Just Keep Showing Up 3/1/17

It's been a while since I posted on here. I hate it when I get into someone's blog, and then they never post. And now I'm that guy. I'm not into my own blog, but I never post. Just the worst. Things have been awesome, but busy. Between comedy, trying to get into some kind of shape, and getting our house ready to sell, there isn't much time to spare these days.

I love it.

I'm sure I've said it on here before, and I know I've brought it up on the podcast (Comedy Odyssey on iTunes & Podbean!), but I'm as focused as I can ever remember being on anything. I love being in this mindset, where you have the blinders on, you have goals in front of you, and you just grind as hard as you can. The last time I remember being this dialled in on something was probably when Shay and I were saving up to buy our house, and we were working a couple jobs each and just chipping away. It's hard at first, but once you buy in and start seeing results, you look forward to the grind each day.

Every month, I feel like I'm taking another step toward my eventual goal of being a professional comedian. I'm getting more out of town work (probably 2 out of every 3 weekends see me on the road these days), and opportunities are starting to pop in within the city limits, too. I've started closing out some of the local shows, and getting spots at the 2 major clubs in Edmonton (Yuks and the Comic Strip). I was just offered my first weekend at the Strip (end of May, if you want to come!) It's really exciting, and very, very motivating.

If I'm here after putting in *this much* work, how much further can I get if I work harder?

Obviously, I've been very lucky. Headliners in the city have, for whatever reason, decided they like having me around, and have been offering me chances to get on the road, make a little money, and most importantly, learn. I feel like my crowd work abilities have really started to develop thanks to working with Mike Dambra as much as I have, and I'm getting more and more comfortable on stage. That said, I still hate watching/listening myself. All I see or hear is what isn't working. But that's how you get better. I think....

I titled this blog "Just Keep Showing Up". I heard Joey Diaz say it on Joe Rogan's podcast, and I really liked it. If one of the comics in the city that's even newer than I am asked me for advice, I think that's what I'd say. Just keep showing up. That's what I've done. Establish your work ethic, let people know you take the art seriously. If you work hard enough, good things will happen.

Next weekend, I get the chance to go back to Cold Lake (where I grew up), to do a Friday and Saturday show. When I started taking comedy seriously, I wrote down some of my goals. One of them was to get the chance to go home and tell some jokes. I cannot wait for those shows. And then when I get back to Edmonton, I have the Joke Of Thrones and (hopefully) Funniest Person with a Day Job competitions to look forward to. March is going to be an awesome month.

I'm going home :)

I try not to focus on what other people think, but there's a big part of me that just wants to earn the respect of the other comedians. That's one of the things I've wanted the most since I did my first set. I saw the comics I liked and looked up, and the respect the other comics had for them, their talent and their work ethics. I don't actually know what most of the comedians in the city thinks of me, but I like to think I'm on my way to earning that respect. That alone keeps me going.

And it all comes down to just showing up. Just Keep Showing Up.

Thanks for reading, and supporting me.

Adam

So Las Vegas is pretty sweet..... 1/27/17

It's Friday afternoon, and I'm laying in my hotel room in Penticton. I had a show in Kelowna last night for Train Wreck Comedy (big thank you to Rob Balsdon for the opportunity), and Kevin McGrath (the headliner this weekend) and I have a show here in Penticton tomorrow night, but we ended up with today (Friday) off. As awesome as the Okanagan is, it's a little chilly to go to the beach in January, so I'm hibernating in my room, and thought I'd take a few minutes to ramble on here, and talk about comedy, and my recent trip to Las Vegas.

SPOILERS: Vegas is fucking awesome.

As you may or may not know, I've been selling off some of my sports memorabilia collection. We're looking to downsize our home this spring, and I just don't think we'll have the room for everything. Some of it sold in December, and I decided to use the money to pay for a weekend in Vegas for my girlfriend and I. Neither of us had ever been there, and after the weekend we had, I can guarantee we'll be going back sooner than later.

We stayed at The Aria, on the Strip, and it was a beautiful hotel. Unfortunately, it rained for two of the three days we were there, but that didn't stop us from getting out and having fun. We had dinner at one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants that first night, and just spent the evening walking up and down the Strip, checking out some of the casinos, and the insane hotels, and drinking beer. We bought into the nightly Aria poker tournament that night, and Shay ran into a bad beat a couple hours in. I managed to make it to the final table of the tourney, though, and walked away with a 4th place finish out of about 75 players, and a $600 pay day. Gambling for free the rest of the weekend!

