The last Stand-Up Smackdown at the Wheeler Opera House was truly one of the best nights of stand--up I've seen - ANYWHERE! The second in their series is coming this Saturday, so if you have the night open I STRONGLY suggest that you get your fanny & funny bone over there. You won't regret it. Link here: http://www.aspenshowtickets.com/tickets/eventsAll.cfm?ID=1605

Details: 
Tickets: $25; reserved seating (Save $5 off each ticket if you purchase a ticket for all 3 Smackdown performances!)

The second SMACKDOWN takes place on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27 with four new faces to the Aspen scene. Former San Francisco Comedy Competition winner and this year's runner up DANNY BEVINS, 2009 Boston Comedy Festival winner DAVE McDONOUGH, the runner up in 2009 Seattle Comedy Competition, PAUL HOOPER, and Nantucket, Boston, and Long Island comedy festivals star MAUREEN LANGAN, who also this year became the first female finalist in San Francisco since Ellen Degeneres.

The final SMACKDOWN occurs on Saturday, March 13. XM Satellite Radio regular MELANIE MALOY and 2009 Seattle Comedy Competition winner and two-time Last Comic Standing veteran SEAN KENT pave the way for Nebraska Comedy Festival winner KERMIT APIO. Returning 2008 Rooftop Comedy Festival veteran VINCE MORRIS, who has also had his own Comedy Central half-hour special since last seen in town, closes out the evening.

Tickets for all shows will be priced at $25.00 and will include a post-show meet-and-greet with all of the performers.

Present your paid ticket stub at the Wheeler Gift Shop in the Lobby Bar during this performance and get 10% off your purchase.

Seasons. We live by seasons up here in the mountains. Ski season. Summer season. Mud season. Off-season. Biking season. Get-Outta-Dodge Season. Funny to watch the ebb & flow of energy so closely tied to skier traffic, mountain activity, and the weather - especially the weather. A major snowstorm brings a flurry of extra snow-removal work, accompanied by a rush of adrenaline as powder-pigs rush to write their names on virgin slopes. Lately the virgin powder has been as rare as...well,,,as virgins. Got a barely respectable 2-4 inches Sunday night, but the sun was out by this afternoon, putting us in a mind of early March temps instead of chilly and powdery early February. And so it goes with those of us who live in and for the weather. The weather calls the shots, we respond.

And so we gather again to rattle our comedic minds Tuesday night and attempt to shake laughter out of ourselves and our audiences. And I'm never disappointed at the outcome. There's a last-minute line-up change to announce. Travis Klein had to cancel, but Apri Clark gamely agreed to step and bring it for the troops. So - here we go:

Bob Richmond
Brooks Werner
Todd Hartley
Glenn Smith
Gail Mason
April Clark
myself

X-Games is gone, but Charlie Sheen is in town. The Super Bowl is over, but the Olymics kicks off on Friday. Big events come & go, but comedy will always be here, waiting for the shit to hit the fan so we can follow-up with the paint brushes to make comedic art out of the mess.

Join us, won't you?

Just going over the lineup for the next show at Comedy at the Cabaret in Snowmass on Feb. 9:

• Bob Richmond
• Brooks Werner
• Travis Klein
• Todd Hartley
• Glenn Smith
• Gail Mason
• myself

This should be an interesting show! Three of the 7 are fairly new to the comedy stage, but all have good chops and very different styles, something that should keep the local regulars happy - and guessing. We will just have come off of both X-Games (last weekend) and the Super Bowl (this weekend), with Mardi Gras and the spring break crowds just around the corner.

There's a little feeling of Spring in the air -- longer days (LOVE LOVE  LOVE the sun!) - and really not much of a true winter feel owing to the lack of snow. We could use more, but until them we'll have to make due with what we've got, start apres ski a little earlier, drink more beer and laugh a little harder in an effort to shake some snow outta the trees.

This Saturday is a little film (video) experiment with some freinds in Aspen. Taking a short comedy idea of mine to the streets for a quick group-effort at creating a 2-minute piece entitled "Extra Foam?: A Conspiracy Of Milk".  Will let you know how it goes.

For my downvalley (Carbondale) friends, I've got a show next Friday, Feb. 12, at Steve's Guitars. "Love 2 Laugh, Volume II", a pre-Valentine's look at love, relationships, and why men are always just plain wrong. It'll be good to return to Steve's again -- first time since last Nov. when we did Comedy For Coats II.

That's it for now. Buy a ticket (online - it's way cheaper), and I'll see you at the show.

