Interview: Josh B. Mabe of Sprocket Hole/Speaker Box

Josh B. Mabe is the producer of Sprocket Hole/Speaker Box, a super eclectic bimonthly variety show that started out at the Hideout before relocating to Township. In advance of this Sunday's edition of the show (known as "The Wordy Show"), I talked to Josh about his comedy background and the development of the show.

Sprocket Hole/Speaker Box is Sunday, May 5 at 8pm at Township, and features 16mm films from Dana Hodgdon, Emily Hubley, and Alan Beattie, Music from Advance Base, and performances from local comedians Beau Golwitzer, Caitlin Bergh, Shannon Cason, and Halle Butler.

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A Letter to the C2E2 Organizers by Mark Colomb

​​Dear C2E2 Organizers,

Congratulations on another successful comic book convention in Chicago. My name is Craig Anders and I used to really enjoy attending your convention. The previous convention in town, Wizard World, was near the airport and it was difficult to attend in costume as people on the Blue Line train would often rob those of us dressed up as characters from popular culture. At many a Wizard World I saw a Dr. Who (usually Tom Baker's Doctor) bloodied and crying on the train while his companion (usually a zaftig Rose Tyler) cried out for help as the villains escaped with their wallet and swag bag. By moving the convention downtown you have saved many a life and given the large and varied fan community in Chicago a place to rally around.

That is why it is with great sadness that I am writing to let you know I will be unable to attend the show in the future. You see, I was denied entry into C2E2 this year. When asked why I was told that my costume was deemed "inappropriate" and that I should be "ashamed of myself" and that "why would a grown ass man think that any part of this was ok?" What about me was so inappropriate? I was dressed as a character of my own creation. I was dressed as Scrotie the Sexual Avenger. He is the star of a very popular web comic.


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Interview: Daniel Shar of Phat Beethoven

Phat Beethoven, whose dark, absurdist show at the Chicago SketchFest a few months ago was one of my favorites of the festival, is gearing up for a run at The Playground Theater. Catch their new show, Boy Geniuses, every Saturday at 10pm, starting tomorrow night, through May 25th alongside John O'Toole's one man show Split.

I talked to Daniel Shar, one of the members of Phat Beethoven, all about the group's background, as well as another show he's working on, Listin Up, a hybrid standup and improv show, which debuts at the Upstairs Gallery next Wednesday.

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Interview: Joe Avella (plus exclusive Delivery Dudes clip!)

Joe Avella is a Chicago-based filmmaker whose debut feature film, Master of Inventions​, was released last year, and plans to unveil the entire first season of his newest project, a webseries called Delivery Dudes, tomorrow (Saturday, April 20th). The show features a slew of local improv and sketch performers cast as hapless pizza delivery drivers and their petulant customers.

Check out an exclusive first look at an episode of Delivery Dudes starring Kill All Comedy's Joey Dundale, as well as an interview with Joe below!

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Double Feature: A Standup Comedy Film Festival

Double Feature is a new monthly show happening the final Wednesday of the month at The Den Theatre in Wicker Park. Each month, a handful of standups will split stage time with a series of short comedy films from Chicago-based filmmakers. The show is produced by a quartet of up-and-coming comics, Ian Abramson, Tim Barnes, Melody Kamali, and Marlena Rodriguez, whose shared interest in standup and filmmaking birthed this unique concept. 

In advance of next week's inaugural show, here's an exclusive clip of the four producers' recent man-on-the-street misadventures at The Bean, a tourist magnet in downtown Chicago. The first Double Feature is next Wednesday, April 24th at 9pm at the Den Theatre, tickets are $5 and can be preordered here.

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Pubic Shame by Caitlin Bergh

Caitlin Bergh remains one of my favorite contributors to The Steamroller, as well as one of my favorite comics in Chicago. She's remounting her one woman show, Chunks, at Powell's Bookstore every Saturday from April 20th (that's this weekend!) until May 11th, at 7:30pm. This June, the show will be a part of the second annual Chicago Women's Funny Festival and will be hitting the road as a part of Core Project Chicago. Caitlin sent over this story to run in advance of the new string of dates, with a brief explanation about the story's context as it fits into Chunks.

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Why is everyone freaking out about Jai Paul? by Alex Honnet

Over the last few days, certain parts of the internet have been very excited about the leak/release of a new album by the UK-based songwriter and producer Jai Paul. ​Of the many folks posting about it on my Facebook and Twitter feeds, perhaps the most excited was Alex Honnet, a local performer and one of the proprietors of the Upstairs Gallery.

I was unfamiliar with Paul before this sudden whirlwind of buzz surrounding the album's strange release, so I asked Alex to put together a piece explaining his relationship with Jai Paul and the unusual and still unfolding saga of his debut album's leak. Alex can be seen performing at iO with Bass Mountain, The Playground with The Grrr, or everywhere with Pizza Party.

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Interview: John Eisenrich

​Podcasting is a relatively new, but hugely expanding, platform for comedians, musicians, and everyday folks ​looking to share their unique viewpoint with the world. I talked to one such individual, John Eisenrich, a local comedian and writer who has recently gotten into the podcasting game.

John was kind enough to share not only his thoughts and opinions on what makes this scene special, but also gave The Steamroller the chance to premiere THREE new episodes of his show. As a primer, I've included the first three episodes, as well (don't worry, they're all bite-sized clips!). You can see more of John's work as a writer at The Late Live Show, Saturdays at Midnight at iO.

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