Kenny DeForest and A Truckload O’ Comics is proud to present the talents of Drew Michael. Michael is officially one of the fastest budding stars in Chicago after a 2011 that was highlighted by opening for the infamous Doug Stanhope at The Mayne Stage Theater and his group’s, Comedians You Should Know, album debuting #1 on iTunes. His 2011 was then punctuated by the Chicago Reader naming Michael “Best Stand Up of 2011”
Michael uses his razor sharp wit to explore the complexities of our universe in a never ending mission to reveal truth. He uses that same wit to talk about pooping. Whatever he’s talking about, it’s provocative, thought out, well written, and above all, funny.
First, allow me to say I’m sorry for the long stretch with no updates on this site. The reason for this is that I had no idea where this month’s show would be. Primas and Truckload O’ Comics has mutually, and peacefully, decided to part ways. Our time at Primas has been wonderful and there is no animosity toward either party, but we knew the show would need to move eventually, and the time has come. I didn’t want to post anything on here until I knew more. Now I do! Saturday, January 28 will be our last show at Primas before moving the show downtown to Patton Alley Pub where we will launch February 25th! Let’s send Primas off the right way! Now enjoy this video and subsequent write up to get you ready for this month’s show and we’ll see you soon!
Kenny DeForest and A Truckload O’ Comics are proud to present the talents of Chicago legend Danny Kallas. Danny is co-founder of the comedy tour de force that is Comedians You Should Know and a hands-down local favorite. 2011 was a big year for Danny. Not only did Comedians You Should Know released their debut album, which premiered #1 on iTunes, but he also was invited to participate in the highly coveted Laughing Skull Comedy Festival in Atlanta, GA and equally impressive TBS Just For Laughs Festival in Chicago. Danny is a true, blue collar Chicagoan who embodies the essence of hard work and personality that make the Windy City great, and his stage character is as definable as it is entertaining. Don’t miss your chance to see one of the nation’s fastest rising stars in the intimate back room of Primas Mexican Grill in Chesterfield Village. Join us Saturday, January 28th, at 8 or 10 PM for some award winning Mexican food, killer margaritas, and the best stand up comedy in the #417. We promise you won’t regret it!
Hosted by: Kenny DeForest (Springfield Native, Jackass: The Existence)
Featuring:
Ramon Rivas II (Chucklefck.com, Opie & Anthony)
Sam Norton (KC Improv, World Series of Comedy)
With questions and reservations: Email truckloadocomics@gmail.com or tweet @KennyDeForest
Your Funniest Friends is a stand-up/sketch comedy group that consists of, you guessed it, 5 of my funniest friends. I really can’t express how excited I am to bring them to Primas. They are as diverse stylistically as they are funny and most importantly, they’re fun people. Here’s a little bit more about them for now and I will release an individual video for each performing throughout the next two weeks. BE SURE TO WATCH THE VIDEO AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST!
Joe Fernandez — A half-Cuban, half-Irish, (Or Cubish) comedian. Growing up in Texas, he had an affinity for the sport of baseball and dreamed of playing for the Houston Astros, but when his body didn’t grow up with his dreams he moved to performing comedy.
Joe has been performing since the age of 15 and has improvised with comedy groups at iO Chicago, the Annoyance, and the Playground theater.
While at Marquette University, he performed in numerous plays, including ‘Quid Pro Quo’, which went on to be performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. He also won the Chris Farley scholarship for using humor in a positive manner.
Joe has been performing stand-up consistently for a little over 4 years and was recently a Finalist for the Andy Kaufman Award, a member of the Chicago Just For Laughs Festival in 2011, as well as the Laughing Stock Festival and the Boston Comedy Fest. Armed with smart satirical jokes that often toe the line as well as bits that involve character work and audience participation, he always finds a way to make the audience have fun.
He is a regular on the Chicago comedy scene, having done shows at Zanies, the Improv, Lincoln Lodge,Comedians You Should Know Show, the Comedy Bar, SpeakEasy Comedy and Chicago Underground Comedy where he is also a member.
