revolution in the Age of Trump”. The topic was exactly what I needed, and maybe what everyone needs after spending a day being inspired by the Women’s Marches around the country. Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Hound Tall Podcast with Moshe Kasher at Swedish American Hall, 1/21/17”

SF Sketchfest Interview: Adrian Villegas from Latino Comedy Project

The Latino Comedy Project is a sketch troupe out of Austin, Texas. They do a healthy mix of political and cultural sketch, and are bringing their live show, “Gentrifucked,” to SF Sketchfest this year for four shows this Friday and Saturday night. Tickets are available here, although you might want to act fast, as some performances are already sold out.

We had a chance to talk to one of the troupe’s founders, Adrian Villegas, on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration. We were both a bit feeling a bit raw that day, as you are about to see after the jump!

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SF Sketchfest Review: Laraine Newman: The Audition at PianoFight, 1/21/17

In the world of comedy, Laraine Newman is an industry legend. She’s been consistently working for over 40 years, starting as a member of the legendary first cast of Saturday Night Live, and branching out into dozens of roles in television, film and voice acting. She has an amazing amount of stories, and when I heard she was going to be doing a one-woman show as part of Sketchfest this year, I jumped at the chance to experience her live.

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SF Sketchfest Review: Crabapples with Bobcat Goldthwait and Caitlin Gill at Brava Theater, 1/13/2017

Our Crabapples: Bobcat Goldthwait and Caitlin Gill

It was a happy Friday the 13th to start this year’s epic SF Sketchfest Journey. Full of delicious burrito and needing some relief from a long day at work I was excited to get the funny started. On top of that all proceeds for this show are being donated to Planned Parenthood so it felt good to be in the company of people trying to help this messed up world. Bring on the Crabapples! Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Crabapples with Bobcat Goldthwait and Caitlin Gill at Brava Theater, 1/13/2017”

A Nerd’s Guide to Sketchfest 2017

Sketchfest is really rough. There is literally too much to do over the course of the three weeks the festival runs. We have 18 days of anywhere between 3-10 shows, all special events with performers that rarely come to San Francisco to perform. I’m here to help you decide what to do. Below are some of the events that I find the most interesting over the course of the entire event. You can use my handy guide, or you can just go rogue and take a look at the full schedule here! Continue reading “A Nerd’s Guide to Sketchfest 2017”

Spinning Platters Interview: Comedian Paco Romane

Paco Romane is one of the greatest Bay Area comedians. In addition to doing stand-up all around the Bay all the time, he hosts the Sup Doc Podcast with George Chen. He’s also performing at the Outside Lands Music Festival this weekend, where he has curated a set of his favorite comics to open the Barbary tent, and will also be doing a “Hipster Chef Roast” at the Gastromagic stage on Friday. If you can’t make it out to Outside Lands on Friday, Romane is doing a warm up show at Plate & Camera Productions on Thursday Night!

We had the joy of chatting with Romane. Sorry that we didn’t invite you, but you can read a word-by-word account of this conversation below!
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SF Sketchfest Review: Mortified (The Extra Dirty Version), 1/23/16 at Swedish American Hall

Makes me wish I’d kept journals & the like.

That Mortified has been selling out shows for the past decade shouldn’t surprise me. What should is that this year was my first time getting to find out why. It was Sketchfest 2016’s final weekend (Saturday, 1/23, to be exact), and while I had booked myself back-to-back shows for the evening, I wasn’t concerned since both were taking place in the same venue (Swedish American Hall). The only minor caveat was that I got so excited about this fact (and that I have been to the former venue next door so many times I know the area well), that I forgot to take what a bitch it is to find parking in the neighborhood. Making matters worse, I stood in a line of people wanting to buy tickets for at least five minutes before I realized I could bypass them all and go find a spot in what was now standing-room-only. And yet, it was absolutely worth it! (The only thing I’d do differently is give myself an exorbitant amount of time for parking next time…) Continue reading “SF Sketchfest Review: Mortified (The Extra Dirty Version), 1/23/16 at Swedish American Hall”