Fraser Valley Comedy’s March lineup features some familiar faces, and some new ones.
The headliner on March 3 is Simon King.
He has been featured at many comedy festivals including: The Just For Laughs Festival, The Vancouver International Comedy Festival, The TBS Las Vegas Comedy Festival, The Winnipeg Comedy Festival and The HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado.
A veteran touring comic, he is not only a workhorse performer averaging nearly four hundred shows a year but also an extremely prolific writer. In addition to numerous film and television credits, in 2008 The Comedy Network and CTV filmed a one-hour special starring him for the popular series Comedy Now.
In early 2013 King recorded a second special, this one a half hour long, for the No Kidding series on Toronto-based iChannel. He has been featured in The LA times, the alternative arts paper the Georgia Straight, The Hollywood Reporter and many others.
Simon King: Friday, March 3, 8-9:30 p.m. at Major League 2 Taphouse and Sports Pub (45768 Gaetz St.) – festival style seating. Come early to secure your favourite seats (no reservations). Free event.
On March 10, it’s Chris Griffin, winner of the 2016 Yuk Off Comedy Competition, and has performed at the Just For Laugh’s North West Comedy Festival.
Griffin, having endured over a decade of Family Guy jokes, entered the world of standup comedy to reclaim his name. He won his hometown’s Great Canadian Laugh Off in his first year, earning him a trip to Toronto to perform in the finals. The early success inspired him to quit his stable job and put his two degrees towards doing what he knows best – drinking and telling jokes.
Griffin is well on his way to his life goal of being a full blown alcoholic. His unique humour merges intelligence with a blue collar upbringing to create a perspective that is equal parts biting and empathetic to the human condition.
He was featured on iChannel’s No Kidding, performed in the 2015 YYComedy festival, 2015 Funnyfest and appeared in the Sled Island Music and Arts Festival.
Griffin recorded his first full length comedy special at the EPCOR Centre’s Engineered Air Theatre. The Mixtape was released at the end of 2013 coinciding with his move to Vancouver where he now resides.
Chris Griffin: Friday, March 10, 8-9:30 p.m. at Corky’s Irish Pub (45844 Yale Rd.) – festival style seating. Come early to secure your favourite seats (no reservations). Free event.
Harris Anderson will headline the March 24 event.
He performed on Just for laughs Northwest. With a high energy style that combines mimicry, characterization, and vocal acrobatics, Anderson has been called one of Vancouver’s most exciting young comics to watch.
In the past year he has become a regular at Yuk Yuk’s and was included in the Comedy Mix’s Young Guns showcase.
Harris Anderson: Friday, March 24, 8 p.m. at Rosedale Roadhouse Bar & Grill (51277 Yale Rd.). Call 604-794-3389 for table reservations. Free event.
Patrick Maliha returns on April 1.
Maliha is the world record holder for most impressions in one minute, beating out the previous record holder, Dana Carvey. His act has been described as Ray Romano meets a 21st Century Don Rickles.
A professional stand-up comedian and talented impressionist, Maliha has headlined and emceed various shows at a multitude of comedy clubs, festivals, and corporate events through out Canada and the U.S.
In 2008 and 2009 he was voted Favourite Vancouver Comedian in the prestigious Georgia Straight ‘Best Of’ Awards and has been featured on CBC radio, XM and Sirius satellite radio’s various comedy programs. His one-hour Comedy Now special aired in the fall of 2011 on both CTV and The Comedy Network.
Patrick Maliha: Saturday, April 1, 8 p.m. at Characters Pub (8559 Young Rd.) – festival style seating. Come early to secure your favourite seats (no reservations). Free event.
Open mic night: On March 8, it’s Open Mic with Mike at Rosedale Roadhouse Bar & Grill (51277 Yale Rd. E.). It’s a free event, hosted by Mike Honkawa, and is open to all levels of comics. Come down and sign up at 7 p.m. Show starts at 8 p.m. All spots are five minutes with one 15-minute featured spot.
