{"id":36649,"date":"2021-02-25T09:42:37","date_gmt":"2021-02-25T14:42:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=36649"},"modified":"2021-02-25T09:42:45","modified_gmt":"2021-02-25T14:42:45","slug":"on-stage-adam-ferrara-was-driven-into-comedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=36649","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Adam Ferrara was ‘driven’ into comedy"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Adam Ferrara<\/p><\/div>\n

Adam Ferrara, who will be headlining the Helium Comedy Club (2031 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, philadelphia.heliumcomedy.com<\/a>) from February 25-27, is currently one of the top comics in America.<\/p>\n

His career as a top-flight standup comedian might never have happened had it not been for a pair of prescient activities by his mother and him in New York \u2013 his mother\u2019s actions as a precursor of Twitter and his activities as a preview of Uber.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got started as a comic years ago when I went on an open mic,\u201d said Ferrara, during a phone interview Monday afternoon from his home in Santa Monica, California.<\/p>\n

\u201cI made the mistake of telling my mom. She was the original Twitter. She told the whole neighborhood, and they all came to the show. <\/p>\n

\u201cI had prepared material that I was going to use. Then, I got on stage and knew everyone there. So, I heckled them instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before long, Ferrara was opening for other comedians in the New York City area.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lied and said I had enough material to open for comics,\u201d said Ferrara, who grew up on Long Island in Huntington Station, a community in the\u00a0Town of Huntington that was named for\u00a0its railroad station.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started at the East Side Comedy Club in Long Island on July 13,1988. It is now the Pomodoro Restaurant. After that, I began performing in Manhattan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would open for comics. I would meet them at The Improv. I had a car, so I\u2019d pick them up and we went to gigs. When we\u2019d return, instead of dropping them off back at the theater, I\u2019d drive them home. I gave them door-to-door service.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was just like Uber without having to use an app.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that point, those comics were like big stars to me,\u201d said Ferrara. \u201cI started working more in New York at clubs like the Comedy Cellar and the Gotham Comedy Club.<\/p>\n

\u201cI played the Helium Comedy Club for the first time early in my career. I wish I were going to Philly every year. I love that town.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a few years in the Northeast, Ferrara succumbed to the lure of the West Coast.<\/p>\n

\u201cI moved to L.A. in 1992,\u201d said Ferrara. \u201cI got a TV deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferrara\u2019s career as an actor took off. His initial acting credit was on \u201cFlying Blind\u201d in 1993 followed by \u201cCaroline in the City\u201d from 1996-1998, \u201cThe Love Boat: The Next Wave\u201d in 1999 and \u201cThe Job in 2001 and 2002.<\/p>\n

Some of the other shows in his resume are \u201cAsh Tuesday,\u201d \u201cLaw & Order,\u201d \u201cThe King of Queens,\u201d \u201cDefinitely, Maybe,\u201d \u201cPaul Blart: Mall Cop,\u201d \u201cUgly Betty,\u201d \u201cNurse Jackie,\u201d \u201cKevin Can Wait,\u201d \u201cCriminal Minds\u201d and \u201cRescue Me.\u201d<\/p>\n

For six seasons, Ferrara co-hosted the critically acclaimed BBC sensation,\u00a0\u201cTop Gear US.\u201d<\/em> He played Chief Needles Nelson on the Emmy\u00ae nominated FX drama\u00a0\u201cRescue Me<\/em>\u201d and co-starred with Emmy\u00ae Award winner Edie Falco on Showtime\u2019s hit series\u00a0\u201cNurse Jackie<\/em>.\u201d He has also co-starred alongside Kevin James in the hit movie\u00a0\u201cPaul Blart: Mall Cop\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cDefinitely Maybe\u201d<\/em>\u00a0with Ryan Reynolds.<\/p>\n

Ferrara, who Entertainment Weekly dubbed \u201cHilarious,\u201d is currently starring on the CBS All Access show,\u00a0\u201cWhy Women Kill,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0with Ginnifer Goodwin, Lucy Liu and an all-star cast. His new comedy album,\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s Scary in Here<\/em>,\u201d debuted Number One on iTunes,<\/p>\n