Saturday (we flew in on Friday), the sun was out, and we decided to go check out Fremont street. Some of the old casinos were pretty cool, but it just didn't hit home with us, and after a few hours, we decided to head back over to the Strip, and check it out while the weather was good. Popping into random casinos to have a beverage and see what was going on, we basically went from one end of the Strip to the other, and after a couple of the giant plastic margaritas, we (or I. Shay isn't the lightweight I am) were feeling no pain. We hit the Heart Attack Grill for dinner, and then after a power nap, I decided to play the Aria poker tourney again. It started at 7, I got sat as an alternate at 9, and made a second straight final table. At about 4am, we were 5 handed, and decided on a 5 way chop of the prize money, netting another $1100!

Sunday, Shay wanted to go shopping. So she went off looking for clothes, and I played some more poker at Harrahs and Ballys. No final table runs this time, but it was still fun, and then we ended off the trip by heading up to the Rio to check out Penn & Teller's show, which was fantastic.

All in all, it was a wicked trip. I can't wait to go back, and it was nice to just spend a weekend with Shay. I have a lot of weekends out of town coming up, so a little quality time together was just what the doctor ordered. Shay has supported me unconditionally since I began comedy, and I was really happy that we could get away and have some fun. And winning that money at poker was a bonus, as it felt good to be able to give her some more money to go shopping with, and try to show her how much I appreciate her having my back. I would be a walking tire fire without her.

Lazy eye selfie on the Strip.

So now this weekend, I'm in the Okanagan with Kevin McGrath. Next weekend I head down to Cranbrook with Paul Sveen, and then I have  a weekend bouncing between Alberta & Saskatchewan with Mike Dambra in February as well. I love it. Being on the road with these headliners, telling jokes and picking their brains is everything I was hoping I'd get a chance to do when I started performing stand up.

Back in Edmonton, I got y first chance to MC a show at the Comic Strip that wasn't open mic night, and I thought it went OK. It definitely could have been better, but I had fun, and I'm grateful for the opportunity. Hopefully, I get another one soon. I'll also get my first show at MCing at Yuk Yuks next week (Feb 4th). Lots of other spots at shows around Edmonton are keeping me busy. New ideas, new jokes, I feel like I'm really working at getting better every time I'm on stage right now, instead of just going through the motions, and that's exactly where I need to be.

I guess that's it for now. I'm going to go work on some material, and play a little xbox. Wherever you are, I hope life is good, and you have a killer weekend.

Thanks as always for reading.

Adam ______

Sunday Ramblings 1/8/17

It's about 4 pm on Sunday, January 8th. It's about 30 below outside, and I'm camping out on my couch with my dog. So far today, we've churned out a podcast, (painfully) listened back to the week's sets, worked on some new bits, and now we're blogging out a blog. All while doing laundry. Not to blow my own horn, but damn.

It's been a fun week. Anyone that listened (or is going to listen to my podcast, which you can find HERE) knows that is was my first week back at the grind after a couple weeks off for Christmas. I got to do a couple shows at the Comic Strip in West Ed, tried out a bunch of new material (mostly successfully) at Underdog, and got to do my first show in Morinville, which was an adventure in itself. But it's good to be back at it.

Click here to see a clip from my set at the Comic Strip on Tuesday.

I'm as focused as I've been in months, the new stuff is coming along great, and I've hit the ground running on my goal of reaching 60 minutes of material (that I'm happy with) by the end of 2017. I have a long way to go, and a lot of polishing to do, but it's a really satisfying feeling to see that I'm making progress.

I have less than 2 weeks to go until my 1 year anniversary (Jan 21), and I plan to write a specific blog about that when the time comes. As I've said a million times over the last 50 weeks, this has probably been the best year of my life. I just wake up in the morning full of positivity, it's like an energy I can't explain. I'm just ready to go and see what's going to happen today. There's no stress, nothing to be upset about. This is how life is meant to be lived.

I have a bunch of out of town shows coming up that'll see me traveling to Kelowna, Penticton, Cranbrook, Bashaw (I don't know where that is), Lethbridge, and the one I'm most excited about, Cold Lake. I lived there for about 10 years, and I can't wait to go home, see some old friends, and tell some jokes. I know it isn't New York or England, but it still seems pretty surreal to me that someone would pay me to go somewhere and make fun of myself.

Shay and I are taking off to Vegas for a few days, too. We've never been, and I'm looking forward to getting away from the Edmonton January weather and playing some poker. We've reached an agreement that a January vacation should become a household tradition moving forward.

The podcast is coming along, I'm getting better at sticking to a strict schedule. I still have intentions of upgrading my equipment in the next few months, the only thing slowing me down right now is doing my homework on what I want to get, and I plan to have it all up and running by spring. I want to start shooting video of my recordings as well, to get them up on Youtube. I don't know if the podcast will ever be anything other than a hobby for me, but I'm excited about it nevertheless.

And finally, some of you that know me know that for years, I've had an idea for/have been casually working on an animated show. That's *very* slowly coming along. Much like the podcast, I have no idea what I'm doing, it's just something I've always thought would be a fun project. The concept has changed several times, but it's been a cool side thing to work on when I have time. I like doing it solo and not having any deadlines, there's no pressure and I can do it when I want to. Growing up a huge Simpsons fan, I'm really enjoying my attempt to create something like that of my own.

