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AS:R had debuted!

AS:R debut, May 18, 2022!

American Songbook: Redacted logo

The American Songbook: Redacted has finally hit the stage! The show last week at Caveat was a lot of fun and I’m really excited by how everything went, from the material to my performance to the crowd and the all the tech. Performing 11 new songs (with detailed intros and slides, no less) is a daunting task and something I would never consider in a regular standup set. But this show—an attempt at understanding American history and culture through music and humor—is near and dear to my heart and something I’ve been eager to try.

I want to give a huge thanks to everyone who came out the the show in NYC, it was on the later side on a Wednesday night in the middle of yet another Covid variant surge, so I know it wasn’t easy to show up in person. The team at Caveat was also top-notch, from front of house to the tech, everyone there was helpful, friendly, and damn good at their jobs. When I checked out the video of the live feed I was blown away by the quality and was so excited to realize that the people watching the live stream (thank you all so much for tuning in!) got such a great view of the show. If you’ve seen any of my Cover Tuesday DIY livestreams from home you’ll know that I know that tech is hard!

Now that the debut has has debuted I’m excited to develop the show further with performances, festivals, and more. I hope to do the show many more times here in New York, perhaps even an extended run somewhere. I’d also like to take it to select theaters and venues in other cities, and now that I have video of it to prove it actually exists, I’m going to start reaching out to places. If you have thoughts on a venue that could be a good fit let me know!  I’m also going to start recording studio versions of the songs for a companion album. Maybe I’ll release it as a live/studio double album! 

So many possibilities, and the possibilities feel even more real now that show #1 is in the books! Thank you to everyone who helped get it going!

The American Songbook: Rescheduled!

Timing is everything, right? Yesterday, the day before the big show, I felt pretty achy, tired, and had a slight fever, so I took a home Covid test and it was positive. That of course meant I couldn’t perform The American Songbook: Redacted, the show I’ve been working on for about 5 months, tonight at Caveat.

Thankfully the wonderful people at Caveat were very understanding and we’ve rescheduled for Wednesday, May 18, 9:30. All advance tickets for the live show and the live stream will be honored on that date.

So far the symptoms have been mild and I hope that trend continues. If the worst thing that happens is I have to reschedule my show I guess that’s acceptable. I’m really excited to get this new material up in front of people, I’m really happy with it and the songs have gone over well when I’ve worked on them at The Odd Rock Comedy Hour at QED over the last couple of months.

Speaking of which, I hope to be back and virus free in time for this month’s Odd Rock Comedy Hour on April 23, which will be more than 10 days after my initial symptoms from Monday night. I’ll test before the show and if I can’t make it I’ll find a very capable replacement and the show will be in good hands

Take care of yourselves out there and I hope to fist-bump you at a show soon!

RobP

New Solo Show Debuts April 13!

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The American Songbook: Redacted!

I’m very excited to announce that a brand new show filled with brand new songs will officially have its very first performance on Wednesday, April 13 at Caveat in NYC! The show is full of original songs inspired by American history and poking fun at American myths and culture. Song styles will include everything from jazz, heavy metal, emo, and disco, to western and Stephen Foster-style parlor songs.

This show is a preview/trial run/proof of concept that I plan to develop into a longer running show that will hit festivals and play in various cities. I’ve started working on some of the songs in my monthly show at QED, The Odd Rock Comedy Hour, so if you want a preview of the preview come on out to Astoria, where you’ll also get to see other great comedians and musicians.

And if you can’t get to NYC on April 13 there will be a streaming option! Info for streaming and the theater are on Caveat’s site.

The American Songbook: Redacted!
9:30 pm Wednesday, April 13
Caveat
21A Clinton St. NYC 10001

The Odd Rock Comedy Hour Returns to Q.E.D.!!

The Odd Rock Comedy Hour is back!

After a loooong hiatus—thank you Covid-19—my comedy music variety show will be returning LIVE to the QED stage (or back yard, weather permitting) and I couldn’t be more excited!

I also couldn’t be more grateful to Kambri and Q.E.D. for the hard work and determination they put in to get through the absolute hardest year+ I’ve witnessed in my entertainment career. We all went a little crazy I think, and I hope you’re as ready as I am to experience live entertainment again!

Q.E.D. will be very safe: audience members and all performers and staff are required to be vaccinated and tickets will be sold through the Eventbrite service to facilitate contact tracing should there ever be an issue (get your advance tix for our return show here).

I’m putting the lineup together for the first show now, already confirmed is the very funny comedian Christina Walkinshaw, who was booked on our March 2020 show waaay back when.

Music Fest Season Starts When WE Say it Does!

If you love music but not the idea of standing outside all day with sweaty idiots, then we’ve got the place for you! New York’s hottest new music festival is Spring Festerella, presented by the Odd Rock Comedy Hour!

It’s only 85 minutes, a measly $10 ($7 if you buy advance tickets here with the code ORCHVIP), and it’s in Astoria so you can go home afterward and not sleep in a tent! It’s compact, streamlined, and filled with more awesome-per-dollar than any other music festival your bloggersnob friends have told you about.

