Good Evening News

“Please rise for the national anthem.”

From the dark curtains emerges a hooded figure, sunglassed and blue-jeaned. The crowd rises as this suspicious incognito belts all 3 minutes and 36 seconds of “She Hates Me” by Puddle of Mudd without any accompaniment of music or rhythmic sound. A perfectly executed solo-acapella performance that even allotted an empty silence for what would have been the guitar solo.

Hands over hearts turn into applause as the opening song wraps.

“Give it up for your hosts of Good Evening News.”

The two hosts walk out onto the stage with their best suits and take their seats at the news desk like anchors of old. They thank the crowd and share their first headline of the night:

“Tonight and tonight only: All drinks are full price. The ol’ 2 for 2 deal.”

The anchors themselves are wielding their drinks of choice while shuffling their papers and introducing their one-man house band, Necromancer Nick, a cadaverous axe man whose tasty licks are as dangerous as his presence on stage.

“Alright, who’s ready for headlines?”

Like clockwork this is how every Good Evening News begins, every Tuesday at the Sunset Strip Comedy Club. But this smooth opening was not always the structure and this comedy club was not always the home of the show. When Good New Evening News was first introduced to the world, it was on the stage of The Creek and The Cave. The first show was just news headlines and it left a lot to be desired.

“What sparked the idea was we wanted to do a monologue news thing just cause it was different from your regular comedy showcase and would be something different to offer. It was more news-oriented back then and we quickly realized how fucking boring it was for anybody who came to see it.”

Says Jack Timmons, who with Cody Miears served as the founding hosts of the show. Despite the underwhelming debut, the brilliance of the idea could not be ignored and continued to burn within them to make the show something special and sustainable. Trial and error continued but it would be their decision to divorce from being a strictly news show that would lead them to finding their footing and open the path to more comics understanding the playground they had created.

“We started lending the stage to other comics to develop their own bits, they just had to be tangents of the news. We’ve learned the more we let the leash out the more fun the show is for the audience, the performers, and for us.”

The leash could not be looser for comics who take the stage as Jack and the other anchors prioritize not having any knowledge what each comic will be presenting for their news-adjacent segment. Comics take on a persona and powerpoint presentation for each segment that ranges from highly produced to the text- box still being visible and all with no guarantee the destination they had planned for the audience is where you’ll end up. To give a small sample size of regular segments performed at The Creek And The Cave:

DON’T 512

Matt Boyd breaks down the events listed on Do 512 and exactly why you should avoid them.

CASEY ROCKET WEATHER

As unpredictable as weather itself.

GAY SPORTS WITH JOSE DA’HYPE

You just have to watch this one, preferably with your dad.

FINANCE NEWS WITH FINANICAL ANALIST NICKY C

Where sanity and savings hang in your balance.

DEVELOPING STORY

OJ Simpson. Clinton Impeachment. Small potatoes compared to what’s breaking in this segment.

All of these are available to watch on YouTube. But what YouTube does not offer is being a part of this unhinged atmosphere where the breakdown of formaility on stage recruits you to be as a part of the show as the performers.

There is just enough organization to let you know a sense of structure exists but this stage does not take itself too seriously. Not a place to be informed but rather a place to let your hair down and enjoy the best comedic talent Austin has to offer performing their favorite news routines and in a new form that gives them a chance to exercise jokes to an audience outside of their norm stand-up routine.

Although the show had finally found it’s bread and butter on stage, it was not immune to some external obstacles like competing with the long-running live podcast, Kill Tony, or the simple fact that Monday nights don’t always draw the biggest crowds. The show decided to power down without the expectation of a return. Unsure if it would ever be on stage again and unsure if they even wanted to revive after feeling drained of the time and energy already poured into the production. But after a few months sabbatical, it would be the opening of the Sunset Strip Comedy Club on West 6th and their request for the show to return to their stage and in a new time slot - Tuesday night. No major competition for the active Austin comedy crowd, enough of a rest from the weekend to want a little taste of night time action, and not a lame ass Wednesday.

To the uninitiated, Tuesdays in Austin, Texas are a time and place where magic is created and found. It’s where you will experience the best music show of your life and encounter strangers who will become your best friends going forward if not family. Memories your brain will refuse to erase are born on Tuesday nights. So with all these grand convergences occurring on this one night a week, why not add a little strange comedy?

Timmons was taken aback by how much the comedy community not only loved the show but wanted it back in the world. He agreed to resurrect Good Evening News but now with all the experience of having run the show and seeing what works and what doesn’t work. Build it to be better, faster, stronger and above all never compromise on it’s unsecret ingredient:

What the fuck is going on?

With the addition of the pre-taped commercials, Phil Garcia’s Man on the Street, Grant Adcock’s Donny Haines, and Necromancer Nick as the in-house band - the show has more to offer than ever before and with a regular crowd of Tuesday-loving fans along with comics who pop in to see the show whether they’re on stage or not.

The regular faces on stage these days include but are not limited to:Ike Rafferty, Reier Cammerman, Patrick Depari, Heather Keith, Nick Cox, Joey Smith, Matty Stu, Fuzzy Khilji, Kandance Medina, Conrad Fagan, Casey Rocket, Liz Splatt, Scott Fillmore, Colton Jones, Ray Cheveny and more!

But there is always a revolving door of comedians trying out different bits every week. The segments have gotten more and more abstract since The Creek and The Cave days and have become a mixed bag of you don’t know what you’re going to get but you’re going to get something.. And that something might be exotic porn.. Or a tastefully photoshopped portrait of Jack performing exotic porn in various capacities.

The Co-hosts are on a rotation as well and include but not limited to:

Jack Timmons, Mikey Biggs, Reier Cammerman, Joey Smith, Patrick Depari, and KC Shornima. Shornima who now writes for the aforementioned SNL Weekend Update still performs on Good Evening News when she’s in town. Many comedians see the show not just as good fun but also a great platform to showcase their comedic skills in addition to their stand-up or at the very least the opportunity to work different muscles on stage.

The show does not share the atmosphere of a playful and friendly improv show nor is it a polished and cleanly-delivered production. Good Evening News exists in the perpetual tension of the tug-of-war knot that is pulled by both sides and constantly threatening to commit to one style before being pulled back by the other direction. These momentum shifts relentlessly continue until the bell is rung, or in this case

“Ok, that’s the news everybody.”

The show does stream live on YouTube every Tuesday night and past episodes are available to watch on their YouTube Channel too. If you aren’t in Austin on Tuesday nights, this is a great way to keep up with the best of the comedy scene in this town. If you are in Austin, it is imperative that you get your butt down to Sunset Strip to experience this unmatched atmosphere firsthand and add another essential experience to your Tuesday night collection.

There’s no guarantee what you’ll see, hear or smell but it’s these elements of discovery, surprise, and shock that inject Good Evening News with the chaotic charm that makes it the hottest live news in the world.