Ryan Mason on stage.
There's nothing like the communal experience of hilarity at a solid stand-up performance. But the comedy album still has its place. A Grammy is awarded for comedy albums every year. Maybe Milwaukee comics Tyler Menz and Ryan Mason will have a shot at one of those trophies after the release of the road-tested material they're recording on Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27, at Milwaukee Comedy's “My Brew Dads” event at the Underground Collaborative (161 W. Wisconsin Ave.).
The title is spoof on a dubious sitcom and the funnymen's hometown history of malted beverages—and both guys are fathers, too. One of them looked the part even before he sired a scion. "I became a dad for the first time last November," says Menz, the softer-spoken soul of the duo, "which was a surprise to most of the comedy scene. Many of them assumed I already had kids." That mistaken impression may have come from his previous work, though. "I used to teach third grade, and I talk a lot about my experiences as a teacher. Teaching lends itself well to comedy, though students tend to be less forgiving than audiences."
Mason, who says of himself and his act, "I am very loud," has actually been a daddy longer. Of the inspiration he derives from his two sons, ages two and four, he says, "I have certainly written a ton of material about my kids because they are the funniest and most interesting part of my life." As for the time he has to spend away from them for his work on stage and during daylight hours training UW-Milwaukee's Campus Ambassador tour guides, he emphasizes, "I make sure every minute away from them is meaningful and contributes to my progress as a comedian."
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Reflecting Menz and Mason's approaches to their art are their early experiences with comedy on LP and CD. For Mason, a selection from his parents' collection made a mighty initial impact: “Richard Pryor: Live in Concert is still, to me, the greatest of all time.” As for the Adam Sandler and Dennis Leary cassettes he later purchased with his own money, “I played them until my tape player broke.”
One of Menz's early exposures to audio-only comedy came from a thoughtful relative. “My aunt gave me my first comedy album, Ray Romano's Live at Carnegie Hall,” he says, encouraging his itch to entertain. Other favorite stand-up sets include Tig Notaro's Good One, Pete Holmes' Impregnated With Wonder and Steve Martin's Let's Get Small.
Menz worries that audiences only listening to comedy on albums may miss the “few physical bits that I'll be doing. One of my favorite things about Steve Martin's albums was that he always did those bits. When first listening, it was fun to try and figure out what he was doing while I was listening.”
Mason wants to make the most of his motor functions in his act as well—and make something physical out of his forthcoming digital-only album. “I am definitely a physical comic. I move around a lot and use all the tools available to me as a performer. I’m also an amateur falconer and I’ll have my falcon, Kevin, perched on my shoulder throughout the performance.” And as for wanting to make his digital musings corporeal, “I’m a vinyl nut, so I’m going to send out the album to some labels later.”
Apart from his comedy, Mason also entertains with his wife on their podcast about reality TV, “Welcome To Reality.” Both he and Menz can be followed on Instagram, while the latter also posts on Twitter to update and amuse his followers. Menz is harder to find on YouTube, but here's a slowly building, rewarding skit with a fellow comedian he picks up from a festival appearance with food that doesn't go quite appreciated as hoped...
Watch Mason at Memphis Comedy Festival a few years ago, before fatherhood became a mainstay of his act (and sans bird) but still getting in numerous somewhat-blue zingers:
Poppy Champlin and Sonya White at Potawatomi
On the last weekend of April, comedy lovers will face a dilemma. That Saturday, do you go to the second night of the My Brew Dads recording, Milwaukee Comedy's latest Blue Ribbon Comedy night at the Pabst Milwaukee Brewery & Taproom, or take in a couple of Dangerous Dames in a casino theater?
The last of those options would be the Dangerous Dames of Comedy tour at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino's Northern Lights Theater, starring Poppy Champlin and Sonya White for 7 and 9 p.m. shows on April 27. Much as it would please me to write about anyone whose parents named their daughter Poppy, White edges her out by a bit for my attention.
Here's a few representative minutes of the breadth of White's career:
