January isn't always easy to face, with a whole year looming ahead. And the daily onslaught of depressing political, financial and crime news doesn't help
That's why there are comedians. A strong lineup of stand-up comics, ranging from rising regional favorites to nationally known performers, will play Sonoma County venues in the coming weeks.
So cheer up. Help is on the way. Here are the details, along with quips culled from the comedians' Web pages, Facebook, Tweets and past interviews:
Today -#8212; "Stand-Up Comedy" with David Studebaker, 8:30 p.m., Redwood Cafe, 8240 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati. $10. 795-7868, redwoodcafe.com.
Background: David Studebaker of Rohnert Park was named "One of the 10 Best Comedians to Watch in 2013" by SF Weekly, and he also co-created the "Neighborhood Watchmen" animated Web series.
Comedic quote: "We all know there's a major problem in professional baseball, but I discovered a major problem in Little League, and that's puberty. It's an unfair advantage. There's always one kid who's enormous."
Personal note: "I rarely do shows up in Sonoma County, so come on out."
Thursday -#8212; Colin Quinn's "Unconstitutional," 8 p.m., East Auditorium, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $37. 546-3600, wellsfargocenterarts.org.
The background: In his new solo show, the "Saturday Night Live" veteran satirizes 226 years of American history in 70 minutes.
Comedic quote: "The ancient Greeks were the first ones to say, 'An unexamined life is not worth living.' They don't tell you, of course, what we found out: An examined life is not that fascinating, either."
Philosophical observation: "Humanity is a crazy contradiction. I accept us for who we are. We're not that great."
Jan. 18 -#8212; "Comedy Night" with Caitlin Gill, featuring Dash Kwiatkowski and Dan Mires and hosted by Torio Van Grol, 7 and 9:30 p.m., Murphy's Irish Pub, 464 First St. E., Sonoma. $12 in advance; $15 at the door; two-drink minimum. sonomapub.com.
Background: Caitlin Gill was a performer at the Outside Lands Festival in 2012, and has been in the SF Sketchfest festival every year since 2007. She has worked with Robin Williams, Bobcat Goldthwait and others.
Comedic quote: "The war on drugs in our house is all about the controlled substances butter and sugar."
Self-description: "Feral, but generally well-mannered and housebroken."
Jan. 29 -#8212; Larry the Cable Guy, 7 and 10 p.m., Person Theater, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $60. 546-3600, wellsfargocenterarts.org.
Background: Larry the Cable Guy is a Grammy Award nominee and Billboard Award winner. A veteran of the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour," he also is the voice of Mater in the animated feature film "Cars" (2006) and "Cars 2" (2011) from Disney/Pixar.
Comedic quote: "Our whole wedding cost 180 bucks. Afterward, we re-heated lasagna for everyone and set off fireworks."
Self-assessment: "As a comedian, I don't know if they're laughing because it's funny or if they're laughing at me because I'm not funny. And I'm thinking, 'Who cares? They're laughing.'"
Feb. 13 -#8212; Myles Weber, 8 p.m., Guayaki Cafe, 6782 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol. $7. 824-6644
Background: Born and raised in Vallejo, Myles Weber discovered stand-up comedy early in life, when he won a fifth-grade talent show. He has been featured on "The Ricki Lake Show," as well as, "I Almost Got Away With It" on The Discovery Channel.
Comedic quote: "Nothing says 'Happy Christmas Eve' like being at Disneyland and seeing Nicholas Cage in a cowboy hat."
Post-holiday comment: "Gift of the year for me seems to be gas cards. That's where I'm at with my life."
Feb. 15 -#8212; "Kathleen Madigan: Madigan Again," 8 p.m., Person Theater, Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $32. 546-3600, wellsfargocenterarts.org.
Background: Over her 25-year career, Kathleen Madigan has won the American Comedy Award for "Best Female Comedian," the Phyllis Diller award for "Best Female Comedian" and has performed on two USO tours to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Comedic quote: "Obama said the other night, 'I'm gonna talk about the debt crisis, but I don't want to bore you.' And I thought, 'Well, too late!'"
Introspective insight: "Sometimes I wish I was weird, so I could be as alternative as some of the alternative comics. But I can't even make my brain think that way."
You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@ pressdemocrat.com. See his ARTS blog at http://arts.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.
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