Where did January go? Wow. And I haven't even gotten into the habit of writing "2010" on checks yet -- maybe because I'm a debit card zombie and all I have to remember is "swipe" and "Password"...take my money, please. 

Speaking of taking my money - holy shit! The Silvertree Hotel is charging waaaay too much for the room we're using, so unless people start packing the house (like 200+) this series is going dark. Not to threaten. It's just a cold, hard, uncomfortable reality that the last two shows there have cost me and Gail money out of pocket. Something needs to change in the next 3 weeks or we reconsider the remaining 4 shows. Which is a shame, since we're just getting into the groove, and people are spreading the word, and the feedback from patrons has been consistently positive. Why do I keep hearing Ellen Degeneres' voice in my head, singing "Keep on swimming, keep on swimming..."?

Maybe it's just growing pains. Still, the business model needs serious rearranging in order to make this a sustainable venture. That said, we have a solid lineup on tap for Feb. 9th, Tuesday at the Cabaret, and another gig 3 days later, on the 12th (Friday) at Steve's Guitars in Carbondale - admittedly my favorite venue. Intimate/funky room, intimate/funky audiences, and always a good energy in the place before and after a show.  I hope to get this one on tape as well so I can build a show or two for Grassroots TV.

Sponsors! Oh yeah. Sponsors are needed to underwrite the video production and broadcast. If you're interested, drop me a line: mark@markthomascomedy.com.  That's all for now. Photos and video and more coming later. It's Sunday night and I still have 5 loads of laundry to do, plus homework, plus dinner, plus news and self-mutilation, plus feed the cat (not mine), and so on and so on.... (* y a w n *)

Just getting ready to head off to Cabaret Comedy #3 in Snowmass. That's three shows in 6 days, with the first of the bunch being the Stand-Up for Haiti Benefit that was so overwhelmingly gratifying. Last night was a downvalley show in Glenwood Springs at Fin's Grille, a Cheers-like seafood place right near the bridge on Grand AVe. Around 65 patrons, four comics, just over 1-hour show, and a bunch of VERY satisfied and grateful locals. Glenwood is crying for more live comedy, so plans are to get something happening monthly at a good venue down there.

X-Games kicks off here in two days, so there are a lot of people and lots of energy in the valley. Whether much of it makes it p to our show tonight remains to be seen. I know Sarasota, Florida will be wellrpresented (THANK YOU SARASOTA SKI CLUB!). Time to close this off and get going. Cheers~!

A standing-room only crowd of over 300 packed the Viceroy ballroom last Thursday, Jan. 21st, to laugh, dance, and contribute to the cause of Haitian earthquake relief. 

“Stand-Up For Haiti”, a so-called “quick-response benefit”, was pulled together a mere 6 days after producers Mark Thomas and Gail Mason of Comedy Mercenary Productions approached Viceroy GM Jeff David with the idea of a benefit comedy show for the benefit of Mercy & Sharing, a local non-profit coordinating Haitian relief efforts.

Nine local comedians (including Mayor Mick Ireland), four musicians (H3 and Bobby Mason), a dozen volunteers, dozens more Viceroy staffers, and over 300 attendees gathered for over three hours of live stand-up comedy, a video presentation by Mercy & Sharing co-founder Joe Krabacher, a live auction, and live music – all in the name of charity. When the evening was over organizers collected over $11,300, with plans to continue the effort, including a TV special and a used cell-phone collection effort at each of the remaining “Comedy at the Cabaret” stand-up shows at the Silvertree Hotel this winter season. The next performance is this Tuesday, January 26th.

Thomas says key to the event’s success was the Viceroy’s eagerness to commit hundreds of man-hours and thousands of dollars in resources for an event to take place quickly. “Their generosity and immediate willingness to pitch in was almost overwhelming.”

Comedy performers that night included Bob Richmond, April Clark, Brooks Werner, Todd Hartley, Gail Mason, Don Chaney, Glenn Smith, Mark Thomas, and Aspen Mayor Mick Ireland, who had his well-received stand-up comedy debut the prior week at “Comedy at the Cabaret”, a twice-monthly stand-up series that Thomas and Mason produce at the Silvertree Hotel.

Before and after the stand-up show, live music was provided courtesy of local favorites Harding, Hills & Hawes (H3) with Bobby Mason, who all volunteered to join the event as soon as they learned it was in the works.

