Stoney McBlaze and friends join Erica Rhodes this week at Vail Comedy Show
Courtesy photo
Erica Rhodes is headlining two Vail Comedy Show performances this week. She is performing at Moe’s Original BBQ in Eagle on Wednesday, July 5, and at Shakedown Bar in Vail Village on Thursday, July 6.
Rhodes has appeared on ABC’s Modern Family, HBO’s Veep, and Fox’s New Girl. Her standup TV appearances include NBC’s Bring the Funny and Last Call with Carson Daly. She has been seen on Comedy Central and heard on NETFLIX where Rhodes voices “Dotty” in the hit Netflix animation series, A Tale Dark and Grimm.
She will be joined by Nathan Hults and a trio of Los Angeles comedians currently touring the country, including the internet sensation Stoney McBlaze, Leonard Smith Jr. and Ray Lau. Mark Masters will host both shows.
We caught up with the Los Angeles trio and asked them some questions.
Have you ever performed in the Colorado mountains?
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No! We are so stoked to be performing in one of the most beautiful places in the whole world. We know the powder is good here and we are certain the audiences will be just as fluffy and chill.
Do you have a favorite Colorado comedy memory?
Ray has never performed outside of North Hollywood, so this is kind of a huge deal for him, but Stoney and Leonard have been to Colorado before. Our favorite memory was last year performing to a crowd full of Subaru mechanics in Denver. The whole place smelled like grease and man sweat, but the bros were down to clown and the show was incredible.
Stoney has millions of followers, Leonard and Ray are basically completely unknown. Does that affect your friendships at all?
No, not at all. We each bring a different flavor of comedy to the comedic dinner table. Sure, it’s a little harder for Stoney because he has to take hundreds of pictures after every show, but that just gives more time for Ray and Leonard to write jokes and think about other areas in their lives that they can level up.
What do you know about Vail Comedy Show?
We’ve been told it’s the best ski town comedy show in the country. We also know that living on a beautiful mountain with some of the best powder in the country can be stressful, so we are stoked to bring some laughter and stress relief to the fine people of Vail.
Any major events coming up?
After Vail we head to Denver and have four shows at the Denver Comedy Underground July 7 and 8. This whole week is all about comedy in Colorado, bringing stokes and jokes to as many Colorado Shred Lords as possible.
You live in Los Angeles but tour nationally, how does Colorado compare to other markets?
Colorado has the best crowds in the whole country. They’ve actually done studies that have shown people that live at higher altitudes have better senses of humor. The lack of oxygen forces the brain into a state of comedic fluidity that shortens the delay between neurons firing and the laughter response from the vocal chords. The laughs are also louder because of the increased lung capacity. In short we love you Colorado!
How would you describe your comedy?
We are all different. Stoney channels his jokes straight from the gods of stoke, giving him a loose spontaneity that is electric and wildly fun to watch. Leonard Smith Jr. performs like he is being robbed at gunpoint and he hits every punchline like his life depends on it. He often drinks a full gallon of water on stage because he fear sweats so much. Ray Lau has jokes that will make you laugh, but more importantly they make you think.
What do you know about Erica Rhodes and are you excited to be working with her?
Erica is one of the funniest, hardest working comedians in the world. We are so stoked to be working with her! We would also like to say for the record that we don’t think there is any truth to the rumors that she doesn’t tip. We’ve personally seen her tip.
What’s the best way for people to connect with you?
Stoney has enough followers but please follow @leonardsmithjr and @rayjlau on all socials.
Vail Comedy Show returns in August with Nathan Macintosh from The Comedy Cellar and The Tonight Show. His comedy special, ‘Money Never Wakes’ can be watched for free on YouTube. More information and tickets can be found at VailComedyShow.com.