Drinking Partners

After the extraordinary debut of Alex Stypula’s dark comedy web series, The Hard Dentist, in front of a packed house at Rowhouse Theater, the Drinking Partners host a live podcast with the cast. Co-star Laurie Bolewitz joins Mr. Stypula, who also released his comedy album, Dolphins are Garbage, and the duo discusses the creation of and the inspiration behind The Hard Dentist. With an energized crowd listening, Ms. Bolewitz and Mr. Stypula share the process behind producing a web series, although the interview often leans left into a fun and fantastically strange world. Intermixed with dental humor and spoilers is an engaging and dynamic interaction, one that is swift and gripping. From an animated conversation about flossing to a politically incorrect debate between Ed and Day, the flow weaves between tongue-in-cheek and outrageous, but keeps the live crowd laughing at all times. Much like the outlandish and highly entertaining satirical web series, the podcast will not disappoint.

View the pilot episode of The Hard Dentist on the Unplanned Comedy YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEYaRbDCdL4

The Drinking Partners podcast live from City Theatre on the South Side with a full and enlivened audience in attendance after the debut of the Tony Award-Nominated Broadway play Hand to God. Cast members Nick LaMedica and Maggie Carr join City Theatre marketing director Laura Greenawalt in this confessional-style interview. After the highly successful opening night of Hand to God – a wildly dark, sacrilegiously amusing, and R-rated romp through the Christian world of puppetry – two of its stars sit down and chat with Ed and Day about the play and the process of stage acting. The interview offers an in-depth and intimate glance into the workings of the cast and direction behind Hand to God, yet is peppered with Drinking Partners spice throughout. Co-stars Michael Greer and Lisa Velten Smith hop in halfway through, and Day relocates to the audience for a question and answer segment. The Drinking Partners stay true to form and match Hand to God’s hilarious profanity with their own urban twists. A highly enjoyable, zingy, and joke-laden hour of entertainment.

Spoilers abound throughout the podcast, but the play, and, most notably, the uniquely twisted puppetry, must be viewed in person for maximum enjoyment. Hand to God will run through October 16, 2016 at City Theatre. For tickets, visit: https://citytheatre.culturaldistrict.org/production/48456/hand-to-god

Bill Oates from Three Rivers Underground Brewers joins the cast for a refreshing look into the home brew world. Ed and Day talk about Brewing Up a Cure, enjoy a wide variety of Bill's brew, and get to try their first brain child "Cognac" based beer! 

http://www.brewingupacure.org/

The Drinking Partners welcome podcaster and blogger Beauty Jackson into the studio for an in-depth discussion about the intersection of social media and social issues. As a woman, mother, and feminist, Ms. Jackson brings a necessary counter-voice to the Drinking Partners’ often-masculine dialogue. The conversation is playful and bustling, yet investigative and analytical, with Ms. Jackson confidently keeping pace with Ed and Day. Topics range from societal taboos to personal preferences and veer all directions in between. To hear more from Beauty Jackson, tune in to her podcast, The Good and Terrible Show or find her at redbeandreams.com.

Creatives Drink founders Cody Baker and Chancelor Humphrey join the Drinking Partners in this millennial-inspired podcast. The duo visits the studio to promote the Creatives Drink mission, one which aims to bring Pittsburghers together to “discuss their passions, professions, and hobbies in an energized space,” while offering free drinks throughout their networking events. Without surprise, the conversation quickly shifts to an intoxicating one, as the men share tales of past and present pursuits. Creatives Drink seeks to inspire and conjoin, bringing local breweries and distilleries into new venues and in front of new crowds. As the pace quickens, the podcast progresses into a party-like atmosphere. Check out the next Creatives Drink event, Voyage, next month!

In this after-midnight podcast, the Drinking Partners welcome Pittsburgh Comedy Festival headliner Quincy Jones into the studio, with a live studio audience and a party-like atmosphere. Weeks after his HBO special Burning the Light aired, Mr. Jones entertains and enthralls Ed, Day, and everyone listening with tales that extend far beyond his cancer diagnosis. New York-based comic Norlex Belma sits in as well, and the foursome’s chemistry and interactions play better than many sitcoms. Flashy and fast, the men waste no time verbally sparring with jabs and taunts, as Day’s hot pink shirt serves as comedic inspiration for an unforgettable rant from Mr. Jones. Ed does not escape the roasting fire either, with Mr. Jones deconstructs his gym routine and “African definition and action-figure cut.” There is never a dull moment in what might be one of the Drinking Partners top podcasts to date. Toward the latter half, Mr. Jones shares his experiences of recording and promoting his HBO special, offering an intimate and realistic look into the life of a nationally-touring headliner with a cancer diagnosis. A must-listen podcast that is hilarious and poignant, intimately personal, yet widely entertaining.

Already rowdy after a few beers, the Drinking Partners merrily welcome Drip Lounge owner and fouronetube co-founder, Matt Thornton, and waste no time getting loose-lipped. After a quarter-hour of jokes, the trio delves deeper, exploring their childhood transgressions and the process of evolving out of the difficult cycle of poverty and crime. Mr. Thornton shares his story of overcoming addiction, and, now, owns a successful vape shop that hosts live entertainment on a weekly basis. Toward the end of the interview, the men discuss comedy, rap, and religion, with equal amounts of passion and humor for each topic. An episode that is at time hilarious, philosophical, and inspirational.

Ed offers some fashion advice before the Drinking Partners welcome repeat guest Alex Stypula, who stops by the studio to promote his upcoming comedy album Dolphins are Garbage. The trio of comedians quickly delves into the process of joke writing, with Mr. Stypula offering an introspective and interesting angle into the world of dark comedy. In an episode that is most assuredly not safe for work, the jokes are many and sometimes strange, but it is impossible not to laugh throughout this animal-influenced interview. Catch Alex on stage at the Pittsburgh Comedy Festival on Friday, August 26 or touring with the Race to the Coffin comedy troupe. Dolphins are Garbage will be released September 23 after a live web series screening at Row House Cinema. Find tickets at the Row House website (www.rowhousecinema.com).

In the opening minutes of the latest podcast, the Drinking Partners hilariously ponder if any of their listeners are churchgoing. During a particularly rowdy dialogue, Ed directly addresses Jesus, “You created a lot of this, fam. You gonna make the coolest shit illegal.” Appropriately enough, the Drinking Partners soon welcome drinking peer and host of the Should I Drink That podcast, Doug Derda. As host of one of the longest-running podcasts on craft beer, Mr. Derda offers a veteran view of the scene and shares tales of his experiences. The interview that follows shows how Should I Drink That paved the way for the Drinking Partners themselves. A must-listen for devoted craft beer drinkers, as two titans of beer podcasts join and discuss all angles of the culture, with amusing moments from beginning to end.

After an introductory rant about small breweries selling out to larger ones and a high-speed, fervent discussion about black barber shops, the Drinking Partners pause to catch their breaths and welcome local entertainment editor and columnist Scott Tady. A writer for the Beaver County Times for nearly twenty years, Mr. Tady shares his experiences of watching Pittsburgh develop into a haven for music, comedy, and performing arts. For each story that Mr. Tady retells, Ed and Day offer their own, often off-the-wall anecdotes, creating an enthusiastic and amusing hour of banter. As a host of his own podcast (The Buzz), Mr. Tady pairs well with the duo and quickly catches on to the informative, yet occasionally wild, nature of a Drinking Partners interview. An inviting podcast that allows listeners to hear tales from the other side of the entertainment industry.