If you’re ever looking for me on a Monday night, theres a pretty good chance I’m at SweetWater Brewery watching some top-notch comedy. Every other week, the brewery is taken over by 1-UP Comedy and a mob of those who love two things; laughing and drinking. There aren’t many things in Atlanta I love more than Beer and Comedy Night. It’s the best cure for anything Monday could have thrown your way, and I make a point to go as often as I can. Especially because by now I've recruited most of my friends, and it’s become our go-to girls night out (never a dull moment, or an empty glass!). April marks five years that the show has been alive, and I had the opportunity to meet with the hosts to learn more about how Beer and Comedy was born and raised.
MEET THE DUDES
DJ DURRTY MARTINEZ
I’m jealous of his music and
t-shirt collections. |
JEREMY MESI
Taught me the meaning of
life in under 5 minutes. |
JOE PETTIS
I aspire to have as many tattoos as he does one day.
|
IT STARTED WITH A TWEET
If you’re new to Beer and Comedy, I’ll let you catch up a little. It's $12 at the door and you get a cool SweetWater pint glass, six of the best beers in Atlanta, an hour of DJ Durrty Martinez throwing down the best mix of music, and two hours of the best local comedy you can find. By now you’re probably thinking ‘Where did this magical thing come from and how have I not heard about it until now!?” To backtrack a little, in 2011, Joe tweeted about how cool it’d be to do a comedy show where there was free beer, and one of the guys at SweetWater tweeted him back and this collision of ‘bro, we should totally do that’ moments happened, and then bam! Beer and Comedy Night became the best byproduct of drunk tweeting there ever was.
Think back to the first beer and comedy night ever. What was that like?
Joe: It was a little crazy cause we didn’t know what to expect, you know? Neither did the brewery.
How was the crowd?
Joe: It was mostly friends of comics, there were probably about 40-50 people that time. SweetWater doesn’t do any advertising for the show, so we had to build up the crowd ourselves.
Has it always been every other Monday?
Joe: We did spring and summer of 2011, and took off winter because the shows were all outside on the patio up to that point. So we were waiting until it was spring again, and then around December [Jeremy] was like ‘why don’t we just do a show indoors?’
See, there’s that partnership at work. Jeremy, you’ve been there since the beginning too?
Jeremy: Yeah and when you talk about the first few shows, I think that was the big contrast. I was more of the calming voice and Joe was more frantic like ‘how do we pull this all together?” and I think it’s kind of switched now. We noticed right away that every other Monday had a good reset rhythm to it, you know? It gave us enough time for the audience to forget about the show but not completely. We let a whole week go by before we even start talking about the next one.
Joe: Also, it made it feel like more of a special event, and it made people less inclined to miss it. Like if you miss one, it’s four weeks in between shows.
Yeah, people need to get their fix! That’s what I’m like.
Joe: Yeah, the regulars might miss one or two in a row, but by that third time, we’ll have 'em back.
Joe: It was a little crazy cause we didn’t know what to expect, you know? Neither did the brewery.
How was the crowd?
Joe: It was mostly friends of comics, there were probably about 40-50 people that time. SweetWater doesn’t do any advertising for the show, so we had to build up the crowd ourselves.
Has it always been every other Monday?
Joe: We did spring and summer of 2011, and took off winter because the shows were all outside on the patio up to that point. So we were waiting until it was spring again, and then around December [Jeremy] was like ‘why don’t we just do a show indoors?’
See, there’s that partnership at work. Jeremy, you’ve been there since the beginning too?
Jeremy: Yeah and when you talk about the first few shows, I think that was the big contrast. I was more of the calming voice and Joe was more frantic like ‘how do we pull this all together?” and I think it’s kind of switched now. We noticed right away that every other Monday had a good reset rhythm to it, you know? It gave us enough time for the audience to forget about the show but not completely. We let a whole week go by before we even start talking about the next one.
Joe: Also, it made it feel like more of a special event, and it made people less inclined to miss it. Like if you miss one, it’s four weeks in between shows.
Yeah, people need to get their fix! That’s what I’m like.
Joe: Yeah, the regulars might miss one or two in a row, but by that third time, we’ll have 'em back.
LESS IS MORE
SweetWater Brewery before the expansion. Found on huffingtonpost.com.
When you put together as great of a show as Beer and Comedy Night, it’s only a matter of time until the word gets out. In mid February, the crowds became too large for the downstairs tasting room and were moved upstairs to accommodate. Beer and Comedy has grown beside the Atlanta comedy scene and the brewery as they gained more recognition in recent years. SweetWater completed a three-phase expansion project in 2012, which included the addition of the ever-beautiful Reel Room, meant for hosting special events. It’s wild to look back and seeing how much change can happen in five years. SweetWater has been one of my favorite brands since my parents became super fans when I was in high school, so I love being able to compare the then and now.
So, the show grew so much that you guys had to move it upstairs to the Reel Room.