I guess that's it for now. Thanks as always for reading and supporting me. I can't wait to see where 2017 takes us.

Adam

Working on new material 12/29/16

Working on new material, writing jokes, trying them on stage, listening back to the recordings, it can fucking suck. But it's one of the aspects of comedy I've come to enjoy and respect the most.

At the beginning, it's not so bad. If only because you don't have a choice. You don't know what works, so you just write anything you can think of, and hope it sticks when you go on stage and throw it against the wall. Eventually (hopefully sooner than later!), something does. And now you have the premise for your first "bit". The goal then is to keep telling it, but a little differently each time, and shape it into something to be proud of. A polished bit that you can take up there and be confident that more often than not, it'll get a laugh.

I gained a TREMENDOUS amount of confidence once I came up with a bit that consistently got a positive reaction (my lazy eye stuff). I worked on (and still polish it now), that bit for months; adding a line here, taking something out. Listening back to recordings of it to see what got a laugh, what didn't. Maybe I approach it too seriously, but I time how long I go between laughs, and if it's more than 20 seconds, I work to come up with a way to either shorten what I'm saying, or find a way to make it funnier. One of the things I enjoy least when I watch a comedian is when there is just too much fluff between jokes. A punchline that misses the mark is excusable (especially when working on new stuff), but when it's just rambling for 30, 40, 50+ seconds, I have a tendency to tune out. By the time you get to the punchline, I've forgotten where you were going.

In my eyes, stand up comedy is an art. As a joke writer, we're artists. I love the freedom that comes with creating art. When you write a joke, you can write anything you want. One of the things I like thinking about is that every single killer bit that hasn't been written or told yet is just sitting out there in space, waiting for someone to come along, write it down, and make it their own. When I sit down to work on new material, I don't go into it with the mentality of, "if I don't come up with a new closer today, it was a waste of time". I just start letting the pen move, scribbling anything I can think of about a particular topic. I try not to get frustrated if nothing good comes of it. It's the thrill of the hunt. It's like fishing. You aren't going to catch a fish every single time you cast your line, (or rod, or whatever the term is. I don't know, I don't fish.) But you keep doing it, because you know eventually you'll get one. The thrill of the hunt.

I totally understand how comedians develop some jokes that work, and then just keep telling them. It's just easier to go up there and use the stuff you know is safe. I've been working on forcing myself to get out of that comfort zone. If I have a 5 minute spot, I use 60-90 seconds to tell an abbreviated version of a joke I know works, and then I try to experiment with the rest of my time. Either trying a new approach to an old joke, or a new premise altogether. Once I get bored of something, I struggle to keep any interest in it. Doing the same thing every night is boring. I want to hit a point where no matter how much time I'm expected to do that night, I have enough material that I can plug and play with my set list. Keep it fresh and exciting.

I don't have a lot of shows over the holiday season. Some open mic are shut down until January, and I just want to take a little time to hang out with family and friends, and focus on my writing. I can't wait to hit the stage in the new year with some new stuff. I told someone the other day; "I write for an hour, to come up with 5 minutes to take on stage, to find out 20 seconds of that 5 minutes of material is any good."

Louis CK once told a story about how he had a really strong closing joke. So when he would do an hour, he would coast on stuff that was OK at best for 15 minutes toward the end of his set, because he knew he had a bit that was so strong, he could end with it, and nobody would remember that the previous 15 minutes weren't that good. It wasn't making him a better comedian. So, he moved that really good joke to the FRONT of his set. He would start his hour with it, and it forced him to not only beef up that 15 minutes, but write an even better joke to close with. When he did it, he would move THAT joke to the front of his set. It constantly forced him to write more, and get better. That's the stuff that I find fascinating about the art of writing jokes.

I'm trying to employ that method of writing myself. Jokes I told in March, I look back on now, and think they're terrible. I'll never tell them again. If all goes to plan, I'll hit a point where I feel that way about every joke I have in my arsenal right now, too.

Force yourself to get better, and enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

Adam

Sunday Rambling 11/20/16

Random Sunday night thoughts;

I've hated Sundays for most of my life. It feels like the countdown to the start of the new school/work week. I always found that after about 3 PM I couldn't enjoy the rest of the day, because I knew I had to go back to the grind in the morning. Since I started changing up how I live my life, I've found that feeling slowly starting to go away. I spent 33 years letting my brain program itself like that, it's going to take a while to reset.

I turned 33 on Thursday. I kind of wanted to go to a couple comedy shows and see if I could land a spot, as I wasn't booked anywhere, but my girlfriend convinced me to stay home. We had some friends over, ate a bunch of food, and just played video games and hung out. It turned out to be a really good time. As you get older, the amount of time you have to spend with people gets smaller. Be selective about who gets your time, but make time for the people that don't suck.

