Review – JFL Northwest presents Maria Bamford at the Vogue Theatre

Maria Bamford performed on the opening night of JFL Northwest.

JFL Northwest kicked off last night, and this IV blogger was fortunate enough to catch Maria Bamford’s set at the Vogue. More on that in a bit.

In the meantime, tickets are still available for many of the shows. Among the headliners with shows between now and the festival’s Feb. 25 closing are Bill Burr (Feb 20), Hannah Gadsby (Feb 25), Patton Oswalt (Feb 22), and a live version of the podcast How Did This Get Made (Feb 20). Visit JFLnorthwest.com for a full lineup and tickets.

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Review – JFL Northwest presents Maria Bamford at the Vogue Theatre

Things to Do in Vancouver This Weekend

This is the first weekend of the Talking Stick Festival, the last weekend of the JFL Northwest Comedy Festival, there’s a film festival dedicated to mountains, and Snoop Dog graces the city with his presence.

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Things to Do in Vancouver This Weekend

JFL NorthWest, Vancouver Comedy Fest spotlight – Ivan Decker and local comedy

Vancouver comic Ivan Decker

Besides opening for Jim Gaffigan and Iliza at this year’s JFL NorthWest, Vancouver comic Ivan Decker will host two showcases of local talent.

This year’s JFL NorthWest is bringing a plethora of big-name comics from down south. Colin Quinn, Iliza Schlesinger, Jim Gaffigan, Trevor Noah, and Sarah Silverman are among the talented mirth-makers coming to Vancouver for the festival, which begins tonight, Feb. 16, and runs until Feb. 25.

But the festival also gives local comics a chance to shine. For example, in B-Sides with Chris Gordon (Feb. 21 at Biltmore at 9:30 p.m.), Calgary’s Gordon and top local headliners such as Graham Clark, Kyle Bottom and Efthimios Nasiopoulos will discuss a comedian’s creative process by featuring the rare and risky jokes they love to tell, then opening up to an audience Q&A.

The festival is also hosting a Best of the West series that features many of the best locally produced shows. Among them are Alicia Tobin’s Come Draw with Me, The Gentlemen Hecklers, Graham Clark’s Quiz Show, and more.

Meanwhile, one of the best-known names on the local scene, Ivan Decker, has been picked to open for both Iliza and Jim Gaffigan. Decker, whom Splitsider once named the Top Canadian Comedian Under 30 (he’s now 31), will also host the Just For Laughs Showcase at the Biltmore Cabaret on Feb. 21 (7 p.m. start, before the aforementioned B-Sides) and Yuk Yuk’s Vancouver Feb. 22 (8 p.m.). We talked to Decker about comedy festivals, scaring Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson, and his online dating profile.

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JFL NorthWest, Vancouver Comedy Fest spotlight – Ivan Decker and local comedy

JFL NorthWest, Vancouver’s comedy festival profiles – Barry Crimmins

Barry Crimmins.

If any of the comedians coming to this year’s JFL NorthWest are in a position to talk about the current political situation in the U.S., it’s Barry Crimmins.

An activist as well as a stand-up comic, the Boston-raised Crimmins is known for his acerbic and trenchant take on politics. An acknowledged influence on comedians Marc Maron and Patton Oswalt, he’s been honing on the stand-up circuit since the 1970s.

In the 1990s, he led a crusade against child porn on the internet. More recently, his old friend from the Boston comedy circuit Bobcat Goldthwait directed a documentary about Crimmins called Call Me Lucky (2015). In it, Crimmins talks about his own history of sexual abuse, and of being raped at the age of four.

We talked to Crimmins, who plays the Biltmore Cabaret as part of JFL Northwest Feb. 23, about the current political situation, why Vancouver is his kind of town, and touring with musician Warren Zevon. Continue reading:
JFL NorthWest, Vancouver’s comedy festival profiles – Barry Crimmins

JFL NorthWest comedy profiles – Colin Quinn

A dependable TV presence since his days anchoring Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live, Colin Quinn is an acerbic Irish-American comedian who can currently be seen on the HBO hit Girls as well as in two specials on Netflix, Unconstitutional and the Jerry Seinfeld-directed Colin Quinn: The New York Story. Recently, he played Amy Schumer’s character’s father in the movie Trainwreck.

Quinn is bringing his latest show, now titled (see below) Wrong Side of History, to the Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway) Feb. 23 and 24 as part of the JFL NorthWest comedy fest. We talked to Quinn about his new show, his web series Cop Show, and working with Girls’ Lena Duham.

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JFL NorthWest comedy profiles – Colin Quinn

JFL NorthWest comedy profiles – Nate Bargatze

Marc Maron has called Nate Bargatze a “comic who should be big” and Jim Gaffigan called him “one of the top up and coming comics.” The Tennessee born-and-raised comedian, known for his deadpan demeanour, has appeared multiple times on Conan and was one of the first comedians to perform on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. Bargatze has also performed at festivals such as Bonnaroo, SXSW, and Moontower; appeared on three episodes of Maron’s celebrated WTF podcast; and performed for the troops in Iraq and Kuwait over five times.

Bargatze has also released an album, Yelled At By A Clown, and a comedy special, Full Time Magic. Bargatze is in Vancouver with the JFL NorthWest comedy festival Feb. 18, when he’ll perform at the Biltmore Cabaret (2755  Prince Edward St.).

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JFL NorthWest comedy profiles – Nate Bargatze

JFL NorthWest comedy profiles – Chris D’Elia

Television viewers will recognize Chris D’Elia from the NBC comedy series, Undateable, as well as starring opposite Whitney Cummings on NBC’sWhitney. Stand-up comedy fans will know him from his myriad club, theatre, and late-night talk show appearances.

His most recent standup special, Incorrigible, hit on Netflix in 2015, and followed-up his first one-hour Comedy Central special, White Male Black Comic. His numerous other TV credits include Comedy Central’s 2015 roast of Justin Bieber, Comedy Central’s Workaholics, and Comedy Central Presents, as well as TBS’s Glory Daze and Showtime’s Live Nude Comedy.

We talked to the Los Angeles-based comic about his upcoming appearance at the JFL NorthWest comedy festival, where he’ll perform two shows Feb 24 at the Vogue Theatre (918 Granville St.).

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JFL NorthWest comedy profiles – Chris D’Elia