Don’t believe me? Check out these acts:

  • The Reformed Whores They’ve been on IFC, SiriusXM, opened for Les Claypool and the Reverend Horton Heat, and have rocked the Edinburgh Fringe!
  • Carla Ulbrich A comedy songwriter and professional smart aleck who’s been played on the Dr. Demento Show, SiriusXM, and NPR!
  • Charles McBee a hilarious standup comedian who has appeared on Gotham Comedy Live!
  • Tim Ellis comedian/musician whose album and webseries Casual Pimpin’ are packed with hilarity and smooth grooves!
  • Shane Morrison comedic songwriter who has been featured in the New York Funny Songs Festival!
  • Hosted by Rob Paravonian, me, and I’ve also done stuff and been on things!

So there you have it. April 21st, 2018, is the official start of your summer festival season! Come on out and party with us!

It started with a pun, now we’re here!

I’ve accidentally embarked on the quest to create the most epic fake band trivia challenge ever!! It started as a play on words—“Sham Rock” instead of “Odd Rock” Comedy Hour to acknowledge that the March installment of my monthly variety show falls on St. Patrick’s Day.

“I’ll do a couple of covers from fictitious TV and film bands,” I thought.

“I’ll show slides of some of the more esoteric fictitious bands,” I pondered.

But when I had the idea to create a fake band trivia contest I had no idea it would become my mission in life to create the MOST AMAZING AND TRULY AWESOME FAKE BAND TRIVIA CONTEST EVER!! I’m having an absolute blast putting these questions together, I think I may have found my calling in life!

The questions will range in difficulty from “everyone should know that” to “why would anyone know that?” with a lot of room in between. Some questions will be easy with supplemental bonus points for more in-depth knowledge on the same subject. There will be some “everyone wins” questions with prizes for anyone who gets it right. So even if you answer only one question right you could still get a prize.

And on top of this epicness we still have great comedy and music: dope and dirty rhymes from La Dynasty and standup comedy from Boris Khaykin, and more! So get your tickets now! It’s only ten bucks, but you can get tix for seven dollareedoos with the discount code ORCHVIP at QED’s website.

All right, back to the research…

The Missile-Toad Holiday Special ’17!

The Odd Rock Comedy Hour is putting on an odd rock holiday show! Comedy music superduo Sam & Bill, Killy Dwyer, Lauren Hope Krass and me, Rob P., will bring to the stage twisted musical holiday cheer in the form of top-notch comedy, music, standup, sketch, and candy! And if you get your tickets in advance and use code ORCHVIP, you can get in for just $7!

It all takes place on Saturday, Dec. 16th at 7:30 pm at Q.E.D. in lovely Astoria, Queens. The Odd Rock Comedy Hour will help make your season hilarious.

The Odd Rock Comedy Hour
Missile-Toad Holiday Special!
Sat. Dec. 16, 7:30 pm
Q.E.D.
27-16 23rd Ave, Astoria (N Train to Ditmars)
With Sam & Bill, Killy Dwyer, Lauren Hope Krass, and more!

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Genesee Theater, October 3!

The Genesee Theater in my hometown of Waukegan, Illinois has been beautifully restored and has been back hosting national and international acts for over a decade, and yours truly has the great honor of headlining a comedy night there on October 3. I’ll be turning in a 45-minute set preceded by Sean Flannery, Ariana Freeman, and hosted by Kelsie Huff.

Flyer for October 3 show

When I was growing up in Waukegan the theater was kind of run down but still open mostly for movies, by the time I was in junior high it was closed except for an occasional event, but it eventually closed completely. There had been different attempts and plans to refurbish it and I had always hoped they would succeed. Finally, the City of Waukegan bought the building and many volunteers gave their time and money to restore it, and they did an amazing job. It is a beautiful venue and an amazing place to see a show.

Genesee Theater Interior

I am eagerly anticipating this show and am going to do everything I can to pack the place and make sure it’s a night to remember for everyone. If you’re in the Chicago or Milwaukee areas (Waukegan is about halfway between the two) make plans to come to downtown Waukegan for the show. You won’t be disappointed.

Saturday, October 3
Awakenings Comedy Show
The Genesee Theater

203 N. Genesee St.
Waukegan, IL 60085

I’ll be Guest of Honor at MarsCon!

MarsCon Dementia Track Banner

I am really excited to be the Musical Guest of Honor at this year’s MarsCon, a fan-run science fiction and fantasy convention that features an extensive Dementia Music Track. What is Dementia Music, you ask? Comedy, novelty, oddity, and strange music of the kind curated by the great Dr. Demento, who’s syndicated FM radio show was the home of comedy music for decades.

Dr. Demento moved from the FM airwaves to the internet’s data packets and still brings novelty music to his devoted fans every week. I first heard Dr. D’s show when I was in junior high, and the first time one of my songs was played on his show was one of my earliest—and still most cherished—career highlights. Which is why when I say I’m very flattered to be a guest of honor at a convention that brings together his fans and curates music in his spirit you know I mean it.

This year’s lineup of artists is extensive and there will be fun performances all weekend long, including the likes of:

If you’re a Sci Fi and/or comedy music fan and can get to the Twin Cities area the first weekend in March you should definitely come check out this very grass-roots, fan-run convention. They have a fundraiser over at their site, it’s a DIY fest without any corporate backing so if you’d like to help them out I know it would be greatly appreciated. And they have some great rewards for various levels of support.

I hope to see you in the Twin Cities!

© Paravonian