Comedy Night with Caleb Elliott, Marie Cecile Anderson, & Amber Autry
08.25.2022 - Host Amber Autry (currently touring Zanies, Chicago, Nashville and other major city comedy venues, and the organizer for the Comedy Night #2 troupe), Opener Marie Cecile Anderson (HBO, Ryman Auditorium, Reformed Whores), and Headliner Caleb Elliott: (Opened for Sinbad Tour, Drybar Comedy Special, Sirius XM, Laugh USA)…Check out the partial list of credits above for the comedians who played the second Comedy Night at the Harvester Performance and Event Center on Thursday.
The really stellar funny folks from the past (Richard Pryor, George Carlin, et al) seemed to have a few unique qualities in common - one of their shared factors was “pushing the envelope”...All of the great ones know when to push and when to hold back. Think about it – If a comedian walks out and goes “full blast” today, they stand a chance of offending someone (for sure), and worst-case, alienating a large segment of their audience…hard to make someone laugh when they don’t like you (or what you just said). VERY tricky.
All three of the (very pro) comedians who entertained the Harvester crowd on Thursday evening definitely “pushed the envelope for around these parts” -- and, very tastefully so, in my opinion. Matter-of-fact, I can’t think of a single comedian I’ve ever liked who didn’t “push the envelope” to some degree in their own style. Otherwise, how they gonna get our attention with the same ole same ole schtick?....especially in today’s world!
During Comedy Night #2 we were in the presence of super smart and talented folks who have chosen the VERY difficult road of making people laugh for a living. Amber Autry covered “today” scenarios from road rage to obnoxious dogs at parties, and showed up with different material from her previous show – the audience at Comedy Night #2 were obviously pleased to see Amber return to the Harvester stage.
Marie Cecile Anderson provided very candid perspectives on relationships, and whipped out a ukulele with which she expertly provided instrumental backup to her (classically trained) voice singing (somewhat explicit, but very funny) songs she composed. (pushin’ that E….)
And Caleb Elliott– “A smooth black kid” who was so adept with his art that he could share the funny parts of being black in the South without being angry or apologetic. In my opinion, Caleb Elliott “knows his place”, and “that place” damned sure ain’t what a lot of some think it oughta be. Onward/ Upward, Caleb!
And, don’t you dare think of comedians as one-dimensional….Check out the serious works of Jackie Gleason or Robin Williams sometime - when funny folks get heavy, it’s heavy-duty.
Many thanks to Amber Autry for coming back to the Harvester, and for introducing us to Marie Cecile Anderson and Caleb Elliott - We’ll be watching for all of y’all on the big venues and media screens...Let’s go for Comedy Night #3 on September 29 – line-up coming soon! And special thanks to Lao Mobile Kitchen food truck!
Be sure to check out Michelle Poe, (Hank Jr.’s bass player), Ken Taylor, and Russ Freeman this Saturday, 8/27 at the Harvester, and don’t forget to sign up for the free ticket giveaway to the Greenway Music Fest, Labor Day weekend at Short Mountain Distillery - Bert Driver Nursery will be participating in the GreenWay Music Fest as a Nursery. We support the development of the GreenWay, and you can, too, by stopping by our booth and register to purchase a tree to be planted on the Short Mountain Distillery GreenWay. We’ll be back at the Burlap Room on Saturday, September 10, with the Music City Stones, and Saturday, October 8, for Dia de los Muertos. Stay up-to-date with all the events in the Bert Driver Network (Nursery, Burlap Room, and the newly-opened Harvester Event Center) by signing up for our Burlapper Newsletter. All tickets for all Burlap Room and Harvester Event Center can be purchased at burlaproom.eventbrite.com.
