Barbara Gray - Comedy

One of the most intelligent, hard-working, funniest professional stand up comics working in Los Angeles, California. That's Barbara Gray. She's written the perfect Hollywood stand up comic joke. It's about surviving a break up and going out on a new date at a local restaurant. It also reveals a personality to the audience any casting director would love to see in film. I won't give her joke away...you'll have to find it yourself...just trust me. It's a funny story that combines genius, heart, soul, talent, character and comedic logic into one single ICBM of a joke. Any stand up comic who wants to make it in Los Angeles should study her career with admiration and wonder. I enjoy interviewing comedians. It's an honor to contribute to their success.

Barbara Gray started doing stand-up comedy in Los Angeles back in 2008, shortly after studying film at the University of Utah. “I was obsessed with comedy. I wanted to be in L.A. and do it. I threw myself into the scene doing improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade.” After performing stand-up at a local open mic, she was hooked. “I completely went headfirst into doing stand up and have been doing it every day since then.”

Gray has been performing for audiences throughout her life. “I had done a lot of theater growing up. I have an incessant need for attention. As I get older I realize how much attention I need to survive. I used to feel bad about it, but it is who I am.” Why does she do stand-up comedy? ”It just felt right the first time I did it. I was meant to do it. It is cheesy but making people laugh is incredible. It is a weird, physiological response that tickles your brain. I love getting this weird noise out of their body. It is amazing to be able to do that without touching them physically.”

The young, gorgeous comedian has already appeared on critically acclaimed shows like Viceland’s “Flophouse”, Hulu’s “Coming to the Stage”, Comedy Central’s “Deadliest Chef” and has been a writer for the hit show, “Billy on the Show.” Success has been sweet, but for Gray the real award is getting better at making people laugh.” I feel like I’m getting better. I’m pushing into the next phase. I’m willing to go up there and just see how it comes out. I can go up onstage and trust myself. I can talk about anything. I am getting good at comedy and that is its own reward.”

Sauce is a stand-up comedy show organized by Gray featuring cutting-edge comics performing in the back room of a real-life pizzeria, every Friday night at 8pm. “I really feel special to have that show with my friends.” One of her friends discovered the place and told Gray about the opportunity to host a show there. “They had not even been open a year yet.” DeSano’s Pizza, located at 4959 Santa Monica Boulevard, was a perfect venue for the group. ”The owner seemed interested in us bringing new business. The pizza is really great, I have it every week!”

Lady to Lady is a podcast featuring Tess Barker and Brandie Posey, two friends and comedians that have been performing longer than Gray. She describes the show as, “Pee-Wee Herman mixed with The View and David Lynch.” “The podcast has taken off,” she says. “We’ve been doing stuff with Comedy Central.” The three comedians bring on a guest, usually a woman but men have been on to, who are usually performers like musicians and other stand-up comics. “The live show is a parody of a talk show. We’ve even hired a real Oprah impersonator to take over the show,” Gray says.

While she has had fun with cannabis, Gray warns that self-control is the best policy. “I used to be a big stoner, but it turned on me at some point. I had to pull back a lot. It kind of gave me panic attacks. You have to be careful with it.” She’s glad that the medicinal plant is becoming legal in more states throughout the country, because she’s met people with genuine ailments who have benefitted from its use. “There are so many people who need it,” she says.

Her website: www.myjokesareuphere.com

The podcast: www.ladytoladycomedy.com

FunnyorDie: www.funnyordie/babsgray

Twitter: www.twitter.com/babsgray

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babs_gray/?hl=en

Rumble King TONIGHT at the Hip Kitty in Claremont - Music

        I've been fortunate enough to interview Rumble King several times over the years. I actually know Aaron Deily, the lead singer and piano player for the band, back from when we both used to hang out at Rose's Caffe Luna in Rancho Cucamonga.
        They are playing tonight at the Hip Kitty Jazz & Fondue Lounge in Claremont. Hell, yes.

         It is a freakin' miracle of God that you only have to pay $5 to see this band tonight. They've played everywhere, including the legendary Derby Club (now closed) in Los Angeles, and now the band is going to be performing right next door in Claremont...a town that has all the fun of L.A. without the hassle of trying to find a place to park.

        The Inland Empire has been finally receiving the attention it deserves for the region's contributions to the punk, swing, rock-a-billy and hip-hop scenes in California. If all the other bands out there are boring you to sleep, Rumble King is guaranteed to give you a good punch in the ears to wake you up.
        A previous interview with Rumble King that I wrote for Inland Empire Weekly can be found here.
        By the way, the article from Skinnie Entertainment Magazine re-printed below mentions One For the Road, a swank album in it's own right, but since then the band has released American Juke, another fine creation for any collection, which you can find right here.

...
Rumble King Rocks!

        When swing became a cliché in the 90’s the posers packed up and left while the real animals kept rumbling in the jungle. Swing today isn’t exactly hardcore, but it’s underground and the people doing it are doing it for real.

  Rumble King are the real deal and their latest masterpiece, One For the Road, is the third record in a series that only gets more refined as the band rocks on. But Rumble King is more than just a swing band…they are a final distillation of all that is good from what inspired them when they formed in 1996: blues, rockabilly, punk, and, of course, rock and roll.

  Lead singer, pianist and de facto voice of Rumble King Aaron Deily uses a term that needs using…live music scene. There was a time when you couldn’t download music, burn a cd, listen to an iPod or even pop a cassette tape in a stereo, when people had to go to where the music was, the bars, the clubs, that juke joints and the beer stained blues grottos, and that’s where Rumble King can really swing.
        The video of the band performing on their page at www.myspace.com/RumbleKing almost catches that spirit, with all of them dressed to the nines, hair slick and perfect, wailing with the sax, the piano, the guitar, the tenor, the bass and the drums in a crowded night scene that reminds you that swing is here forever and live is where it’s at.