The Happy Mondays...

Mornin' 18 Milers! It's another lovely day here in the Granite State - I hope all of you had a great weekend! Mine was spent working my 9-to-5 gig, and, of course, spending time with my wonderful mother for Mom's Day. Though it was all good, I must confess, I am wiped out! However, I can always muster up the energy for some great comedy and live music - how bout you guys? If you're looking for a chuckle, gaffaw, or a belly laugh, the comedy improv group Stranger Than Fiction has not one, but two performances this week! First off, they will have another live online show at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13th - just head over to www.mogulus.com/improvcomedy and join the fun! Then, on Thursday, May 15th, they will perform at Concord's Barley House at 8:00 p.m. The cost is $5, but if you watch the online show, you may be given a secret password that will get you into the performance for free!

We've also got some great live music happening around the state tonight, so if you are looking to cut loose after pretending for a whole Sunday that you do wear that ugly turtleneck your mother gave you for your birthday, you've come the right place! Here are the shows for tonight:

Peterborough
Town Library: Chatterbox, Velcrows, The Youngest Sun, and Lymbyc Systm ($5)

Londonderry
Whippersnappers: Embur

Concord
Hermanos: State Street Combo
The Red Blazer: open mike w/ Randy Arrant

Manchester
Breezeway: piano night w/ Robert D
Shaskeen: trad. Irish session

Portsmouth
Press Room: PJ Donahue Quartet
Red Door: Milo Greene, Uke Springsteen and Breakfast Song

A little something for everyone tonight!

Buenos Jueves! That's Happy Thursday for all you non-Spanish speakers out there. Well, we are near the end of the week already and I can't get over all of the great shows and events the Granite State has coming up just this weekend alone - I have a feeling this summer is just going to be kickin for entertainment in the state!

The other night, I headed over to Concord's Red River Theatres to catch their I Love a Mystery film series, which is really just a brilliant idea - and, thankfully, I believe they are going to keep these kinds of series going! I watched the ultimate "thunderstorm" classic, The Spiral Staircase, which is great if you haven't seen it! Amazing camera effects for its time, great performances all around, and although it came out in 1945, its still pretty darn creepy. You have one last chance to catch it tonight at 7:00 p.m. - make sure to get your tickets soon, because the one I went to was all but sold out! They'll finish out the series with The Kennel Murder Case (April 22-14) and Witness for the Prosecution (April 29-May 1), so don't miss it - it's really a lot of fun!

If comedy is what you are seeking tonight, those hilarious folks from Stranger Than Fiction will be performing live at The Barley House in Concord tonight at 8:00 p.m. And who couldn't stand to laugh their ass off all night, am I right?

Okay, if film or comedy doesn't grab you, there are some great live shows around the state tonight:

• LACONIA - Sworn Testimony (7:00 p.m., Awakenings)
• HANOVER - Dan Weintraub (8:00 p.m., Murphy's)
• KEENE - Last Chance (9:00 p.m., Gino's Bar)
• MANCHESTER - Mr. Vertigo and Living Syndication (8:00 p.m., Milly's)

Learn Improv with Stranger Than Fiction!

Looking for a unique way to spend a Sunday afternoon? Ever dreamed of being on TV's Whose Line is it Anyway? Aspiring actors and comedians will explore their creative potential in an improvisational comedy and theatre class that culminates in a stage performance. Offered in association with improv comedy troupe Stranger Than Fiction, "Foundations of Improv" will begin Sunday, April 27th and run for 8 weeks at the O2 Yoga Studio in downtown Portsmouth. Space is limited. Register at www.strangerthanfiction.us.

According to instructor John Herman, the class is aimed at providing local performers the opportunity to experience the level of study found at comedy schools in New York and Chicago. "Over the years, we've had a lot of interest in improv classes in New Hampshire. We are very serious about our comedy, and we wanted to provide training that released inhibitions and unlocked performance potential."

Herman brings over ten years if improv performance and directing to the class. He adds that the class isn't just about theater games. "Our goal is to foster fully realized characters, spontaneous creativity, and artistic collaboration. Performers of all experience levels will be able to explore the roots of improv, and the class culminates in an improv performance in front of a real live audience!"

Stranger Than Fiction was created to spread the art of improv through performance and education. In addition to shows and classes, the troupe also hosts a summer improv retreat called Camprov that attracts improv comedians internationally. For more information and class registration, check out www.strangerthanfiction.us.

