Photo courtesy of Sarah Fye.
Completely inappropriate with Sarah Fye
Featuring The Left Hooks and Danny Sierra
Review by Keith Waits
Entire contents copyright © 2016 by Keith Waits. All rights reserved
Nashville-based stand-up Sarah Fye brought some friends to town for a show at The Bard’s Town January 14. It was a genial mix of music and comedy for adults.
The distinction between Ms. Fye and the other comedian on the bill, Danny Sierra, was an interesting contrast. Sierra’s comedy was anxious and self-deprecating in a fashion that is familiar to stand-up audiences; a chatty narrative that moved in fits and starts reflecting contemporary insecurities.
Both touch upon common themes: sex, drugs, drinking, social customs, and both made significant reference to their mothers, although Fye takes it to a whole other level. Many comedians will tell jokes about their parents, but how many will cajole their mother onstage to bare some flesh in service to a deliberately lame, invite-the-audience-to-groan-with-you, pussy joke.
Sex jokes are also a common element in comedy, but Fye is as unabashedly assured in her vulgarity as any male performer, and why not? Men aren’t taken seriously unless they carry a few dick jokes in their aresenal, and Fye’s confident delivery includes just enough brass to engage without becoming too overbearing.
Southern-born but a resident of New York City for all of her adult life, Fye’s narrative humor is a ribald stew of white-trash sensibility and surprisingly subtle social awareness; a big city perspective on living below the Mason-Dixon line that is less shocking in its frank embrace of sexuality precisely because of its confessional aspect. She lays the most intimate exchanges of her life bare without apology.
Knitting together the evening were brief sets from The Left Hooks – Jordan Hampton (electric and upright basses/keyboards) and Scott Soifer (drums). The sonically dynamic duo played an updated brand of jazz-fusion built upon a potent foundation of rhythm.
Completely Inappropriate With Sarah Fye
Featuring The Left Hooks and Danny Sierra
January 14, 2016
The Bard’s Town
1801 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY 40205
502-749-5275
Thebardstown.com
www.sarahfye.com
Keith Waits is a native of Louisville who works at Louisville Visual Art during the days, including being one of the hosts of PUBLIC on ARTxFM, but spends most of his evenings indulging his taste for theatre, music and visual arts. His work has appeared in Pure Uncut Candy, TheatreLouisville, and Louisville Mojo. He is now Managing Editor for Arts-Louisville.com.