I thought 30 kind of sounded old, but 33 doesn't seem like a big deal. I don't think the numbers will really sink in until 40 now. All things considered, I think I'm pretty happy with what I've accomplished since 1983. I'm not a Ghostbuster like I originally planned, but things could be a lot worse. I have a great girlfriend, a house, good friends, and a supportive family. I could count my real problems on one hand. Life is good :)

Things are going way too well for me in Fantasy Football this year. I'm in 1st in both of my leagues, and right in the hunt of my two pick 'em pools. I expect the boom to drop any day now....

I don't spend much time watching sports anymore. I still catch Sportscentre almost every morning (NOT Sportsnet Central, seriously, how much does Sportsbet suck?), but I stay too busy to have any time to sit down and watch a full game these days. Luckily, Carey Price makes it so you don't have to watch the Habs games anymore. I'm embarrassed to admit  I was pissed when the Habs traded Halak for Eller instead of Price....

I published episode 5 of the Comedy Odyssey today. Listenership has been up and down, I'm still really trying to find my way with podcasting. I really enjoy recording them. Editing them kind of sucks. The feedback, good and bad, from those of you that listen has been very much appreciated. I don't plan on quitting anytime soon. It's really a different experience learning how to do something in front of people instead of in the privacy of a classroom or your house. I think, like stand up, it motivates you to work harder at it, so people can see you're improving. Or at least trying to, anyways.

Signed my first "contract" (?) for stand up tonight. It's just for a one off spot at a show in December, but I still thought it was pretty sweet. Every month it seems one or two cool things happen to me in the comedy world. Not knowing what's next keeps you moving forward when things go wrong. 

I've had a couple rough nights in the last month. Nothing crazy, but I've lost my focus on comedy, and had a couple moments where I caught myself asking, "why am I doing this?" I take it really seriously, and sometimes I think I let myself forget that it's supposed to be fun. I need to remember to just take a step back and look at it as an adventure. Not knowing what's around the corner is what makes it so fun. When I hit a point where it isn't fun anymore, I'll quit.

If you've ever sent me a nice message, come out to one of our comedy shows, listened to my podcast, or read this blog, thanks for supporting me. I don't know if or when this ride will end, but I'm glad you want to take it with me. I hope we end up somewhere nice.

Adam

Don't let anyone tell you what to do 11/9/16

I posted this on Facebook a few months ago. I think it still hits home:

"One of the guys I work with, probably the dude I like the most there, had his first child this week. Wednesday, his wife went into labour. And he was still working. I told him to get the hell out of there and get to the hospital, and he said we were too busy, and he'd go when he could. That's exactly what's wrong with society today.

Everyone has their own priorities. And if someone disagrees with yours, to hell with them. I think you probably spend the first 25 years of your life laying the foundation of that list, and then you tweak it as life goes on. I know for a fact that my buddie's family was a much higher priority to him than his work, but he felt obligated to stay. That's not being honest to yourself. Do what you want, what makes you happy. 

A few years ago, I wasn't doing that well. Shay and I had just bought our house, we had some money. Health. No worries. But I didn't feel right. Like I was just going through the motions, wasting time. I made a very conscious decision to start eliminating things/people that I weren't making me happy, and to start cramming as much positivity into my life as possible every day. I quit a very good paying sales job to go do something that I thought would be more fun (and it was), and I started phasing some people out of my life. I just decided I didn't want to be around them anymore. If anyone ever feels that way about me, I would hope they'd do the same. And it worked. I feel much better about life these days. I'm very happy.

I read something around that time that said "there is endless power in giving zero fucks." It's not the classiest sentiment ever, but it's spot on. I used to want everyone to like me. Now, there's a very small group of friends and family whose opinions matter to me very much, and if you're not in that circle, I don't really give a damn what you think. If I'm not hurting you, just let me do what I want. 

My current job demands a lot of hours from me, I work 55 or so in a 5 day a week, plus some weekends. I don't like it, but as of now, I've accepted the trade off, they get my time, and I'm happy with the money they give me for it. But if that job ever tries to overtake something that I feel is a higher priority (and there are a lot of them), then they'll quickly find out I won't be there anymore. It's a humble brag, but anyone that has worked with me would be quick to say that I'm a pretty hard worker (I think, anyways), and I do my best to help the team and pull my weight. But I've also switched jobs 4 times in about 12 years. Once because I felt they were trying to become to work their way to the top of my priority ladder, once because I just wasn't happy anymore, and once mostly for financial reasons. And even though the job I have now is very secure and well paying, I have no hesitation to quit, and no worry of getting fired, if it ever isn't a fit anymore. Because I just don't enjoy working. I like things that I find fun. And I wasn't out here just to let someone else tell me what to do all my life.

