Hey there Montreal comedy lovers!

Peopl’s Comedy is going to take a break from the monthly comedy stand up show and they will exit the scene impressively! Although not at the usual place, which is People’s nightclub. Instead, the final show will happen at Snack’N Blues bar, a perfect place to enjoy comedy, snack on something and drink beer.

The reason behind a 6 months pause in Peopl’s Comedy shows is Jess Salomon’s departure to the Big Apple City to test her luck and further develop her comic voice.

Most of the time the story goes like: “I always knew what I wanted to do and it was comedy!” Not in her case. Before testing the waters of the brutal but hilarious world of comedy she was a UN lawyer (yeah I know!) and as a lawyer she had a system.

She first took some time off to write her material and since then five years of shows, open mics and Peopl’s Comedy (which she ran together with Brad MacDonald and Freddie James) she is killing it and she is getting better and better! Going back to law is not an option anymore so this pretty funny lady is going on a little adventure to New York.

“It’s New York baby!” she almost wrote in her lease application form in the “reason for coming” box, but she didn’t, so the apartment is hers for the next 6 months.

No worries we will update you when she brings the fame back home but for now if you were looking for an awesome date night idea or just a night out on the budget, then you better come join us and Justin Williams along with Jess Salomon, Daniel Carin, Dan Haber and Nour Hadidi at Snack N’ Blues on August 25 at 9 p.m. and it’s PWYC!

Justin Williams, a comedian, a karate-man and a lover, is coming to Montreal from New York and is a friend and a guest of Jessica’s. He describes himself as “black and comfortably middle class” while mocking the urban society, life in New York and politics.

Interview with Jess Salomon

The funny and beautiful woman who started the Peopl’s Comedy with Brad MacDonald and Freddie James

Victoria Shinkaruk (VS): Why did you decide to leave us here all alone?

Jess Salomon (JS): I’ve been doing comedy for 5 years now, a monthly show in old Montreal Peopl’s Comedy, Fringe Fest a run with my own show and 3 shows during zoo fest. I just feel like it’s always good to leave your home town and go and explore other comedy scenes – I traveled before but not longer than a week or two weeks. New York’s comedy scene is the one that I enjoyed the most. Stylistically it is the place that spoke to me the most.

VS: so no more Montreal for you?

JS: You can just grow a lot more quickly and at the end of the day Montreal has a good small English comedy scene but other than that it’s mostly francophone. I am coming back after 6 months, so this is a trial period. I’ve met a few people during the times that I went there and made a few friends and just looking forward to seeing what it’s going to be like longer term.

VS: but after all New York is New York!

JS: Yeah, actually on the rental sublet application that I filled, there was a question “the reason for your move and I had to hold myself back from writing ” it’s New York City Baby!” , but I had to stop myself (laughs).

VS: Are you going to do a show when you are back?

JS: Yeah I’m sure when I’m back I’ll have a lot of new material, I hope at least! I thing I’ts good, here I’ve been using Montreal to establish my comedic voice. It’s going to be a good growing process.

VS: What happened with the Peopl’s Venue, I know you had to move it for the last show?

JS: Yeah so Peopl is not a comedy space really… it’s a boutique house music club and the whole thing started because Jojo , the principal DJ, and the owners wanted to put a comedy show there so we started doing a monthly show and we had a good run at it. A year and a few months, but it was sort of getting harder for us to draw people there, at least the last few shows over the summer.

VS: Do you know why this is happening?

JS: I don’t know why… I guess part of is related to the venue, they were doing a lot of other things there that worked for the club but didn’t really work for the comedy scene. For example, our last show we had to do it in the VIP area. it was blocked off so we had to do the show on coffee tables! It was working for them, but wasn’t necessarily working for us.

Originally they had a bunch of things that they were doing there and we lasted the longest from their experiments, but anyway it just became difficult for us to run a show there and it became expensive for them to run the show with not enough people coming.

VS: So Snack’N Blues bar, why did you choose it?

JS: One of the things that I was able to do with Peopl because I had a budget and it was important to me, is to be able to bring headliners to the show, so this month we booked Justin Williams. And since I am a woman of my word, when People Club was not an option I found another cozy place I had a couple of shows at.
It’s a super cool bar, it has snacks and amazing music!

VS: How did you end up in comedy ?

JS: I always really enjoyed comedy and storytelling, but it wasn’t like I ever imagined myself doing stand up when I was a kid. It was only much later when I was working as a lawyer that I decided that I didn’t want to be a lawyer and I wanted to do something more creative and I started thinking about different creative fields and I sort of had that kind of interest at the moment like “okay if I don’t do law, what would I like to do?” then it hit me pretty obviously that it was comedy.

It wasn’t such a crazy thing in my mind that I was going to drop my law career and do comedy only, but I guess I always kind of did things in steps so it’s not as radical as it sounds. People I know would tell me though: “you were a war crime lawyer and now you are a comedian!” I guess at the time I was just thinking I’ll take some time off and write a script and now it’s been 5 years and there is no way they will take me back so now I’m definitely doing this.

VS: You think it’s going to be easier in NYC?

JS: No, I think it’s going to be much harder, but people appreciate you more at home when you’ve left and done things somewhere else. I’ll have to work very hard and consistently kill on stage but I’m up for challenge!

The show is happening at Snack N’ Blues (5260 St Laurent Blvd, corner Fairmount) on August 25 at 9 p.m.
Tickets: PWYC