Signup at The Shakedown takes place when the business opens at 7pm. When I arrived, there was a couple waiting just outside the patio area of the business. I took a seat in the patio area and watched as additional peeps arrived. The Honor System was not something recognized here, but I suppose that was okay. The evening goes till the last talent has gone up, and Bellingham is not such a big metropolis that 20 or more comedians are vying for the signup sheet all at once in a feeding frenzy. Parking is on the street, and this late in the evening, it is free. There is also a parking lot across the street. The room is for comedy only, and there are no language restrictions. The place seats about 28 who can see the stage well. The business is a full bar, but they also serve a variety of Philly sandwiches, falafels, and fried sides: tater tots and French fries. I had their one Mediterranean salad option. Beers are $5 a pint. The stage is big, can easily fit a five-piece band, but the lighting is very specific. When a comedian stepped away, even only a foot or two, they went from being under the white light to blue and even darker the further they moved around. A red curtain is drawn before the show begins and serves as the backdrop. Talent gets five minutes, the light at four. The producer and host is Joel, who has been running this room for about a year. He started the show at 7:38pm. We had 17 people in the room, including the producer, the bartender, the doorman, and the guest emcee, Nicky. The cook in the kitchen was too far removed to enjoy the show. Joel welcomed everyone, then brought up the guest emcee, who did only three or four minutes herself before bringing up the first talent. I took the third spot, and went up accordingly, doing five minutes. This was about 7:50pm, and attendance had increased to 20. To keep the room festive, music plays talent on and off. It’s a bit of a walk to the stage, so that music helps a lot. At one point the producer went up, sixth I believe, and did a few. Overall, we ended up having 11 signups. Attendance did not waver. While some talent did leave after their set, other people came in and stayed for the show. By the time the last comic went up we still had 20 in the room. The evening ended about 8:45pm. Guys, this is a good room to do. Though I did not really talk to anyone there, other than introduce myself to Joel before the show began, when I was on stage, I felt the audience paying attention. I heard laughs. Admittedly, the applause started to wane as the evening went on, but not the laughs. Comedians were bestowed laughter if their material connected with the audience. In looking at the whole room, everyone was watching the stage, even the staff. There was genuine support. There are a number of mics in the northern hemisphere of Washington. You can definitely plan an excursion to this area and spend a few nights performing, including this room. Also, they have one of the best IPAs I can remember ever having.
Signup at The Shakedown takes place when the business opens at 7pm. When I arrived, there was a couple waiting just outside the patio area of the business. I took a seat in the patio area and watched as additional peeps arrived. The Honor System was not something recognized here, but I suppose that was okay. The evening goes till the last talent has gone up, and Bellingham is not such a big metropolis that 20 or more comedians are vying for the signup sheet all at once in a feeding frenzy.
ReplyDeleteParking is on the street, and this late in the evening, it is free. There is also a parking lot across the street. The room is for comedy only, and there are no language restrictions. The place seats about 28 who can see the stage well. The business is a full bar, but they also serve a variety of Philly sandwiches, falafels, and fried sides: tater tots and French fries. I had their one Mediterranean salad option. Beers are $5 a pint.
The stage is big, can easily fit a five-piece band, but the lighting is very specific. When a comedian stepped away, even only a foot or two, they went from being under the white light to blue and even darker the further they moved around. A red curtain is drawn before the show begins and serves as the backdrop. Talent gets five minutes, the light at four.
The producer and host is Joel, who has been running this room for about a year. He started the show at 7:38pm. We had 17 people in the room, including the producer, the bartender, the doorman, and the guest emcee, Nicky. The cook in the kitchen was too far removed to enjoy the show. Joel welcomed everyone, then brought up the guest emcee, who did only three or four minutes herself before bringing up the first talent. I took the third spot, and went up accordingly, doing five minutes. This was about 7:50pm, and attendance had increased to 20. To keep the room festive, music plays talent on and off. It’s a bit of a walk to the stage, so that music helps a lot.
At one point the producer went up, sixth I believe, and did a few. Overall, we ended up having 11 signups. Attendance did not waver. While some talent did leave after their set, other people came in and stayed for the show. By the time the last comic went up we still had 20 in the room. The evening ended about 8:45pm.
Guys, this is a good room to do. Though I did not really talk to anyone there, other than introduce myself to Joel before the show began, when I was on stage, I felt the audience paying attention. I heard laughs. Admittedly, the applause started to wane as the evening went on, but not the laughs. Comedians were bestowed laughter if their material connected with the audience. In looking at the whole room, everyone was watching the stage, even the staff. There was genuine support.
There are a number of mics in the northern hemisphere of Washington. You can definitely plan an excursion to this area and spend a few nights performing, including this room.
Also, they have one of the best IPAs I can remember ever having.