The moral of this ridiculously long post is that your life is a dictatorship. You call the shots. The only people that can get into your board of directors are your family, and your close friends. And that's only if you deem them worthy of a chair at the table. If someone doesn't like how you're running your business, then don't do business with them anymore. You have 24 hours a day to spend on anything you want. Don't let anyone spend even one minute of them for you."

As you probably know, I did end up walking out of that job at the beginning of October. I wasn't happy there, and my girlfriend and I decided the money wasn't worth it anymore. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but the universe picked me up and led me to something better. I don't make the money I used to make, and I was 10 weeks away from a $4000 bonus, but I don't care. I will never, ever, do something just a paycheque again. If I don't want to do something/be somewhere, I won't do it/be there. Taking control of your life is the single most empowering feeling in the world.

I don't know what the meaning of life is. To be honest, most the time I really don't think there is a point. In the grand scheme of the universe, we're pretty insignificant. And that's fine with me. I'm going to just stand over here and do whatever the fuck I want for the rest of my days. Watch what you want to watch. Listen to the music you like. Eat whatever you want to eat. Do what you want. If you're miserable, but you're letting someone else make you feel that way, well, that's your problem.

-Adam

Looking back on October 10/31/16

It's been almost a month since I quit my job. As has been well documented on here, I really struggled with it at first. I'm starting to adjust to a new lifestyle, though. October was fantastic for comedy, being able to dive in head first and not worry about getting up at 4am every morning made it a lot easier to just relax and enjoy the ride. And it's been a sweet ride :)

Earlier in the month, I got to be a guest on Nick McQuik's podcast, "The Quik and Slow Comedy Show." I listen to it pretty regularly, and McQuik is a good dude, so I was pretty excited to get the chance to record it. I think we spent more time talking superheroes than we did comedy, but it was a lot of fun. Did you guys know Nightwing hit his dead and that's what killed him? Or something like that, anyways. DC sucks.

Speaking of podcasts, I finally got mine on the internets. You can listen to my annoying voice any time now! "The Comedy Odyssey" launched on October 8th, on iTunes and at comedyodyssey.podbean.com . It's been a real learning experience, not only learning how to record, edit, and upload a podcast, but how to interview someone as well. The show is pretty rough around the edges right now, but the feedback from friends and family has been fantastic. So thank you very, very much to everyone that has downloaded/listened to it. I promise to try and keep improving the quality of it, and I have a few guests upcoming that I'm really excited to talk to. 

My girlfriend's folks came out this way for Thanksgiving, and I got a chance to tell jokes in front of them on one of my favourite stages, Chicago Joes here in the north end. We had a great time, they're really good people, and they've been nothing but supportive of me since I first got into comedy. I made sure to tell every single joke I had about their daughter :) 

I got an opportunity to host the weekly "Battle to the Funny Bone" show at The Comic Strip in West Ed. The regular host, Ryan Short, was out of town, and he threw me a bone. The crowd that came out that night was outstanding, the battling comics killed, and Ken Hicks was the special guest helping me out. If you've never had a chance to check Ken out, you don't know what you're missing. Just one of those dudes you can't help but like. So big thanks to Ryan and the Strip for taking the chance on me. I really enjoy hosting, and it's something I hope to get more opportunities to do in the near future. Maybe I'll have to try and start my own room.......?

I spent some time on the road this month as well. I got to open for Lars Callieou in Fairview. We met some fantastic people out there. I'll be heading back up there in December with Mike Dambra, it should be a really good time. The next night, Lars and I got to do a show in Spruce Grove for their Chamber of Commerce Awards Gala. Big thank you to Lars and Norm Shaw for the opportunity, the crowd was incredible, and the room was great.

Norm, me, and Lars in Spruce Grove. I couldn't figure out how to tie my tie.

Then for the last week of October, I headed out to Thunder Bay with Lars and Ryan to kick off the opening weekend of a new club. We stopped over in Winnipeg on the way out, checked out the historic Rumour's Comedy Club, and got to do a spot at Ben Walker's open mic as well. It was a pleasure meeting some great Winnipeg comics, and a really fun show.

We checked out the Jets/Stars game Thursday night, and gave Ryan a crash course in hockey. I'm so glad that team's back. The atmosphere in the MTS Centre is crazy! I just need to check out games in Ottawa and Montreal (save the best for last!), and I'll have seen a game in every city in Canada. I don't have as much time to watch as I used to, but I love hockey. What the hell is up with the Oilers, too???

We picked up a Winnipeg comic, Carole Cunningham, and headed out to Thunder Bay Friday morning to kick off the first weekend of the Cricket's Comedy Club. We went on to put on 4 wicked awesome shows in 2 days. The club set up was rad, the crowds were RED hot, and we had some great chemistry on stage. The staff was great, and I can't thank Chris Mulawyshyn enough for having us. I really hope to get back out to your club again. We couldn't stop talking about how much we had on the shows. If you're in Thunder Bay, check it out!

