Comics Coming Up

Jane Borden (@JaneBorden) takes a little time off before her recent storytelling master class at Improv Boston to sit down for an interesting conversation. We talk about her recent book "I Totally Meant To Do That", about growing up in the south and adjusting to life in New York City, the process of getting the book together as well as

getting interested in writing essays for publication through her involvement in improv and sketch comedy in the early days of the UCB Theater community. Jane now lives in rural Tennessee where she writes and performs standup. www.JaneBorden.com UPCOMING CCU related shows:

Matt Kona will be at The Comedy Connection in Portland, ME on Thursday June 28th

Ken Reid (@KennethWReid) returns! He was one of two guests in Episode 11, this time it's just him. We talk about his recently staged One Man Show "Shirt Tales", house hunting/home owning stories, working on cable access at age ten, vigilante justice, beginning standup in London England and more. He helps Matt with some of his favorite flashback/clip show devices in sitcom history, being stalked and when pranks gone wrong. Ken hosts The Comedy Studio every Friday Night in Harvard Sq. Cambridge. He also has a free APP available on itunes and his website www.ikenreid.com

Mike Mulloy (@Mike_Mulloy) joins Matt Kona and Producer Tom in a podcast of multiple firsts. We are recording in a truck in the parking lot before a Boston Comedy Softball League game, and it's also the first of a different kind of bonus theme show. We talk about professional wrestling and preview the upcoming WWE "No Way Out" Pay Per View, but if you're not a wrestling fan it doesn't get too too inside and if you're a wrestling fan, sorry. But thanks for downloading. There is a lot of rambling going on and helicopters over head. Check out both Mike and Matt at the Boston Nick's Comedy Stop on Thursday June 21st for "Mike Mulloy and Comedic Acquaintances" at 8:30pm. www.nickscomedystop.com for tickets

Kelly MacFarland (@KellyMacFarland) and Leah Bonnema (@LeahBonnema) venture into The Ratscellar** before their show at Nick's Comedy Stop. We talk about their mutual (but differing) roots in Maine, how they came to comedy through various roads (a hip hop group, on a dare...) wearing an outfit for an opening joke as a new comic, producing a one woman show, dealing with a Larry The Cable Guy impersonator, being passed in the clubs in New York City, crossbow etiquette and more. Find them online http://www.leahbonnema.com/ and www.kellymacfarland.com and get her album "Bombshell" on itunes and at RooftopComedy.com **For a visual of The Ratscellar check out this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWOMFaxgF4A

Part 2 of the very special, never to be done again DIY Recording of a live show at Grandma's Basement. Matt sits down with Shari Vanderwerf (@ShariV67) to have the tables turned on him and be interviewed, then he tries to figure out how to get 19,000 twitter followers. John Baglio comes back on the show, and not only because he's one of the reasons that a recording exists at all, and the episode is rounded out by Chris Dimitrakopoulos (@ChrisOBCT) talking about his rapper alter ego and bringing an mp3 to the table. A Live date: Matt will be at Headliner's comedy club in Manchester, NH on Saturday May 26th www.rentacomic.com for details.

Some new faces (ok voices) on the Boston Comedy Scene as well as another brief chat with Grandma's Basement guru Benny Bosh. We talk to Christine Crocker before she leaves for military service, things get real personal with Bob Friend (@BFriend) right off the bat for some reason, and Dan Sally does a brief interview (full 1 on 1 talk coming soon) about becoming a parent after being a comic for 9 years. Very special thanks to John Baglio and Matt Kaye for the guest DIY last minute engineering help. If you're in the Boston area on Sunday May 20th come celebrate Matt Kona's 30 year birthday at Grandma's Basement at 8pm. Or just follow him on twitter www.twitter.com/mattkona

Tony Moschetto (@LordMoschetto) sits down for an in depth conversation about his life as a comic. Boston comedy in the 90's is covered as well as misconceptions that non comics have towards this lifestyle. There is a lot of insight and things to learn for up and coming comedians through some of the experiences he has had as a comic. The importance of writing, establishing a routine, exercises, as well as writing outside of comedy is discussed in depth. Speaking of which check out Tony's road travel blogs and "My Life As A Middle Aged Tennis Bum" This episode was recorded before the weekly Monday Night Comedy Cabaret Open Mic upstairs at The Grog In Newburyport, MA. Sponsored by our usual "on location podcasting unit" of www.TomHowellPhotography.com

James Fritz (@JamesFritzComic)! While in Chicago I did one of my favorite podcasts "You Could Be Dead" that James hosts and we kept talking afterwards. Joining us briefly is fellow podcaster Brandon Weatherbee from You, Me, Them, Everybody (@ymte) and we talk about music, Chicago, James' home town in Kentucky and many bizarre things as they pop up, including some interviewing of each other as well. Check out www.YouCouldBeDead.com and www.youmethemeverybody.com This week's show is owed a great debt for the help from Josef at The Comedy Bar in Chicago for producing it www.comedybarchicago.com

Geek Week (April 25-29 at Improv Boston www.GeekWeekComedy.com) brought us along and we did some field recordings and a mini podcast with audience. Be sure to check out all the new friends Matt met while wandering around handing out Comics Coming Up Posters (free if you leave an itunes review and tweet at me w/your info @MattKona ) We visit with festival Executive Producer Kevin Harrington (@TheWhyteNinja), Paul Gannon (www.geeknightout.net) Richard Sandling (www.RichardSandling.com) are over here from England and we catch up with P.J. Westin, who just happens to be shopping for comic books (that we break down together). Later on worlds collide, as they often do at comic book conventions. One of the co-hosts of the Official Podcast of Comic Con, The Dome joins us to talk about his show Sci Fi Saturday Night (@SFSN) www.scifisaturdaynight.com Thanks for coming out/posing for pictures/listening to this if we met! Nanu, nanu, right?

Maggie Monahan (@MakeWay4Maggie) talks about her involvement with the sketch Group "Chocolate Cake City", being extremely new to standup, sketch writing, embarassing childhood trauma and more! Louie Bercelli talks about relocating from New Hampshire to Boston, starting standup in exchange for a whiskey, being sick of jokes, adapting a fiction writing degree to joke writing, living out of a strip club, getting the shit beat out of you in fights. Erik Levi (@ErikLeviComedy) talks about partying mishaps in Rocky Point Mexico, his recent trip back to Arizona, the dangers of telling "civilians" you're on twitter, Benny Bosh talks about the birth of his latest character "Poop E. McPoops" (yes, @poopemcpoops on twitter) his bizarre 24 hour trip to Chocolate Fest in Bennington, VT, feelings of bizarre sexual deviancy and more! Be sure to check out GEEK WEEK April 25th-29th at Improv Boston. www.GeekWeekComedy.com P.S. Matt is doing his one man show about the Wizard of Oz "One Liners and Tangents and Beards, Oh My!" at an undetermined time. Check his twitter to find out when @MattKona