Lane Pieschel — Lane Pieschel began performing in 2006 in Gainesville, FL. Quick question: What do you call a 3 minute set that weirds people out and causes even the performer to leave the club early? Acceptable answers are a) Lane’s first performance and b) the birth of a dream… I guess c) Lane’s second performance would have also been cool. Since then he has been featured on the stand-up website RooftopComedy.com and taken the stage at the Aspen Comedy Festival. You may even recognize him from ABC’s super super duper popular talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! Lane has performed with the likes of Dan Cummins, Steve Hofstetter, and Finesse Mitchell. He’s currently working on a television script and a job application for Allstate. Be on the look out for Lane Pieschel!
Jeff Steinbrunner– An Ohio native who has made his way to Chicago to continue his career in comedy. Starting stand up at his alma mater, Ohio University, Jeff began at open stage to then founding the university’s first stand up club, OUSUCC. Performing regularly at open stage and monthly showcases he looked for more time in Columbus and Cincinnatti performing for audiences at the Funny Bone and Go Bananas respectively.
Now approaching his two year anniversary since becoming a resident of the Windy City, Jeff continues to exhibit his talents on famous Chicago stages, including: Speakeasy Comedy, Lakeshore Theater and Comedians You Should Know.
Guess what?! Because of your continued support, we’ve been able to book one of the fastest rising stars in the country! NIKKI GLASER IS COMING NOVEMBER 26th at 8 and 10PM! We can’t begin to explain how excited we are about this! Below is her bio and a clip from her performance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno! ENJOY!
Nikke Glaser
Last Comic Standing, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Nikke Glaser is a comedian. She became one after she text messaged “JOKE” to 7738 on her cellphone. She also became a hit at the office!
But if you must know more, Nikki started performing stand-up comedy when she was only 18 and still attending college at the University of Kansas. Two years later, she auditioned for the fourth season of Last Comic Standing and was advanced to the semi-finals in Los Angeles. Although the show only took three days to shoot, she lied to her professors and was subsequently excused from four weeks of class.
In 2009, Nikki made her first late night appearance as a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. There, she had fun and stole a beer from The Office’s Rainn Wilson’s dressing room, but not before calling him “Dwight” on live television when she sat down on the couch next to Leno’s desk. In addition, she was just named one of the Top 10 Emerging Comics by Askmen.com. Currently, Nikki is performing in clubs all over the country and attempting to write the biography for her website.
After graduating from college with a worthless degree in English, Nikki moved to Los Angeles and began touring clubs and colleges across the country. In the summer of 2007, she was invited to perform at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, Canada. There, she met and performed with her comedy idols, drank alcoholic beverages, and thus lost her phone upwards of three times.
Below, there is more info and clips for Nikki Glaser, Mike Lebovitz and Megan Gailey. This is the preview for feature Liza Treyger.
Bio: Liza Treyger was born in the former Soviet Union and came to America to pursue her dreams of performing comedy and being the best dressed woman in Skokie, Il. She enjoys glitter, Maker’s Mark Manhattans, stiletto heels, avocados. She can’t decide if her favorite thing to do is make out or boss people around. She would like to be friends with Britney Spears and marry a man that looks like Christopher Meloni, Aaron Eckhart, or John Malkovich with the personality of her father (but funny).
Kenny’s take: Liza’s bio is very telling. It really says everything you need to know about her. Liza is one of my favorite performers because, while you could describe her a lot of different ways, she’s anything but traditional. Many comics study comedy religiously and learn every trick and tool. They spend hours learning format and presentation. Liza is the opposite. In fact, she barely enjoys watching comedy. She just loves doing it, and doing it her way. This leads to one of the most unique stage characters you’ll see. She is %100 herself (although exaggerated) and, as a close friend of mine, herself is a very funny self to be. She’s sassy, a little mean, and very sharp. Watching her is like watching an overly opinionated valley girl who actually makes good points in spite of the fact you wish she was wrong so you can make fun of her. She’s a feminist who lets men carry things for her. Expect a brunette Legally Blonde with more attitude, a glass of whiskey, and a romper. As she says, “I put on a dress and eat hotdogs. Get over it”.
A Truckload O' Comics 