\u201cLately, I\u2019ve done \u2018Why Women Kill\u2019 and I\u2019m guest starring on the March 9 episode of \u2018NCIS\u2019,\u201d said Ferrara. \u201cWe just started shooting the NCIS episode a few weeks ago. It took a couple days and we had COVID testing every day. That made me really nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked if he sees himself as a comedian who acts or an actor who is also a comedian, Ferrara replied, \u201cI started as a comic. I\u2019m fortunate that I am also doing acting. I get to do drama too.<\/p>\n

\u201cA big part of my stage show as a comic is improv. It puts an immediacy there. The audience and I are both part of the experience. But I\u2019m not a social critic. I\u2019m more a student of the human condition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferrara has found a good way to keep performing during the pandemic. His new podcast\u00a0is a breakout hit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m doing my podcast every week,\u201d said Ferrara, who still keeps an apartment in New York. \u201cIt\u2019s called \u2018The Adam Ferrara Podcast \u2013 30 Minutes You\u2019ll Never Get Back.\u2019 <\/em>I built a studio in my garage. It\u2019s just me, my wife, my best friend Phil Tag and my producer Mark Stern. We talk to a different guest every week. The podcast has been my saving grace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately for Ferrara, options for performing live have started to open up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m playing Philly this weekend,\u201d said Ferrara. \u201cIn March, I\u2019m playing the Helium Comedy Club in St. Louis and Tempe Improv in Arizona. I\u2019m looking forward to it \u2013 especially the shows in Philly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Adam Ferrara — https:\/\/youtu.be\/jqrSlJ3Zvcc<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The shows at the Helium Comedy Club are scheduled for February 25 at 8 p.m. and February 26 and 27 at 7:15 and 9:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Tickets, which are not sold individually because of capacity restrictions and social distancing, are $44 for a two-person table or $88 for a four-person table.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Anthony DeVito<\/p><\/div>\n

Many of America\u2019s highly respected comedians come from the New York\/North Jersey area. Ferrara is one of them and so is another comedian headed to the Helium Comedy Club over the next week \u2013 Anthony DeVito.<\/p>\n

On March 3, Helium will present a performance by DeVito, who hails from Bloomfield, New Jersey and now lives in the Astoria section of New York City\u2019s Queens Borough.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been doing standup in New York for 11-12 years,\u201d said DeVito, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon while staying with friends in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got into comedy because it was always something I wanted to do. I was a shy kid, but I was attracted to comedy.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeVito\u2019s traveled a frequently used path to a career in comedy \u2013 going to college in Florida to study architecture.<\/p>\n

\u201cI graduated from the University of Miami in 2005 with a degree in architecture,\u201d said DeVito. \u201cI had never been to Miami, but it seemed like a good thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not surprisingly, DeVito has never worked as an architect \u2013 choosing a career in comedy instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started by doing open mics in New York,\u201d said DeVito. \u201cAt first, I didn\u2019t know about the mechanics of performing on stage. I started with improv and then did standup. Most of all, I like writing jokes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith open mics, the audience is just a few other comedians and it\u2019s hard to get laughs from them. So, I never knew that any of my jokes were any good. Then, one night a fellow comedian who was a little above me told me that I was funny.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first real show was at the EastVille Comedy Club in New York. A friend of mine was booking the show and asked me to be in it. I was a little nervous because I had never done a show like that before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithin a couple years, things progressed quickly. It was fast right away and then slowed down and then picked up again. I did Stephen Colbert\u2019s show and had a half-hour special on Comedy Central.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeVito made his television debut on \u201cThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert.\u201d He was named one of JFL\u2019s New Faces in 2012 and has performed at Boston Comedy Festival, Laugh Your Asheville Off, Limestone Comedy Fest, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, and SF Sketchfest.<\/p>\n

DeVito\u2019s standup has been featured on Comedy Central\u2019s \u201cAdam Devine\u2019s House Party,\u201d AXS TV\u2019s \u201cGotham Comedy Live,\u201d Seeso\u2019s \u201cNew York\u2019s Funniest,\u201d and Comedy Central\u2019s \u201cThe Half Hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