Feature: The "Strange" Worlds of John Herman

Thursday night found me at another stellar Stranger Than Fiction show at Concord's The Barley House, where bread pudding and heroin-addicted Care Bears reigned supreme. As usual, the talented troupe (Brian Paul, Brian Spielvogel, Chris Bujold, John Herman, Mia Stendahl, Noah Sheola, and Petrus Albus) put on a performance to make the $5 Amstel Light's come out your nose. Afterwards, I was able to pull STF's director and cast member, John Herman, aside to talk about Stranger Than Fiction and his new project, Gravityland, a television web series premiering March 3rd at http://www.gravityland.com/.

Sitting down at an old wood-paneled Pac-Man video game table - the kind you used to find in Pizza Huts as a kid - this self-described "artist, writer, media maker, and teacher with a strong interest in collaborative work" and I talked television, comic books, and how the web is the ultimate in entertainment democracy.

As the Artistic Director of Stranger Than Fiction, one of Herman’s latest undertakings has been the free, live web improv shows broadcast on the online web studio, http://www.mogulus.com/. (their next show will be March 11th at 7:30 p.m.!) These audience-interactive shows are the closest thing to seeing a STF performance in person. Through the site, users can type in suggestions for the troupe (which the other online users can see) and feel that fabulous rush of euphoria when their suggestion is chosen for the scene!

“This last one we did (broadcast Feb. 12th) was only the second web show we’ve done,” explains Herman. “Every time we do it, we have technical difficulties, but each time we've learned from the last one and it kind of adds some excitement to doing these. We never know what’s going to come up with the shows. This company we do these through has only been around for a few months, and already we’re hearing how psyched people are that we’re doing these. Nobody else is doing these kind of live improv shows on this site, so we’re pretty excited.”

Something must obviously be working, because the STF web shows have already garnered over 12,000 hits on the Mogulus site. Herman sees this kind of interest becoming infectious. “I really think there's something there - because I've never seen anything that can really capture a live comedy show," says Herman. "You have shows like Who's Line Is It Anyway, which can’t really replicate the give and take of a live improv show. A live show is never bad, because it all comes from the audience and it’s something new every time.”

There’s no great PR strategy behind these free shows, no hidden agendas lurking in back of the cast member’s minds in doing these. As Herman puts it: “We're really just doing this to see if we can do it!”

A fan of artistic risk-taking, Herman’s newest project, Gravityland, seeks to push his interest in web entertainment into an even more ambitious arena. This web-only TV series is debuting with two new episodes on March 3rd, and continuing with a weekly series of five-minute episodes. The show weaves an interactive tale shot entirely in New Hampshire with a cast of local talent. But, with the STF web shows and now Gravityland, Herman is finding that this local production is finding world-wide interest. “Yeah, it seems like every month we’re figuring out we’ve got friends all over the world – London, Paris, Tokyo. It’s great, this kind of response we’re getting from all these people.”

Running strong on early positive feedback, Gravityland seeks to set the bar even higher, not only with episodes each week, but also viewer challenges, podcasts, interviews, and more. For those worried how all this might affect Stranger Than Fiction, relax. “I don’t see it affecting it at all,” says Herman. “Fortunately, a lot of the STF cast is involved with Gravityland. I’m very passionate about the projects I do, and STF remains a priority not only for me but for everyone else as well.”

If Herman has a watchword, it’s collaboration. Not one to point a finger and bark orders, he genuinely appreciates contribution and teamwork, knowing that those are the tools that will get the best results, and with Gravityland, it’s no exception. “As production continues, I get more and more email from people who want to help. It is very exciting,” he says. “Everyone is a volunteer and collaborator. The show has a dedicated crew for producing all the strange stuff the script dictates - for example, I recently I asked the crew to build a suit out of aluminum foil.”

And though Herman leans on others for producing such necessities as aluminum foil suits, he’s not content to sit in the wings, preferring to dig in and get his hands dirty wherever he can, whether it’s editing, filming, or even drawing. “In the end, I do all the editing for Gravityland,” he says. “I am also illustrating the tie-in comic book called The Old Man and the Whale.” The comic book will also soon be available to the public, a fact that excites Herman. "I've always wanted to do a comic book," he says, "and I’ve already got a publisher lined up for it!"