Joe: Yeah, when we started the show, that whole area didn't exist. They started building that like a month after our first show. And then within a year of doing shows here it was all operational.
Jeremy: And that was really good timing for us because we had already gotten a feel for the show. SweetWater started promoting a lot with the new brewery, which drew attention to it.
Of all the three spaces you’ve done the show in, which one is your favorite?
Joe: I think I actually like the downstairs tasting room area the best, because it’s more intimate. I used to love the outdoor shows but then I got so used to being indoors that it got weird for me. The feedback and the sound just isn’t the same. Like when you’re up there, the sound of the crowd goes in different directions instead of toward the stage.
So how did DJ Durrty Martinez come in to play? Has he always been with the show?
Joe: No, he came in at the two year anniversary show. Actually, we had been borrowing a sound system from someone different every show. And I’ve known Durrty for years, and one day he was just like 'you know, dude, I’m a DJ, I have sound.’
The show has blown up in the past three or four months, what are y’all doing differently?
Joe: One thing is we’re advertising less. We used to do ads on Facebook or pass out flyers on tour days and now we don’t do any of that. You know what I think it is? It’s word of mouth. More people keep hearing about it, more are showing up and they bring friends and they,
And they get hooked!
Joe: Yeah, and in the beginning there was less of a selection of comics in Atlanta. It adds to the character of the show that we pick new comics every time and only use the best comics in town.
How many different comics have you had on the show over five years?
Joe: Probably, at least 200-300 I would say.
Joe: Yeah, when we started the show, that whole area didn't exist. They started building that like a month after our first show. And then within a year of doing shows here it was all operational.
Jeremy: And that was really good timing for us because we had already gotten a feel for the show. SweetWater started promoting a lot with the new brewery, which drew attention to it.
Of all the three spaces you’ve done the show in, which one is your favorite?
Joe: I think I actually like the downstairs tasting room area the best, because it’s more intimate. I used to love the outdoor shows but then I got so used to being indoors that it got weird for me. The feedback and the sound just isn’t the same. Like when you’re up there, the sound of the crowd goes in different directions instead of toward the stage.
So how did DJ Durrty Martinez come in to play? Has he always been with the show?
Joe: No, he came in at the two year anniversary show. Actually, we had been borrowing a sound system from someone different every show. And I’ve known Durrty for years, and one day he was just like 'you know, dude, I’m a DJ, I have sound.’
The show has blown up in the past three or four months, what are y’all doing differently?
Joe: One thing is we’re advertising less. We used to do ads on Facebook or pass out flyers on tour days and now we don’t do any of that. You know what I think it is? It’s word of mouth. More people keep hearing about it, more are showing up and they bring friends and they,
And they get hooked!
Joe: Yeah, and in the beginning there was less of a selection of comics in Atlanta. It adds to the character of the show that we pick new comics every time and only use the best comics in town.
How many different comics have you had on the show over five years?
Joe: Probably, at least 200-300 I would say.
ANNIVERSARY EXTRAVAGANZA
Found on beerandcomedy.com.
The next Beer and Comedy Night is on April 11, and it’s sure to be the biggest show yet. I’ve been hyping up the five year anniversary show for weeks now, so Monday can’t come soon enough! Hitting a milestone anniversary is a major reason to celebrate, and I can’t wait to see what Joe and Jeremy have in store for the crowd.
Okay, so tell about the anniversary show, do you have any surprises?
Joe: We’re gonna make it like the best show possible. We have to confirm, so I don’t want to drop any names, but we’ve got some pretty heavy hitters lined up.
Jeremy: We’re definitely trying to pull the best of the best, absolutely. Doc Pop will be here doing the popcorn which has clearly been a big hit if you can tell by all the popcorn on the floor at the end of the show. It keeps getting bigger every time and we’ll have a few surprises, that’s for sure.
Joe: We’re gonna make it like the best show possible. We have to confirm, so I don’t want to drop any names, but we’ve got some pretty heavy hitters lined up.
Jeremy: We’re definitely trying to pull the best of the best, absolutely. Doc Pop will be here doing the popcorn which has clearly been a big hit if you can tell by all the popcorn on the floor at the end of the show. It keeps getting bigger every time and we’ll have a few surprises, that’s for sure.
CHEERS TO THE NEXT FIVE
Beer and Comedy Night has stolen my heart as the best comedy show the city has to offer, and I can’t recommend it more highly. If you’re local to Atlanta, you need to go see this show. Everything about it, from the energy to the delicious beer and the outstanding production value has made me a total comedy nerd. Since I frequent the shows so much (and I’m their self-declared biggest fan), I’ve gotten to know Joe and Jeremy and can tell you for a fact that these two are an unstoppable team. I’ve become a huge supporter of them as hosts and as people, and to see their partnership work on and off stage is pretty awesome. I had a blast interviewing them, and to throw a little extra flavor in, I pop quizzed the guys with a lightening round of random questions. Cheers!
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