Lars Callieou took me along to do a guest spot on all those shows. In just 9 months of doing comedy, I've been to BC for the Okanagan Comedy Festival, done shows in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and now Ontario. All because Lars gave me a chance to come along, work with him, and pick his brain. There are 50 other comedians in this city that could have gone instead, but I got the chance. I'm very humbled, and grateful to Lars for giving me an opportunity to start living a dream, and see what life is like as a pro comic. Some people might think this is me kissing ass, but anyone that really knows who I am know that that's not what I'm about. And frankly, I don't care what anyone thinks. I'm just a very appreciative person, who understands that nobody owes anyone anything in life. I'm proud to call Lars a colleague, and more importantly, a friend. I had more fun on that trip than I've had in a long time. Thanks guys.

Finally, on a note outside of comedy, a couple weeks after I left my job at the box factory, I got a call from Jack and Ken Cookson, asking if I would be interested in going back to work for their company, Pro Am Sports. They deal in sports memorabilia, and if you're into the hobby at all, you probably already know them. If not, you're missing out in the worst way. I don't just say that as an employee, and a friend, but as a collector myself. Their stuff is authentic, and top notch. 

It's the best job I've ever had, and they're willing to work around my stand up comedy. It's a dream scenario for me; hang out with friends and talk sports by day, and hang out with friends and tell jokes by night. Please, do me a favour and check us out, or pop by and say hi. Christmas is coming up!!! 

Pro Am Sports!!

So that was my October. I took a massive chance when I left my old job, but I was miserable there, and I knew something had to change. I stayed positive, and now I'm in a spot where there isn't one part of my life I don't enjoy. Waking up excited every morning is a surreal feeling. When someone would ask how my day was going at my old job, my favourite response was "living the dream". It's still my go to answer, but now I actually mean it :)

Thanks for reading.

-Adam

Positive Thinking 10/13/16

*This is a big ramble of a blog, but I'm in a good mood, and feel like rambling. So I'm gonna ramble*

I don't like negative people.

Those people that just spend all their time complaining or getting angry. Everyone has their days, but when it's 24/7, it gets old fast. I was turning into that guy at my old job, I hated it there, was always losing my temper. So I made the decision to walk away last week. Best decision I've made in a long time.

I try to make a conscious effort to be happy and positive. I spend as much time as possible around people and things that make me happy. If there's someone/something I don't like, then I minimize the time I spend around it. More people need to make a conscious effort to surround themselves with positivity. If you focus on something positive, it'll spread into all aspects of your life, including your mind. And once you start thinking positively, positive things start to find you.

I've had my fair share of bombing lately. Working on new material can be tough, you never know how the crowd is going to react, and it can be harder to have that confidence that I think you need to have on stage when you aren't sure if a joke is going to work. I was starting to get into a negative mind set, and that reflected in my work. Head down, less enthusiasm. Thankfully, a couple friends/fellow comics pointed it out to me. I knew I had some negative thoughts about the material in my head, but I didn't realize how quickly it had spread. My body language, my delivery, was all negative. How am I supposed to convince someone that something is funny, if I don't believe it myself? So last night I did a show, worked on the same new material, but went into it with a positive mind set. And the stuff worked. It's all about positive thinking. Law of attraction.

I've been a little down on myself since I quit my job. I know it was the right thing to do; that place was the most toxic part of my life. I've just had a hard time convincing myself that it's ok to do something different. But diving headfirst into comedy has started to shift my mindset. I felt like a loser with no job, chasing a fantasy. So I took a step back, and worked hard to convince myself that I'm not a loser, I'm a dreamer. Why can't I make this my job? I just have to work hard. Nothing is impossible, you just have to be willing to work. So everyday, I tried to convince myself that I'm not wasting my time, I'm just not letting anyone else tell me how to use it. Surround myself with positive energy, and things/people that make me happy. If you do that, the rest will find you. I got a call yesterday from an old job, that I really enjoyed, and we came to an agreement for me to return there on a part time basis. It's perfect, I can help do my part for my family and bring in some money, but do it doing something I enjoy doing. And not only do I enjoy doing the job, but it's a job that gives me free reign to chase this comedy dream full time as well.

Some might say that it's all just a coincidence, but I don't think it is. I decided in my mind that this is what I wanted, and I got it. A month ago, I was exhausted, and spent 50+ hours a week at a job I hated. Now I have a job I love, that gives me time to work on something that I love. There isn't one aspect of my life I don't like right now, and it all boils down to having a good attitude, and thinking positive.

