"Comedy Bang Bang!" Live Once Again Does Not Miss

For the third time in the past five years I was able to see "Comedy Bang! Bang!" live last night. This is my favorite podcast to listen to. It was one of the first ones I found when I dove into the world of podcasts, and it is the one I've stuck with for the longest time. I think it is hilarious. I love that it is pretty much all improvised. I have found new actors, improvisers and writers through this podcast that I adore. And Scott Aukerman is one of the best hosts to ever do it. So, when they announce a tour, and they come to Saint Louis, I'm going to do whatever I can to see it performed live.

I went back in 2022 the first time they came to Saint Louis. This was one of my first live outings during the pandemic. But I was determined to see the show live, and it did not disappoint. It was great to be out of the house back then, seeing a live show that made me laugh very hard. I saw the show again when they came back to Saint Louis two years ago. It was even better than the first time. They were looser and seemed to be having a bit more fun. They also have done the show so much that they are in a groove. Last night was no exception.

"Comedy Bang! Bang!" live is my favorite live podcast to watch. I know that it's going to make me laugh and put me in a good mood for the rest of the week. As the show started, Aukerman walked on stage, read the catchphrase submission and just fell right into his hosting duties. I like Aukerman's hosting so much. He is such a pro. He commands the stage and the audience. He did the catchphrase, we all cheered. He did the balcony report, we all cheered. He asked his question about any first timers in the crowd. We all laughed. And then he went right into the guestlist for the night and the show was officially underway.

His first guests were Hannah Pilkes, and tour mainstay, Paul F Tompkins. They were parents from some small town in Alabama. Putting these two out first was a perfect way to start the evening. I have never seen Pilkes live, and she was hilarious. She made me laugh harder than PFT I must say. She is very funny and very good at improv. What I liked most about her last night, she was game for any task that Aukerman or PFT gave her. They tried to mess with her, but she always had an answer. PFt is so reliable and so funny. He and Aukerman have a great rapport. The two of them have known each other forever, and it is so easy to see how much they like doing comedy with one another. And seeing PFT work with Pilkes was a fun new wrinkle for me. They did such a good job setting the table for the evening and they were on stage for a good long time. The first segment usually only goes about a half an hour. I believe Pilkes and PFT were on stage together for almost an hour. It was wonderful.

Then Mike Hanford came out playing a character he did over 10 years ago on the show, a hay salesman who is allergic to hay. But what makes this show so great is that they barely touched on that fact. Hanford was my favorite part of the whole evening. He made me laugh harder and longer than anyone else who took the stage last night, The bits he was able to come up with on the spot were uproarious. The whole thing with the wizard harassing him hurt my stomach because I was laughing so hard. I was first made aware of Hanford when IFC had "The Birthday Boys". I have been a fan ever since, and to see him do "CBB" last night was a bucket list thing I didn't even know I had. He was so good, so funny and his performance makes me want to see The Sloppy Boys perform live now.

The final guest for the night was Connor Ratliff. He was on the bill last time playing a Saint Louis specific character. He did that last night too, but he was a different character, obviously. He was Saint Louis, the namesake for this city. He did a French accent the whole time and based his character around what he has done since he has been in heaven. And like most Ratliff stuff, he talked a lot about movies. He and Aukerman had a running bit last night where they mentioned Martin Scorcese movies, but never the super popular ones. That made me laugh pretty hard. Ratliff also walked on stage with a small Imo's pizza and some Fitz's sodas, giving the crowd some local references. Ratliff has become a mainstay in Scott Aukerman's podcast world and that is a good thing.

The best part about the night, and my wife pointed this out after the show, was when all the performers were interacting with each other. They had their alone time, but when they all got involved on a bit, that was when the show would sing. It was the perfect amalgamation of all of their talents.

"Comedy Bang! Bang!" is an awesome and wonderful podcast. It makes me so happy that it is still so popular and big enough to tour all over the world. Obviously I'm a fan, but if you haven't seen a live performance yet, change that. And when they come to Saint Louis for a fourth time, you better believe I will be in attendance once again. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Listens to " Dancing on the Wind"

A couple of weeks ago The Sloppy Boys, Mike Hanford, Tim Kalpakis and Jefferson Dutton, all from The Birthday Boys, and several written comedy shows, released their second album, "Dancing on the Wind". They did the podcast go round to promote the record, and played some live songs while appearing on the pods I listen to. I was a fan of their first album, and I figured, with a little extra work, and touring they did, the second record would be even better.

I was right. I adore this album. I can put it on at any time of day and it will bring a smile to my face, and I will happily sing along to the songs. I love how solid they all are as musicians, and the fact that they are good at comedy, it makes the lyrics to the song so much more enjoyable for me. None of these guys had to do much to win me over, I watched both seasons of Birthday Boys on IFC, and have followed their comedy careers since, and Mike Hanford as John Lennon is one of the best comedy bits that I hope never ends. But, on "Dancing on the Wind", they made me like them that much more.

