Press release:
Asheville comedian and YouTuber Cory The Gardener celebrates the launch of the weekly open mic comedy throwdown, “Yam Fest.” The show will recur every Monday at Sly Grog Lounge and begins at 9PM.
“Every day is a blessing,” host Cory ‘The Gardener’ Thompson said. “But especially Mondays, since Theo over at Sly Grog Lounge told me I could bring all my comedian pals over to his bar to talk crap on stage and hog the video games. We sure do love Super Smash Brothers!”
CTG’s Yam Festival is set to pop off in the same week Thompson’s feature spot at Slice of Life Comedy’s Thursday show at the Orange Peel. He opens tonight, 8/31, for comedian Martha Kelly, also at Sly Grog.
“They’re going to have to pull me off the stage with one of those vaudeville hook things from the 1920s,” Thompson says. “But I’m getting good! Really! I’m way better than I used to be. I’m like a real comedian now and I don’t talk nearly as much about produce. I really do love a good tomato though.”
Thompson’s partnership with Sly Grog Lounge specifies that the shows will be “open-mic” comedy, but Thompson wants to reinvent what “open-mic” means.
“I want to push past the original open mic formula and create unique local showcases where a handful of veteran comedians each week can experiment with 20-minute performances,” Thompson says. “Open Mic comedy is important to me, but we need to give time to local headlines if we develop a talent pipeline for comedians in town.”
The weekly recurring event debuts at Sly Grog Lounge on Monday, September 3 at 9pm. Tickets are free and more information is available on Facebook.
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