He can be seen regularly on MSG\u2019s \u201cPeople Talking Sports and Other Stuff\u201d with Sam Morril and can be heard on NPR\u2019s \u201cThis American Life,\u201d Sirius XM\u2019s \u201cBennington Show,\u201d and \u201cThe Bonfire\u201d — and on his highly rated weekly podcast, the \u201cRad Dude Cast.\u201d DeVito released his debut-comedy album, \u201cDream Occupation,\u201d in 2017. He also was a staff writer for Netflix\u2019s \u201cThe Break with Michelle Wolf.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy comfort level as a performing comedian grew in spurts,\u201d said DeVito. \u201cThe more I did it, the longer the growth spurts.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy comedy has always been joke-based rather than audience interaction. I\u2019m setting out to just do my jokes \u2013 but I\u2019m not a robot out there. If something odd happens during the show, I\u2019ll play around with that weirdness.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, my comedy is personal \u2013 stuff that has happened in my life. But it\u2019s still pretty broad. People all over the country can relate to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeVito\u2019s show at Helium next week will be a return engagement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve played Helium several times,\u201d said DeVito. \u201cI love the club and this will be my first time to headline there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Anthony DeVito — https:\/\/youtu.be\/-ihMW2AURuQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

DeVito\u2019s show at the Helium Comedy Club on March 3 will start at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Tickets, which are not sold individually because of capacity restrictions and social distancing, are $40 for a two-person table or $80 for a four-person table.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

King Solomon Hicks<\/p><\/div>\n

Several of the all-time great blues guitarists have names that end in King \u2013 B.B. King, Freddie King, Albert King. Now, there is a rising young blues guitarist whose name begins with King \u2013 King Solomon Hicks.<\/p>\n

On February 26, Hicks will headline a show at the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Hicks is a 24-year-old guitarist\/singer\/composer whose specialty is the blues with some jazz thrown in the mix.<\/p>\n

\u201cI began playing guitar when I was really young,\u201d said Hicks, during a phone interview Tuesday night from his home in New York\u2019s Harlem. \u201cMy mom started me with guitar lessons when I was six.\u201d<\/p>\n

His mother Holly Hicks was his first tutor and taught him the history of African American music.\u00a0He started learning soul music,\u00a0blues, and then\u00a0Jimi Hendrix. He was playing music before he learned to read music.<\/p>\n

His father and mother played music at home constantly. When Hicks was a youngster, his mother took him to local nightspots such as the Lennox Lounge, Saint Nick\u2019s and the Cotton Club, where he witnessed performances that made a significant impact on his outlet and ambitions.<\/p>\n

According to Hicks, \u201cWhen you\u2019re around good musicians, it gives you that spark \u2014 \u2018I want to do what you do. I want to hold my own.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cBut being around those types of musicians also taught me to not be the fastest guitar player. I wanted to be the one who knew the most riffs and drew on a lot of knowledge so I could play anything, and with anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

He attended the Harlem School of Arts and the\u00a0Jazzmobile\u00a0training program. He graduated from Talent Unlimited High School as a music major in 2012.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt age 13, I started playing guitar with the\u00a0Cotton Club\u00a0in the big band there,\u201d said Hicks. \u201cI was doing a lot of different gigs all through high school. I started touring Denmark when I was 18. Copenhagen was a big blues town. I also played Germany and Spain and opened for Robert Cray.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hicks has performed at the KISS Kruise V, the\u00a0Joe Bonamassa\u00a0Blues Cruise in 2017, the Festival De Blues De Bejar-Blues Cazorla-San Javier in Spain, in France at the Jazz Marciac, and the Cotton Club in Tokyo. He has performed at music festivals in Spain, Germany, France, Japan, Denmark, Mexico, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Barbados, and United States.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe KISSKruise was a good experience,\u201d said Hicks. \u201cSo was Joe Bonamassa Blues Alive at Sea Cruise.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy early mentor was Melvin Sparks. I learned a lot about jazz and blues from him. Another main mentor was Junior Mack. When I was 21, I was playing with his band every Tuesday at B.B. King\u2019s in New York.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melvin Sparks, who passed away in 2011, was an American\u00a0soul jazz,\u00a0hard bop\u00a0and\u00a0jazz blues\u00a0guitarist who recorded several albums for\u00a0Prestige Records and Savant Records. He appeared on many recordings with musicians including\u00a0Lou Donaldson,\u00a0Sonny Stitt,\u00a0Leon Spencer\u00a0and\u00a0Johnny Hammond Smith. Junior Mack is a veteran guitarist who played in Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band with Allman Brothers Band drummer Jaimoe.<\/p>\n

