March 4, 2010

October- Punk’d By Gerry Dee

Practical Jokes are more fun when you have a lot of people in on it with you.
In October I was fortunate enough to do a guest set on Gerry Dee’s sold out show in Calgary in October. Gerry has been great to me over the last couple of years and we have become friends. The show was at the beautiful Jack Singer Concert Hall which is a dream to play for any performer. I was asked to do a short set of ten minutes and Gerry kept asking me if I was taping the set tonight. He said he really wanted to tape tonight but didn’t have his camera. I said I wasn’t. He then said there was a lighting problem and told me to go hang out in the dressing room back stage and he would let me know when the show starts. So I go back to hang out and chat to the MC for the night, Steve Ditatta. Gerry comes back and says we’re ready and gets Steve to start the show. Steve destroys the place and the audience is loving him. Then as Steve gets ready to introduce me, Gerry is in the wings telling me “you’re gonna kill tonight, you’re gonna be great, they’ll love you.” I walk out to the biggest roar I have ever heard…almost 1500 people going nuts. Then it all changed. I said my first bit….small laughs. Did my second bit…..even less laughter. In my mind I thought, “is my fly down, did I say something wrong?” My mind is spinning at that moment and then just as I start my third bit, someone grabs me from behind and I turn to see it’s Gerry. He had been behind me for the last 30 seconds and tells me the reason the crowd is weird. He told them before show time to give me a big welcome and then not laugh while I was on!!!!! I couldn’t believe that I didn’t see it coming!! We laughed hard at it and Gerry said he was hoping it was going to be taped as well. Later I felt some sort of payback was in order, so during his set I waited until his back was turned and I walked right across the stage behind him and the crowd went up!! We’re even for now Gerry….until next time. Good times!!

November- Corporate Invasion

November and December were busy months with company Christmas parties to play. The corporate party is either a blast or a nightmare. This season they were all pretty good and people were in the mood to laugh generally.

January 2010

I was back on the road again in January with a few more corporate shows and playing the clubs and one nighters. Good times on the road and played a nice new room in Medicine Hat….it has a lot of potential there. Good crowd as well.

February 2010

I did something I haven’t done in a number of years. I entered a contest- Yuk Yuks Great Canadian Laugh Off. I won the Calgary portion in a very tough final with some great comics. In March I head off to Toronto to compete for $25,000 in the national finals. It will be a tough competition but I am looking forward to it. People were surprise that I entered and so was I to an extent. I think sometimes we need something to spice things up. I wanted a new challenge and a different kind of environment. Contests are always stressful and unlike any other shows. For some reason I wanted to feel that again and fortunately it has gone well thus far. I also played a great new club in Halifax called Jokers and we had some awesome shows there. I love that city. It’s got a really good music scene and some great people. I got so see some friends I havn’t seen in years and had fun catching up.
Currently I sit in my home town and get ready to start a little mini tour of Newfoundland. It should be fun with the talented Dylan Rhymer and Newfoundland legend Snook. I also then do an Alberta tour with the previously mentioned Snook and my friend John Sheehan. Dates are on the site for both tours.

Anyway, see ya on the road..and thanks for everything!

Cheers,

Trent