In an unusual twist to fundraising tactics, admission was free. Organizers solicited contributions using a variety of methods, including live-auction items, reserved VIP tables, and so-called “Karma Jars”, which were strategically placed throughout the venue to collect donations. The end result: $11,346 in contributions – including nearly $6,000 in Karma Jar cash.

Local businesses even approached the stage mid-auction with additional goods and services to be auctioned away by Thomas, a certified auctioneer. The four original items planned for auction raised $1,900 dollars. Five spontaneously donated items raised an additional $2,200 – including a pair of Volkl skis and bindings (jointly donated by Christie Sports and Four Mountain Sports) that sold for $1200. Other auction items included an autographed Lance Armstrong book and a foursome of golf donated by Mayor Mick Ireland, a two-night stay with meals and spa services donated by the Viceroy, two SkiCo lift tickets, a Jazz Aspen Labor Day pass for two, custom orthotics, a scenic plane flight from Polly Ross, and Chili & Brewfest tickets courtesy of the Town of Snowmass Village.

Wine for the event was donated by Republic National Distributing, and AV services provided courtesy of Kevin Pasolli and PSAV. Wells Fargo Bank contributed credit card services to collect donations on the spot. TV Aspen donated a videographer and two cameras. And local still photographer Nick Tininenko volunteered his services.

Thomas plans to convert the video and stills from the event into a one-hour TV special to air locally and continue the appeal for Haiti Relief funds directed to Mercy & Sharing. Any local businesses interested in sponsoring the special telecast are encouraged to contact Thomas at: mark@markthomascomedy.com, or call 970-618-6897.

In a continuing effort to help raise funds for Haiti relief, organizers of “Comedy at the Cabaret” are asking audience members to bring old or unused cell phones to the shows to donate. Anyone bringing a phone to donate will be admitted to the show for just $12, a $7 discount from the door ticket rate of $19. (Those purchasing tickets online at www.markthomascomedy.com for $15 are eligible for a $3 rebate at the door.) Most of the same comics who performed last Thursday will be on hand for this Tuesday's "Comedy at the Cabaret" in the Silvertree Hotel in Snowmass Village. Doors open 7:00 pm, showtime is 7:45. Tickets for that event are available at www.markthomascomedy.com

ReCellular, a phone refurbishing firm announced a partnership with the Red Cross to collect old phones to aid in the relief efforts. “ReCellular will give 100% of the phone value as a contribution to the American Red Cross. In addition, qualifying phones will be refurbished and supplied to aid groups working in Haiti. All phones are accepted, though newer phones will provide the most value to the charity — in some cases $100 or more.”  To prepare your donated phones for recycling and protect personal information, go to this LINK for instructions.

“Stand-Up For Haiti” was sponsored by The Viceroy Hotel, the Aspen Daily News, KSNO Radio, The Aspen Skiing Company and Copy Copy in Glenwood Springs, and was produced by Comedy Mercenary Productions.
For more information, contact:
Mark Thomas at 970-618-6897
Gail Mason at 970-319-8387
or e-mail cabaretcomedy@gmail.com.

It's been a whirlwnd, roller-coaster week, to say the least. Trying to plan a benefit in just 6 days has been an interesting challenge. Tonight's turnout will tell whether or not our efforts are successful.  The press release is posted on my home page, so I won't repeat any of it. If you're headed out that way tonight, and not using public transportation, park in the covered parking at the new Base Village parking structure. It's free after 5 PM. Otherwise, Lot C up Wood Road a ways will do - and it's a bit of a shorter walk to the Viceroy. (*Snow is in the forecast for tonight, and Lot C is uncovered, so be forewarned.)

Besides the excitement of pulling together this benefit, we had our Comedy at the Cabaret aired last last night on Grassroots TV Channel 12. One hour, 6 comics, and one Mayor (Mick). All in all not a bad effort considering the lead-time, the limited access to post-production facilities, and the fact that I had to wedge editing in between benefit-organizing chores. Mark needs a rest! Check out the video online here:  http://vod.grassrootstv.org/vodcontent/8780.wmv

Heading out the door for final details. If you're in the neighborhood, come to the show. Fun and Fundraising for Haiti. It'll be good.

Not much time, but I wanted to post this ASAP. I'm working with Gail Mason to put together a comedy benefit concert for victims of the Haiti earthquake. The Viceroy Hotel in Snowmass gave us an immediate Green Light after a 3-minute presentation on Friday morning - so now it's scramble time.