Funding a project like this can also be an enormous undertaking, but like almost all of his projects, Herman relies and thrives on collaboration to make them come to life. “Right now, the whole thing is out of pocket,” says Herman. “As word spreads, we have some exciting inquiries from potential show sponsors. And several people have asked if they could just give some money to support the show. The answer is YES - we have a support page at the Gravityland website and we think we have a lot to offer for individuals and businesses who want to join up.”

Ultimately, Gravityland is Herman’s love letter to the places, stories, and talents of New Hampshire and the people who live and work there. “People will soon discover that the show is a real cross section of New Hampshire artistry. Gravityland is video, graphic literature, music, and unique opportunities for interactivity.”

Herman doesn’t see his online media aspirations as the singular vision of one man, but rather as a trend that will continue as the full potential for web shows unfolds. With websites like YouTube, MySpace, and Mogulus, the next great breeding ground for network television series seems to be online. “Look at shows like Quarterlife,” explains Herman. “This started out as a web series and now has been picked up by NBC. I think you’re going to see more networks adapting these kinds of shows.”

This being a blog on the arts scene in New Hampshire, I couldn’t leave the conversation without asking Herman, as a rising local media mogul, what his thoughts were on the arts scene in the state and where he sees it going. “From my perspective, the sky is the limit. The Internet enables artists to reach a global audience no matter where they are from. New Hampshire has always inspired a diversity of artists and mediums. In the months and years to come, this will mean fireworks for the local scene. If artists stay creative and savvy, then the world is their oyster. We are truly at the center of a revolution. A creative epicenter not dictated by region is an exciting notion indeed.”

Let's all get us some exploding Hot Pockets!

Got those end-of-February blahs? Gotta admit - so do I! So, to relieve my winter ennui, I'll be at the Stranger Than Fiction show on Thursday, February 21 at The Barley House in Concord. They'll be on the Barley's subterranean stage (just follow the stairs down!) The show starts at 8:00 p.m. And make sure to bring some comedy fuel for the fire, whether it's tasty exploding microwave meals, slow-witted rollergirls, or ties that come to life! For more about STF, visit http://www.strangerthanfiction.us/.

Killer snowflakes, courtesy of Stranger Than Fiction

Well, my lovely 18 Miles readers, today will be an all-from-home edition, since...well...I'm stuck at home due to this wretched ice and snow storm. But it's not all bad. Even though I will have to do my 9-to-5 stuff, I can also blast some Curtis Mayfield and The Shins without fear of coworker recrimination! And speaking of great tunes, I'll have some more live show info for you guys later.

So last night, while the snow was falling, I was actually inside enjoying my own personal improv show - brought to me live from the talented folks from Stranger Than Fiction! The STF gang performed another live, web-only show last night that I was able to watch and participate in real-time from my home computer. And though there were the inevitable glitches that come with any technology, the whole thing went pretty smoothly. If you haven't participated in one of their web shows, they'll be doing more in the near future, so don't miss it! They are a blast to watch - who wouldn't love baby tidalwaves and killer snowflakes?

If you need your STF fix sooner, they will be doing a flesh-and-blood live performance once again at The Barley House in Concord on Thursday, February 21 at 8:00 p.m.

Review: STF Tickles Humor Bone & Other Appendages...

For those uninitiated who have never seen a Stranger Than Fiction performance, be forewarned: you will be asked to participate, even before the show starts. Upon entering the downstairs lair of Concord's The Barley House Saturday night, which looks like my 8th grade friend Meg's rec room (except for the stocked bar - she just had grape Shasta), I was asked to write down a sentence/phrase on a slip of paper for the group to use at some point during the show.

I'll confess right now, nothing inspired came to mind. Maybe it was because of the Campaign Trail ale in my hand, but the first thing that came to mind was that Seinfeld line, "these pretzels are making me thirsty." So I scribbled it down and went to take my seat on one of the Miami Vice-esque black leather sofas. In addition to me, there were two other girls in the audience, but one of the troupe members assured us that more would be coming from a dinner party upstairs and would we mind waiting a few minutes more. I always brake for comedy, so we said no.

With that, the group proceeded to warm themselves up with some sort of bizarre vocal exercise that was like walking through a UNH frat house on an average Tuesday night: meowing, horse whinnies, moaning, a medley from Willy Wonka, and snippets of that Moody Blues Song, Nights in White Satin. Man, that was enough entertainment for me - I could have gone home satisfied after that. But, I stuck around and as the basement filled in, they were ready to begin.

