Accidental Comedy Fest 2017: Ron Funches

For Clevelanders, things have been pretty sweet entertainment-wise lately.

The Cavs have basically camped out in the NBA finals for the last few years. The Indians are fresh off their recent World Series appearance and possibly headed for another (current win streak: thirteen!). We have the Rock Hall here too. We also have amazing comedy. And I'm not just talking about the last few seasons for the Browns. The Accidental Comedy Fest is bigger and better than ever now. And it took place at Hilarities.

Which is definitely one of the premier comedy clubs in America.

Right here in Cleveland.

For those who may wonder what the Fest is or why I would include it with such lofty names, I would say...you didn't go. Because anyone who went would understand. It was a spectacle. It was reasonably-priced.

And it was a great time with a ton (actually more than a literal 2 tons) of great comedians from all around the country. Five days long.

There were seven different shows on Saturday alone. Seven!

We started our journey with the Ron Funches show Friday night. We were happy to see Cody Cooper was hosting. Cody is a member of Accidental Comedy Club from Cleveland and he can be seen most Monday nights hosting "Hilario at Barrio" with Bill Squire. You can also usually catch him at East End Bistro on Thursday nights. So you should definitely do that. But Friday night he was driving what he aptly described as the "yuk yuk truck" through Hilarities main room and we were the passengers.

Cody opened up about his life, finances and romantic adventures with his girlfriend. He even gave some darkly-humorous insight into his combo plan to quit smoking and, as a direct result, start a family. Sounds weird now but it made sense when he said it. And it was funny. Polite to a fault, Cody then was kind enough to introduce us all to David Joseph Perdue.

David Joseph Perdue is from Atlanta.

He is the second generation in his family to go to college and he looks like third-generation De La Soul. Which is pretty appropriate because his style is very personable and he easily draws you into his experiences. He likes his vegetables how he likes them. But now he likes his steak like a white guy. Either way, his family is impressed by where he ate and with whom. Specifically because he didn't eat it with one particular cousin. David is very funny and if you check him out that stuff will make sense. The lead-off comic is always important and it was easy to see why David got that spot Friday night. This guy is definitely someone to keep an eye on.

Next up was Petey DeAbreu. Petey is from New York City. Specifically, Da Bronx.

He was energetic and excited right off rip.

He counted the farms between New York and Cleveland and it's exactly eight thousand.

He opened with some funny comparisons between our two cities and even threw in an actual kitchen sink. Well, at least a funny joke about one. Old school vs new school is more like lead-based paint vs water-based paint to him. Possibly because he also has some views regarding the impact of weed on certain architectural structures. This guy was one of our personal favorites so far this year. Really, really funny. Go get you some Petey DeAbreu.

After Petey came Giulia Rozzi. Don't let the overalls fool you (she was wearing overalls). She has views on aging that have a lot more to do with how she gets in the ocean than with farming or "dressing like a toddler." She and her husband name their baby wipes. Why? I refuse to ruin it for you. You'll thank me for it after you check out Giulia. She also has some insightful views about fashion and interracial relationships.

If you can only see one movie with Giulia, make sure it is Mighty Ducks 2. Thankfully and finally, in 2017, there is no longer a need to distinguish funny female comics from their male counterparts. Comedy is a great equalizer of all things. And Giulia isn't funny for a female comic.

She's just funny.

And then it was headliner time. Ron Funches was strong from start to finish. He started off quietly as far as volume and meandered a bit, but not without purpose. Ron has a very smooth stage presence. He claims to hate work but that must not include comedy. He obviously works very hard at his craft.

His lead-ins are usually soft and low-key. The story is never predictable.

It goes where he takes it and the more you try to figure out what is going on, the funnier it gets. His often whispery-soft delivery is a great vehicle to command audience attention. And it worked perfectly. We were all glued to what he was saying. And that was a good thing because Ron was puttin' down the funny.

Using cheese pizza as a parenting tool? Yep. And you will never guess how. You may not even approve. But you'll laugh. And you'll understand race relations better too. All from pizza? Again, yep. Ron's all about things like pizza and Sheppard's Pie because, and we'll use our Bill Squire racial translator to quote Ron here..."I'm a savory (fella), always have been, always will be." The only sweet thing he likes is The Rock.

And if you EVER need a drag name...just ask Ron Funches. He's got a few ready to go that he may let you use. But at the very least, check out his comedy. This guy is big-time funny. As evidenced by the extremely long line to get a picture with him after the show. The crowd absolutely loved him.

So that was just the FIRST NIGHT for us. And it was awesome!!!

Check us out tomorrow to see how the next day went with

"Doug Loves Movies".

And a big thanks to Accidental Comedy Club and Hilarities for their hospitality and for hosting and producing an amazing comedy event.