The event is called: STAND-UP FOR HAITI, a benefit comedy concert for earthquake victims. All proceeds will go Mercy & Sharing, a local non-profit focused on helping Haitian orphans. Lots of details to work out, so more info will be posted here and on my FB page later. If you're in the RF Valley you should come by. Admission is Free - but we'll charge you to leave. (*You decide what your night was worth.)

More to come....

Today is Thursday. Tuesday night seems like a week ago, but I still have a good buzz going from the night of comedy. For the record - putting together these shows has been a labor of love, and a LABOR. So many details to handle, all coming at me in a mini-tsunami at the last minute, and there never seems to be enough time to truly relax, take off my Producer/Promoter hat and put on my Comedian hat before a show. Granted, it's only the second of an 8-show series, and there are still kinks to be worked out. But somehow I thought I would have the ducks lined up better and have at least a few days to work on The Set. Not the case.

My set was written in two 1-hour bursts: The first at eleven PM on Monday night, the second at 4 PM the day of the show. I know, I know -- not very professional of me as a performer. I promised myself I'd make the set 90% new material - and I almost succeeded. But I know there's always room for improvement.  I guess it boils down in large degree to becomeing a better manager of my own time.

But the night was not about me - it was about the comedy, from EVERYONE. And when it was over it felt like one of the3 top 5 shows I'd been involved in during my 3 short years as a stand-up. You know how a room developes an energy, a personality? This room had one from the get-go: upbeat, positive, ready to laugh and participate. The performers sensed it, and form the opening line it felt like a mutual acknolwedgement.

Dan Sheridan opened the night with 4 songs, including his now-infamous "Big Money". The Aspen Skiing Company had some problems with the song (details here), Now Dan is getting calls from Denver TV stations for interviews and is even selling a few CD's thanks to the dubious noteriety the SkiCo afforded him. Dan wqrmed up the crowd and left them smiling for the 7 comics (well - 6 comics and 1 Aspen Mayor) to follow.

We slotted Mayor Mick Ireland into the middle of the show, and he did surprisingly well for a first-timer to the stand-up stage. Of course, as a producer I learned that when you give a politician a 3-5 minute time slot, you'd better be on the stopwatch and the flashing-red STOP sign, otherwise he'll go until he runs out of air. That took Mick about 17 minutes. To his cerdit, the crowd kept laughing, no one threw rotten fruit, and even one of his harshest critics (Marilyn Marks) who was in the audience gave his positive reviews when the night was over.

The rest of the crew stood and delivered solid sets: Don Chaney, Beth Brandon, April Clark, Todd Hartley, and my co-producer and stand-up neophyte, GailMason, who - I must say - delivered her best set yet. Confidence and poise grows with each appearance, and I have to take my hat off and say "Well Done, Gail".

Best of all, we have the whole show on video and I'm working on editing it down to a tight one-hour program that will air on Grassroots TV channel 12 next Wednesday. You'll be able to stream it online after the broadcast, so I'll be posting that link here as soon as it's available.

As for fine-tuning: Tighter sets and a stopwatch system for the next show are top of my list. Also, we'll be inviting a few New Faces onto the stage, to keep it fresh, edgy, unpredictable and decidedly Local - something this Valley prides itself on delivering, good or bad, on a regular basis. Interested? Drop me a note: mark@markthomascomedy.com

God Bless Messy Vitality.

I believe in signs. Don't always recognize them, but always on the lookout.

Maybe it's my excuse for expecting the Universe to have more control over my destiny than I do, and wanting to send me little clues & hints (the Universe LOVES scavenger hunts!).

Today had some positive signs. Mayor Mick on the front page of the Aspen Daily News as a sidebar story, promoting the fact that he's making his stand-up comedy debut at the show tomorrow (Tuesday, Jan 12th).

Finding 3 consecutive parking spaces in 6 hours - on the SAME street - in a 2-hour parking zone, AND moving my car in time EACH time. Driving behind a Harlem Globetrotters tour bus between Glenwood Springs and Carbondale (the epitome of pure fun - a Globetrotter's game!). And getting my first online ticket order for the comedy series (THANK YOU LEONARD FORMAN FROM BOCA RATON!). It's a sunny day, and tomorrow will feel like March spring weather with highs in the 40's. My new mic and speaker cable arrived in time for the show.

Dan Sheridan (he of "Big Money Ruins Everything" fame in Aspen), has agreed to open the program with 4 songs. And Mayor Mick's rehearsal went smoothly last night. So far the planets are lining up for a nice time tomorrow. Hope you can make it.