I won't try to describe it all, because as with most good improv, Stranger Than Fiction defies explanation. There were Jedi octopus's, angry beach-goers, British teddy bear experts, and gratuitous use of the phrase "tuna boat," along with some really good sports in the audience. All in all, a pretty great show. One of the tests of a solid improv team, is not so much how often they make the audience laugh, but how much they make each other laugh. And when I wasn't watching the performers on stage, I was watching their fellow troupe members roar with laughter and what they were doing. These guys have tremendous respect for each other's talents and it shows.

In a March 2007 interview with The Portsmouth Herald, troupe member Noah Sheola stated, “What we’re doing is really shooting to be the premier group in New Hampshire.” I'm just going to go ahead and put this to rest - Stranger Than Fiction is the premier improv group in the state. Not only are they workhorses in this industry, but their shows become anticipated events that people make an effort to see and that's not nothing in this state. Though the faces have changed through the years and their show style has been adjusted and reshaped as a result, they remain a tight unit with the mad comic skills to back it up.

With their first live online improv show behind them and a huge success, STF will again do a web-only show Tuesday, February 5. Once again, the audience can participate online during the show, and - bonus - there's no charge or 2-crappy drink minimum required (though it is encouraged). Login to www.mogulus.com/improvcomedy beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST to watch the show!

Coming Attractions

Happy Friday! It's another beautiful morning in the "Live Free or Die" state, where those words became more than mere motto for my early commute into Henniker, as I simultaneously tried to de-ice my windowshield and not slam into the Irving Oil gas truck that was sluggishly chugging ahead of me.

I got the chance to check out Stranger Than Fiction's performance last night in Concord and I'll have more details on it soon. I'll also have a review of Manchester poet Nathan Graziano's latest collection, Teaching Metaphors, as well as my wrap-up from the Best of North Shore Comedy II performance at the Capitol Center. And somewhere in there, I have to get new tires for my car...

Still, I have been diligently knocking down the movies from my AFI Top 100 List in my spare time. Watched The French Connection (pretty awesome) and Do The Right Thing, which, sadly for Spike Lee was really his peak. I've seen a lot of his other films, and this was by far the best one - I had the insane urge afterwards to go out and buy every Public Enemy record ever made (Chuck D's voice is so bad-ass!). I can just see it now: a young white New Hamsphire girl with "Fight the Power" pouring out of the windows of her 1999 Ford Taurus with 90,000 miles on it.

Next in my film queue: Sophie's Choice, Bringing Up Baby, 12 Angry Men

The Lost Weekend...

Sometimes you go into things with nothing but the best intentions and then suddenly, fate intervenes and you find yourself a little more off course than you had wanted. Saturday evening I set out to cover The Brew at The Shaskeen and the battle of the bands at Milly's Tavern, when fate interceeded (fate turned out to be that it was my birthday and I was in bars all night with friends who bought drinks). Fear not though, even though I missed Milly's Tavern, I was able to get to The Shaskeen to listen to The Brew.

Funny thing was that it seemed that everywhere we went that night, people were glued to televisions watching the Pats take the Jaguars to school (Final: 31-20). So, I wasn't exactly surprised that when the band came in, they headed straight for the nearest television, and when they did play, it was start and stop inbetween commercials. This is what I get for living in New England. However, the crowd was definitely into them and there were plenty of merry granola girls dancing in front of the stage as they covered Tom Jones's "You Sexy Thing."

Though I feel I've let down my beloved 18 Mile readers on this endeavor, fear not. On Thursday, January 17 I will be at Concord's The Barley House to watch comedy troupe Stranger Than Fiction perform at 8:00 p.m. I hope I'll see some of you there!

(Paige - getaway driver, subversive prank texter, and all-knowing oracle for the evening)

(In my defense, only a few of these were mine - after all, it takes a village...)

(Rob, who in addition to this little trick, has perfected the art of picking up simultaneous waitresses)

(Me with some much needed java the morning after - I fell asleep in those glasses. Sheesh.)

Stranger Than Fiction - Upcoming Performances

New Hampshire improv comedy troupe, Stranger Than Fiction, will be performing at The Barley House in Concord on Thursday, January 18 at 8:00 p.m. Only $5 to watch!

STF will also perform an online show on Tuesday, January 15 at 7:30 p.m. at http://www.mogulus.com/improvcomedy. This web-only, FREE show allows you to watch the zany majesty that is Stranger Than Fiction from the comfort of your home, office, or Armageddon bunker deep in the Mojave Desert and provide suggestions in a chat room. For more information, contact info@strangerthanfiction.us.