Bainbridge Island comedian Rodney Sherwood is set to begin the second season of his YouTube show “My Life is a Highway” — a travel-centric series about motorcycles, touring, road tripping, track riding, RVs and other things in motion — a little closer to home.
The Emmy Award-winning performer, a past runner up in the Seattle International Comedy Competition, will headline a five-comedian lineup as part of a special one-night-only event to be recorded live at The Triple Door in Seattle at 8 p.m. Monday, April 15.
“We’re doing a five-camera shoot,” Sherwood said. “I’m going to come out and do a little audience warm-up and then the band, the XO Fenders, are going to play three songs off their new album.”
After that, things get a little funny.
Actually, a lot funny.
“Then I come out and we just go start to finish — no safety net, it’s live TV,” Sherwood said. “We’re going to tape the entire thing live and whatever happens, happens.”
While the ultimate home of the finished, edited product has yet to be determined, Sherwood said the team involved, both behind and on stage, is ideal.
“Everybody we wanted to get crew-wise we were able to secure for the shoot,” he said. “The only weak link in the show is me.”
Also on the ticket, in addition to the four-piece rock outfit, are Northwest comedians Duane Goad, Monica Nevi, Kermet Apio and Vince Valenzuela, who will each do about 10 minutes.
“I wanted to showcase other comedians who have had some national exposure, but that I am just a huge fan of,” Sherwood said. “I think we’ve got a great group across the board of different aspects, ages and approaches to standup.
“All these comedians have performed nationally and internationally and they’re based out of the Northwest, which is one of the big things that I really wanted to push; to get these comedians that have had some success nationally and internationally and get them on this one show talking about their take on travel and what it’s like for them.”
Travel is the theme of the evening, the perfect tie-in to the imminent second season of “My Life is a Highway,” also the name of the Triple Door event.
“The connective thread is going to be all travel-related standup comedy material,” Sherwood said.
“We’ve all got that itch to kind of get out of our normal where we’re at and go see something new or experience something different, or maybe even go to a place we’ve been before because it brings up memories or it’s a family tradition. We all travel for so many different reasons, but we all do travel, we all want to. It’s the call.”
Goad is a Canadian-born, Seattle-based comedian who has entertained audiences all over the U.S. and Canada with his quick, sarcastic and self-deprecating style of comedy.
He has performed at some of North America’s top comedy clubs including Yuk Yuks, The Improv and Comedyworks. He’s been featured at numerous comedy festivals including Funny or Die’s Oddball Comedy Festival, the Las Vegas Comedy Festival, the Bumbershoot Arts Festival and the Vancouver Comedy Festival.
He was a finalist in the Seattle International Comedy Competition and has shared the stage with some of the best comics in the business, including Jim Gaffigan, Flight Of The Conchords, Bill Burr, Brad Garrett, Maria Bamford, The Impractical Jokers, Damon Wayans and music superstars The Jacksons.
Nevi is a native of the Seattle area, having grown up in Renton. She performed in the Bridgetown Comedy Festival and the Seattle International Comedy Competition as well as finishing first place in the Olympic Peninsula Comedy Competition.
In 2015 she was one of the solo show performers for the comedy section of Bumbershoot, and has opened for Ari Shaffir, Erik Griffin, Sarah Colonna and Nick Swardson, among many other impressive names.
She is also the co-host of the popular HugLife Podcast.
Apio is a Hawaii-born comedian now living in Seattle. He was the winner of the 2009 Great American Comedy Festival and has had numerous appearances on television and radio. He has showcased at comedy festivals in Aspen, Las Vegas, and Vancouver and has performed in 47 states and three Canadian provinces. He is a past winner of the Seattle Comedy Competition and was a semi-finalist in the San Francisco Comedy Competition.
Valenzuela is known for a “fast-paced, witty and delightfully edgy blend of lovable sarcasm and cynicism.”
He has shared the stage with such iconic comedians as Adam Sandler, Bobcat Goldthwait, Robert Klein, Paul Rodriguez, Richard Jeni, Howie Mandel, Jay Mohr and Carlos Mencia.
His standup gained national recognition from several television appearances including Comedy Central’s “Make Me Laugh” and A&E’s “An Evening at the Improv,” HBO’s “Loco Slam,” USA’s “Up All Night,” Si’Tv’s “Funny is Funny,” “Entertainment Tonight” and many more.
Tickets for “My Life is a Highway” are on sale; $20 in advance ($25 at the door) and available at www.the tripledoor.net.
The entire first season of the show is on YouTube; search” “My Life is Highway” or visit www.youtube.com/channel/UC781DFo5u08 EebxjrTQcbjQ.