Hicks released his debut album, \u201cHARLEM,\u201d on March 13, 2020 on Provogue Records, a Dutch label that label specializes in\u00a0rock\u00a0and\u00a0blues. Provogue\u2019s catalog includes\u00a0Joe Bonamassa,\u00a0Beth Hart,\u00a0Eric Johnson,\u00a0Robert Cray,\u00a0Gov’t Mule,\u00a0Philip Sayce, and\u00a0Warren Haynes.<\/p>\n

\u201cKirk Yano produced the album,\u201d said Hicks. \u201cMy show at Sellersville will be a trio with Kirk on bass, Mike Rodbard on drums and me on guitar. I also did a Livestream show there back in July with Kirk on bass and Mikey Jr. on drums.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yano\u00a0is a multiple Grammy-winning recording engineer with several Platinum and Gold RIAA Awards,\u00a0who\u00a0has worked with acts such as Miles Davis, Public Enemy, Phoebe Snow and Savoy Brown.<\/p>\n

\u201cHARLEM\u201d features originals such as the roadhouse ready \u201c421 South Main,\u201d the gospel shuffle of \u201cHave Mercy on Me\u201d and the aching instrumental \u201cRiverside Drive\u201d along with classics such as \u201cEvery Day I Sing the Blues\u201d and \u201cIt\u2019s Alright.\u201d The LP also features Blood, Sweat & Tears\u2019 \u201cI Love You More Than You Will Ever Know,\u201d Gary Wright\u2019s \u201cLove is Alive\u201d\u00a0and Sonny Boy Williamson\u2019s \u201cHelp Me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the album over two years at Kirk\u2019s studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn,\u201d said Hicks. \u201cIt\u2019s not a traditional blues album. I have one leg in blues and on the other leg, I\u2019m trying to throw in different genres.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve worked hard on developing my sound. What keeps me going is when I see people get up and dance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for King Solomon Hicks — https:\/\/youtu.be\/TWOY8ypiJec<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The King Solomon Hicks show at Sellersville is scheduled for February 26 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $21.50 in person and $10 for Livestream.<\/p>\n

More live music can be heard at the Bridgeport Ribhouse (1049 Ford Street, Bridgeport,\u00a0www.ribhouse.net<\/a>) which is presenting Montoj on February 27 and Brian Quinn & Danny Beissel on March 3.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Alyssa Dodge<\/p><\/div>\n

Tuned Up Brewing Co. (135 North Main Street, Spring City, www.tunedupbrew.com<\/a>) will host Alyssa Dodge on February 25, Mr. Mody on February 26, and Vinyl Side B on February 27.<\/p>\n

Creekside Sports Bar & Grille (765 N Lewis Road, Royersford, http:\/\/www.creeksidesportsbar.com\/<\/a>) will present The Whitewalls on February 26, Uptown Band on February 27, and Michael Kropp on February 28.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Adam Ferrara, who will be headlining the Helium Comedy Club (2031 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, philadelphia.heliumcomedy.com) from February 25-27, is currently one of the top comics in America. His career as a top-flight standup comedian might never have happened had it not been for a pair of prescient activities […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[12735,11315,12736,6518,12737],"class_list":["post-36649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-adam-ferrara","tag-alyssa-dodge","tag-anthony-devito","tag-featured","tag-king-solomon-hicks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36649"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36649\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36650,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36649\/revisions\/36650"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}