If you're unhappy, think about what makes you unhappy. Is there a way to fix it? Then do it. If there isn't, start taking steps toward removing it from your life. Everyone wants to be happy. The only way to really get there is to surround yourself with things that make you feel good. Set yourself up to think positively every day. Good things, and more importantly, good people, will find you.
I really believe that.

I quit my job 10/6/16

Monday was my last day of work at the box factory.

I hadn't been happy there for some time. The early morning and long days weren't jiving with my new found night life, and I finally decided it was time to move on. For the first time since I was about 14, I don't have a regular job.

My plan was to start job hunting right away, but my girlfriend convinced me to take the month of October off, and just hit the reset button. I've been very fortunate to have a good friend that has hooked me up with a few paid gigs, and I'm going to take the month to just focus on my comedy, and try to figure out where to go next. It's everything I've dreamed of doing for months, and now that I have it, I've spent part of each day struggling with it.

I've never not had a job. I feel weird not having one. I have phases where I feel like a loser. Like Im just mooching off my girlfriend. Since I left my day job, I haven't turned on a video game, and I think I've watched 20 minutes of tv this week. I've spent my days getting odd jobs finished around the house, or working on my comedy. Writing, rehearsing, doing shows, and I've started learning the business side of the industry as well. But I can't shake the feeling that I should have a job, no matter how much I hated it. Like I'm letting the world down by not getting up every morning and going to work. We aren't struggling to pay the bills, we're not in any trouble at all. I have the blessing of my girlfriend to take this time and really focus on my future, figure out what will make me happy. But it's harder than I thought it would be.

I feel like Brooks in Shawshank Redemption, when he talks about life outside of prison. He's so used to life inside, that everything on the outside scares him. I'm not just going through the motions for the first time, and even if it's only temporary, it's terrifying.

Trying stand up comedy was one of the best decisions of my life. More than anything, I just want to get good at it, and do it for a living someday. I'm struggling with that lifestyle after 3 days. Writing jokes, getting on stage, performing, all the work? I love it. The freedom that comes with it? It isn't sitting right so far. I really hope I can convince myself to just embrace it and take the next step. I've been handed an opportunity most aspiring comedians would kill for; I don't have to worry about money, and I have all day to just focus on improving as a comedian. My girlfriend is supporting me, and I have people in the industry doing everything in their power to help me as much as possible. And all I can think about is how I should be at work. I suck.

Everybody Bombs 9/24/16

*This Wednesday, September 28th, I'm performing in the Finals of the "Jokers in Training" competition at the Yellowhead Casino. The best set of the night is worth $500 US, and a trip to Los Angeles to do a set at the famous Comedy Store. The lineup of finalists is full of incredible comedians,  and they'll all be brining their A game to try and win this thing. This is easily the biggest show of my comedy "career" so far. If you're interested in checking it out, tickets are free, and can be found here:*

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/jokers-in-training-competition-finals-tickets-27779663722#tickets

Thanks to everyone that came out and supported us in the prelims, very much appreciated!

Every comedian bombs.

"Bombing" in comedy, if you didn't know, is the act of going on stage to try and tell jokes, and not having anyone laugh at them. You stand up there, rambling, and there's just silence. Sometimes you can see the people staring back at you, sometimes the spotlights are so bright you can't see if there's even anyone out there to bomb in front of. I prefer the second scenario, because I can try to convince myself that I'm not bombing, it's just that nobody came to the show.

We've all done it. Some more than others. I've had my fair share of bombs already. Sometimes the audience just isn't feeling that show, and you see 6 or 7 comedians in a row go up and tell jokes to complete silence. Personally, I almost find that makes it easier to deal with, because I can tell myself I wasn't just the weak link in the chain that night. That's always been my biggest concern with bombing. The actually bombing itself doesn't bother me too much. It isn't fun, and I always want to do well, but I know it's part of the gig. And I mean absolutely no disrespect to the audience when I say this, but I don't really lose a ton of sleep worrying about what thought of me. I'm going to do my absolute best to make you laugh, and if I miss the mark, I apologize. But nobody can please everyone, and I don't think you can beat yourself up over it. I just use bombing as a learning experience, "this worked, this didn't", and I try to get better. Hopefully the next time you see me, I can connect with you better.

My biggest concern with bombing was, and still is, letting down the booker/promoter of the show. And the other comics. Being a big sports fan, I can't help but look at our shows like a game, and the comedians are a team.  I want to help the team win. When it's my turn to go on stage, I want to do well, not just because it's an awesome feeling, but because I feel like I owe it to the other comedians to do my part for the show. When I bomb, and I go back to face the rest of the comics, I can't help but feel like they're looking at me the way a hockey team looks at a guy that scores on his own net, or a goalie that gives up a brutal goal (and trust me, I know that look). It doesn't get to me as bad as it used, but I still worry I won't get invited back to the next show. Like they look at me like a liability.

