Ryan ChartrandScot Shields, Adam Hammer and Jeremy Whitman are names you will want to remember.
They are the three up and coming comedians headlining the “Just Another Hangover” comedy tour. The guys are young, hip and edgy. This Saturday night, they are performing in San Luis Obispo – and they are bringing the funny with them.
Shields, a 2003 Cal Poly graduate, broke into comedy after he watched comedian Mitch Hedberg perform live on campus.
“I was sitting about 15 feet away from him,” Shields said. “He wasn’t up there singing or playing an instrument, he was making people laugh. I knew then that I could do this.”
After working tirelessly, Shields felt as if he was spinning his wheels and a change was in order. Shields said a series of low-paying gigs, small audiences and expensive gas prices urged him to take action.
“I did a week in New Mexico and I didn’t make a dime,” Shields said. “I traveled something like 3,000 miles and played to rooms of 40 people total. It just wasn’t working so I put the tour together, basically to survive.”
Hammer has been performing stand-up comedy for the past six years. He joked that although their status as comedians is on the rise, there are plenty of people who still have not heard of them.
“We’re the three best comics that you’ve never heard of,” Hammer quipped.
Hammer only recently joined the tour for its second season. He said the tour is a great way for the public to come enjoy a quality show.
Jeremy Whitman is the youngest member of the comedy trio. He was there for the 2006 tour, which covered a large portion of the Pacific Northwest.
“The first leg of the tour took about six months,” Whitman said. “We traveled pretty extensively to small towns in remote places. The smallest town we played was somewhere around only 200 people.”
Collectively, Shields, Hammer and Whitman garner a pretty impressive resume.
Shields earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics from Cal Poly in 2003. He has appeared in numerous comedy venues ranging from California to Michigan. His first real paid gig was right here in San Luis Obispo at The Comedy Barn.
Hammer earned a bachelor’s degree in television/film from Cal State Fullerton in 2004. He was the winner of Laugh Down 2005 at Martini Blues in Huntington. He has performed at numerous comedy clubs as well as colleges. He most recently performed with the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles in February.
Whitman has appeared at several comedy clubs in Oregon and Washington, including The Seattle Comedy underground and Giggles Comedy Club, both in Seattle. He has also performed for multiple college campuses and casinos as well.
The comedy show takes place at the Grange Hall, 2880 Broad St., at 9 p.m. on Saturday. Advance sale tickets are available at Boo Boo Records for $9. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $10.
For more information about the guys or the tour, go to the Web site at www.JustAnotherHangover.com.