Most of us could use a good laugh these days — or at the very least a bit of a chuckle, given the prevalence of distress and despair. So credit Subs & Such, the popular Alcoa sandwich shop, with providing some ready relief, and giving Blount County its own homegrown comedy scene in the process.
Granted, a restaurant best known for its subs and salads isn’t necessarily the kind of place where comedy might be crowned king. But stand-up can be serious business, even when it’s just for laughs.
Up next: Saturday, June 13, with Nashville-based headliner Jay Flake and opener Caleb West.
Subs & Such first became a home to comedy last November, and it’s drawn an ongoing audience ever since. The series was born from an idea by Knoxville-based comedian, producer, and promoter Gibson Carney. After scouting potential locations in Maryville and Alcoa, he approached Subs & Such owner Mike Mayes about hosting monthly events at the locale.
“I was in there one day when I was in town looking for places to do comedy, and I saw the back wall with the neon sign,” Carney recalls. “That always looks good in a comedy show. The moment I said, ‘Hey, I want to do a comedy show here,’ Mike replied, ‘You got it, man!'”
That’s the way it ought to be, Carney figures.
“I think it happened the way any good thing in a small town happens,” he says in retrospect. “I love local business. I love supporting local business because I personally run two small businesses.”
His aptly-dubbed Bear Belly Laughs not only produces stand-up shows but also videos and a podcast. “It’s me and my buddies,” Carney says of the staff. “I wanted to give us a platform where we didn’t necessarily have to move to a bigger city in order to pursue our dreams of being funny.”
For Blount County, that means a real comedy night without the drive into Knoxville. Carney and Mayes first began discussing the idea last September and, given the locale, opted to dub the series “Comedy On Rye.” Shows generally fall on the second weekend of each month, though the specific date varies.
Of course, some might say the idea of presenting stand-up in a sub shop is a bit strange. Carney points to Subs & Such’s venerable reputation as a favorite destination for diners since 1983.
“They literally just had their 43rd birthday,” Carney notes. “I even did a promotional video for their birthday celebration. Personally, I love Subs & Such. I came in here last November to get lunch and I walked out with a show.”
When Carney introduced Seth Crowe, Trevor Hutto, David Castillo, and Andrew McAffry this past week, it led to a steady stream of belly laughs from an enthusiastic audience of nearly 50 people. Drama, despair, dysfunction, and various self-effacing subjects gave the comedians a common cause.
“Everybody that performed actually lives in Knoxville,” Carney explained. “Funny enough, I believe Knoxville has one of the best underground comedy scenes in the country. We have more people start in Knoxville and move to other cities.”
Carney says he spots most of the talent he eventually books at open mics, and he often travels across the country in search of outstanding entertainers.
“I’m pretty picky about who I think is funny,” he insists. “So when I see somebody who’s funny, I’m like, ‘Hey, I run a show, and I want to have you come out. Send me some possible dates and we’ll figure out when we can get you in town.’ If I’m in a different town, I’m going to hit open mics. I hang out with the other comics at the open mics, and if they’re like, ‘Hey, you’re pretty funny,’ then I’m like, ‘Hey, you’re pretty funny too.’ The furthest west I’ve been is Minneapolis, but I’ll be in Denver later this summer to scout or perhaps to perform.”
Carney has been promoting for four years in addition to operating a medical massage business. Although the two are decidedly different, he manages to keep them in sync. He maintains a philosophical view of what it takes to succeed in stand-up.
“Comedy is one of those games that’s like an absolute war of attrition, because no matter how good your stage presence is, no matter how good your jokes are, there’s that element of simply who you know,” he says. “I have some good connections. Like others in the entertainment industry, I have some people who are gatekeeping me. I’m a gatekeeper because I’m a promoter. The guy who gatekeeps me is another comic, and every time we talk, he’s telling me, ‘Hey, you need to do this better and that better.’ You can’t stop learning. The way you get better at comedy is just by being on stage.”
Carney says he made the commitment to his craft early on. “When I was six or seven years old, my parents took videos of me on really bad cameras getting on our kitchen table and shaking my butt like Superman,” he explains. “So I knew then I was going to be an entertainer, long before I knew what being an entertainer was. I was a musical theater school dropout who realized I’m good at dancing, I’m good at singing, but I’m so much better at being the comic relief.”
“My mom ruined me when I was a kid,” Carney adds. “We never had any money. But I was doing magic tricks for my mom when I was like eight years old. Once, when I completely messed up the trick, I looked at my mom and said, ‘Mom, if I can’t do magic, what will I do with my life?’ And my mom looked at me, and she said, ‘You can do anything you set your mind to. Go after it and go get it.’ That’s all I think about now. If I want it, I’m gonna go get it.”