I know now that we all bomb. Almost every show I'm on, someone does. And it's no big deal. We don't hate him/her. Just climb back on the horse and try again tomorrow. I've slowly forced myself to learn that if I bomb on a show, it doesn't mean I won't be allowed back. If anything, I use it as motivation. If I stink on a show, and the person promoting it gives me another shot, I'm going to work extra hard to make sure that doesn't happen again. I don't want to let the team down.

I think part of the reason some comedians are so hesitant to write and try new material is because with new stuff comes a greater risk of striking out. There's really no way to know if something is funny until you go up there a few times and try it. Once you get some stuff you know works, it can be so easy to just relax and count on those jokes. There's minimal risk of bombing, and if you do, you can tell yourself it was just an off night, that material usually kills. I understand now why veteran comics say you have to bomb to get good. You learn 100x more from losing than you do from winning. The key is to use the experience to get better, and not to just convince yourself you did fine, it was just a bad crowd. I have the mentality now that no matter how bad the audience was, there was something I could have done to make it work. I listen back to the recordings, as painful as it can be, and try to figure out what I did wrong.

One night at the Druid, I bombed harder than I ever had up to that point. It still might be the worst set I've ever had, just awful. Earlier on the show, the MC, Lars, told a story about how one night, he told the audience his friend was coming to do a set. Lars wanted everyone to just be completely silent for the guy's set; don't laugh, don't heckle, don't take a drink, nothing. His buddy went up, did 5 minutes to absolute silence. And then after it was over, they let him in on the joke. So I finished my set that night, admitted I bombed, and shook Lars' hand. As I was walking off the stage, Lars says, "Hey Adam, remember that story I was telling about how I told the crowd not to make a sound during that guy's set?"

My eyes lit up. Maybe this wasn't my fault! He set me up! "You didn't....." I said.

"Nope, I didn't. You just bombed!"

At least I was responsible for the audience laughing once that night.

He apologized afterwards, and we had a laugh about it. It did't bother me at all. That night actually really helped me start to convince myself that the other comedians don't care that you bombed. Half of them probably weren't even listening. We've all done it, we'll all do it again. When you're learning how to walk, you don't just stand up and run around the block. You have to fall down a few times first. And you learn why you fell, and what you can do to not let it happen again.

If you're a new comedian, and you go out to a show, and you bomb, don't beat yourself up too hard. Nobody is mad at you. We've all been there. Just use the experience to learn. Record your set, and listen to it. And be honest with yourself. If you got 3 laughs in 5 minutes, you bombed. But make notes. Take those 3 laughs, and try to do that more, figure out what about those jokes worked. Don't get discouraged. Comedy is an intimidating thing to get into. The comics on your show that went up there and crushed, they were where you are right now. And they used those experiences to learn and get better. Be your own biggest critic.

Embrace bombing. Remember the nights you bombed when you go up there and crush. It makes them 100 times better.

"I failed over and over and over again in my life....and that's why I succeed."
-Michael Jordan

Thanks for the spot

Stage time isn't easy to come by. I don't know what it's like in other cities, but here in the 780 (that sounds cool, right?), there are more comics than there are spots. Most shows have waiting lists to get a spot on, and book a few comics in advance for each week. Most also offer "draw spots" the night of the show. This is literally a "pull a name out of a hat" method to fill the last couple spots on a show, and you spend many nights driving to shows, just to enter a draw and hope you get a spot. It's fine with me, and most of us, as it's a fair way to dish out stage time. And it doesn't have to be fair. People running shows put a lot of work into them, and they're 100% entitled to decide who gets to be on it. Leaving a couple spots open for anyone to have a shot at is very generous, IMO.

This would be one of my first pieces of advice for a comic that's newer to this than I am. ALWAYS, ALWAYS thank anyone that is willing to put you on stage. They've sunk a lot of work into their show, and would totally be within the rights to just let their friends be on it every week. If you're a new comic, nobody in this industry owes you a damned thing, especially stage time, and they're taking a big chance letting someone brand new get on stage in their room. They obviously want to put on as good of show as possible, and there's a better than average chance that a new comic isn't going to light the world on fire up there. I've never understood the mentality of any comic that complains about how long they have to wait between spots, or where they're scheduled on a list. Stage time is the single most valuable commodity out there for an up and coming comedian, and if you don't show any appreciation for a spot on a show, the powers that be will have no trouble finding someone else to put on that will. 

If you don't like the way people book their shows, start your own room. I assume you'll find out it's not nearly as easy as it looks.

That's really it. I was just eating lunch at work, and started thinking about this. We're very lucky in Edmonton to have as many great rooms as we do to perform in. Make sure you take a moment to thank the people responsible for them. And to any and all of you that have taken the gamble of giving me a spot on your show over the last 6 months, thank you very much. I do my absolute best not to waste them. 

Cheers!