Native comedy brightens big weekend
By Jan-Mikael Patterson
Navajo Times
WINDOW ROCK, April 28, 2011
(Times file photo)
The popular comedy duo of James & Ernie will be exploiting thousands of spectators with their unique brand of humor this coming weekend in Albuquerque. The Navajo comedy team will head a variety of comedy shows and acts scheduled at different venues throughout Albuquerque.
"This coming weekend is going to be solid with performances," said Ernest "Ernie" Tsosie III. "It's good to have a job because we got bills coming in."
Tsosie and James Junes will perform as a duo and as part of 49 Laughs Comedy, a group of solo stand-up artists currently including Tatanka Means, Pax Harvey and Adrienne Chalepah.
This weekend, 49 Laughs Comedy and Powwow Comedy Jam will collaborate for two shows at the UNM Conference Center, 1634 University Blvd. NE. The first show will be at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, and the second at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 1.
Tickets are $10 at the door and attendees will be treated to eight Native comedians on one stage. Powwow Comedy Jam includes Marc Yaffee, Vaughn Eaglebear and Howie Miller.
Comedy duo James and Ernie will perform twice on Stage 49, which will be located at Powwow Alley south of the Indian Market tent and the University of New Mexico Pit, where the Gathering takes place.
They will do shows Friday, April 29, from 10:50-11:35 p.m., and Saturday, April 30, from 4:15-5 p.m. Admission to Stage 49 is included with the admission to the powwow and Indian Market, $15 for one day and $30 for two-day pass.
On Sunday, May 1, James and Ernie will serve as co-masters of ceremony for the Stephen Marley show, scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Isleta, N.M. That show will also feature Kevens, Native Roots and The Plateros.
Admission is $35 for VIP standing room, $25 for reserved seating and $15 for general admission. Tickets can be bought at the box office or at www.holdmyticket.com.
Tsosie said he tried to get Gathering organizers to schedule 49 Laughs for Stage 49, which exists to offer powwow-goers a break from the powwow drums, and noted that James and Ernie shows pack the bleachers at Stage 49. But, he added, "they didn't go for it," likely because the schedule was already full.
"That still freaks us out to this day," Ernie said, referring to the huge following they've developed at the Gathering. "When we first started, we had to pay to be on stage. At that time they only gave us like five minutes. Now we're headlining and we're given 45 minutes on the stage."
Having their own booth at the event helps boost the turnout, he said, because in addition to stocking James and Ernie DVDs for sale, their Stage 49 show times are posted.
"Man, it's pretty intense even though it's a small venue in a way that most people see it," Tsosie said. "For us, though, it's huge. It's like watching (punk rockers) Green Day walking out on stage with thousands of people watching - that's what its like with a whole bunch of Native faces staring back at us. It's pretty exciting.
"And it ain't all Navajo," he added. "It's all international and the tourists that come out and Natives from every tribe. The cool thing that I've seen is everyone laughs at our humor."
Next year will mark 10 years for the James and Ernie Comedy Duo, long enough for Tsosie to have some perspective on the circle of life in the entertainment industry.
"When we're first starting out there was Charlie Hill, the late Vincent Craig and Drew Lacapa were real hot, and at the time we were trying to get our foot in the door," he said. "And now I feel like we're in that position where there are new comics that are trying to come on up and get their foot in the door, like Tatanka Means, Pax Harvey and Adrienne Chalepah.
"It's cool because it's like 'The Lion King,' I feel like Simba waiting for that one scene to come on where people would recognize the new generation.
"I kind of feel like an old-timer when it comes to comedy," Tsosie said. "It's cool, I like that. I like seeing new talent, new blood, and getting their shot."
The duo is definitely playing it forward with the creation of 49 Laughs Comedy, which has provided a showcase for Means, Harvey and Chalepah, and potentially other young comedians that Tsosie and Junes are grooming to join the troupe.
The first 49 Laughs Comedy DVD will be released this weekend and will be on sale at the James and Ernie booth. It is expected to cost $20-$25 but a definite price was not available as of press time.
For information: www.gatheringofnations.com, www.jamesandernie.com, and www.49laughscomedy.com.