The record starts out great with "Santa Ana Winds". It is a straight forward, some may say pop, some may say punk, song that is as funny as it is good. The music is solid, the lyrics are hilarious, especially when they talk about drying off a body part with a Dyson blade, and the song is a tight 2 minutes and 40 seconds. You get the feel right off the bat that The Sloppy Boys knew exactly what they wanted to do with this record, and "Santa Ana Winds" is a great jumping off point. The second song, "Lifeguard Life", is not only my son's favorite song, but he cracks up every time he hears it. It is about as perfect as a summer guitar surfer song can get. Mike Hanford nails the lyrics, and the instrumentation behind it is wonderful. From there on out, this record has some solid hits. One of my favorites, and my wife's for that matter, is "I'm Taken". We have both asked each other, on separate occasions, what Kalpakis' wife must think of this song. I think she loves it, my wife seems to think that she thinks it is hilarious. It is a great song either way. "Give it Up" is awesome. I like that they use distorted guitars, and the song has a build to the chorus that always gets me. When they finally reach it, I am fully on board. "Radio Dayze" is ridiculous and hilarious and perfect for someone my age. Hanford sings the song about all the "good" music he used to listen to on the radio, and he name checks people and bands like Master P, Avril Lavinge, Train, Limp Bizkit and Incubus, among many others. It is a riot. "East Coast Wedding" and "Smashing the Plates" have similar tones, and they are both about messing stuff up. They both rule as well. "The Bands" is a riot. I love "Slop Head", and have taken to calling myself one, and my wife called me one the other day when I put this album on in the car. But my favorite song on the whole record is "Classic New York Night". It might be their longest song to date, but it is awesome. It has that build up that I mentioned before, but it actually makes me want to visit New York City, something I never thought was possible. They make it sound so damn cool. And I now know that "no trains go to Staten Island", from my many listens to the song.

This whole album is really good, and totally worth a listen. If you know of these guys, or are familiar with their work, you will love this record. But, I played it for a buddy of mine who listens to punk rock, and who had no idea who these guys were, and he loved it. He told me that fact the other day. Go check out "Dancing on the Wind" by The Sloppy Boys. It is pure summer music, it is funny, it is fun, but above all else, it is really good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Much like Homer, Ty does not want to go to New York City due to the problems with pimps and C.H.U.D.S.

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Ty Watches the Final Season of "Love"

Ty Watches Season 1

Ty Watches Season 2

I just finished the last season of "Love", and I have to say, what a way to go out. This was a great, great TV show. Everyone involved, be it acting, writing, directing, producing, it was all so very well done. It also had a very pleasing, and proper ending. I'm going to try to limit the spoilers, but I do have to say, the ending, spot on. It was so enjoyable and perfect for what this show was supposed to be.

I've been on this show from day one. When I heard that Paul Rust and his wife had made a show, and Rust would be starring in it opposite Gillian Jacobs, who I adore, I was so on board. I've been a fan of Rust since I started listening to podcasts, mainly his appearances on "Comedy Bang! Bang!", and Jacobs won me over with her performance on "Community". I devoured the first 2 seasons of the show within days of them being released. I have written about my love for the first 2 seasons as well. The third season took me a little longer to finish, I now have 2 kids and longer days and shorter nights. It took me a little over a week to finish, but I was kind of glad I took my time. I'd watch an episode or 2, take a few days to really think about what I saw, then watch a few more. It was almost like the way we used to all watch TV, minus the commercials. It was nice to see the show that way. And the performances were just magical this final season.

Rust and Jacobs are the stars, and it shows. They command the screen every time they are on. There is a wonderful episode where both Gus and Mickey get sick, and it is a perfect microcosm of how a couple acts the first time they are sick around one another. The ending of that episode was spectacular as well. When they went back to Gus' hometown, another gem. It was great to see Mickey interact with Gus' family and the difference between Gus' family, and when Gus met Mickey's dad in season 2. They were both wonderful at all times.

The people around the main stars did just as well. There was an entire episode that they weren't even on. This was the time for the co stars to shine, and boy did they ever. Claudia O'Dougherty was tremendous in her expanded role. She did some things that weren't very nice to Randy, and she played that role so well. Mike Mitchell, who plays Randy, played the unlovable boyfriend/so to be ex boyfriend of O'Dougherty, and he nailed his role. He is so dumb and takes Bertie for granted, and in the long run, he loses her, as he should. Iris Apatow was a gem as Arya. She was so good as the young star of a crummy TV show who is going through some tough times. She is a very, very good actress. Even actors in smaller roles, who have appeared in earlier seasons, really shined through. Mike Hanford, another actor/comedian that I really like, was great in his kind of bigger role. He is one of Gus' buddies who help him with his movie, and also play in his band. Same for Neil Campbell. I believe he was only in one scene, but it was a great scene. Armein Weitzman was so good in his expanded role. We saw his ups and downs, him being high and him getting mad at Gus, butt hen forgiving him. It was great. Keri Kenney was great as Mickey's older friend who is helping her stay sober. The bowling alley scene with her, Jacobs, Rust and Horatio Sanz was really, really good. She is an awesome and underrated actress. Even the guest stars were great. Rich Fulcher as a former bad guy in movies was heartbreaking and hilarious. Ed Begley Jr as Gus' dad, hilarious. Bret Gelman, who was on previous seasons, was so good, even though his character had a big time downfall. Even someone like David Spade, in his one episode, did a wonderful job.

"Love" is/was a very, very good television show. It is one of the better comedies about young romance that I have ever seen. It is true, it was believable, it was funny, it was touching, it had everything. I'm going to miss the show, but it ended so perfectly, it won't leave a sour taste in my mouth. "Love" came and went like a blink of an eye, but man was it totally worth it. "Love" is great, and now you can binge all 34 episodes right now on Netflix if you want to watch it. I highly recommend you so.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was going to write about that one show his parents used to watch that is back on tv, but he has better things to do that swim in the nostalgia swamp of the baby boomers.

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