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Comedy group Real Funny hosted an open mic comedy night at The Beer Hog for comedians of walks of life or for those simply trying to get out and try something new. (For the Reporter/Jeremy Raines)

By LIZZIE BOWEN | Staff Writer

PELHAM – Comedy group Real Funny will host an open mic comedy night at The Beer Hog for comedians of walks of life or for those simply trying to get out and try something new.

The mic will be held at The Beer Hog at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 11. Sign ups to perform at the mic are at 7 p.m.

The group Real Funny consists of a plethora of comedians coming together to bring laughs to the Birmingham and Shelby County area. Members include: Tyler Cooper, Paige McBride, Chase Mote and Jon McLernon.

“We’ve been wanting more mics, in the Birmingham area for a while,” Mote said. “After waiting on somebody else to take up the burden, I realized I should take some responsibility for the growth of the scene and start one myself. Earlier this year, I approached Jon about being my cohost, we looked around at a few places downtown and were in some conversations with venues that didn’t work out. Then, Paige and Tyler asked us to join the Real Funny team and combine our efforts to bring more opportunities to comics and awareness to the Birmingham comedy scene. Tyler had talked to a couple of places and Beer Hog was not only open to the idea but showed interest and excitement.”

Mote said that all are welcome at the open mic night with Beer Hog and to come prepared to laugh and have a good time.

“Anybody can be a part of this open mic,” Mote said. “The sign-up list is open to anybody that wants to perform. All interpretations of comedy are welcome to be showcased to the audience as long as you are open to the audience responding to it. Anybody can be a part of the audience as well. We don’t police comics materials so there may be material that some parents find inappropriate for young ears. For adults, if you hear something you don’t like, your silence and looks of concern are excellent feedback for the comic. If you hear something you do like, laughter is appreciated.”

Open mic nights serve as an opportunity for both experienced and unexperienced comedians to get together, workshop material and gain valuable experience.

“Open mics are where comedians go to practice, try material, write, breakdown, etc.,” Mote said. “Every stand-up comic you’ve heard of started at an open mic. They then spent years at more open mics honing their craft before anyone ever cared they did comedy. Come with an open mind. You can expect to see comics at all stages of their comedic journey —first timers, hobbyist, local killers, touring professionals— perform material about everything from the most mundane to the most wild.”

As for how often this open mic night will be held or where aspiring comedians can expect comedians to return to The Beer Hog, conversations are still in the works about how frequently the open mic night will be held.

“We are looking to see the community response to the first mic in order to know for sure how often we will be able to run it,” Mote said. “We are expecting once a month at the very least, but with support from the community and local comics we would like to get it to every week.

Mote said that the Shelby County area, and specifically Pelham, is a great place to hold an comedy open mic night.

“We’ve seen the growth of entertainment in Shelby County and saw The Beer Hog as having a hand in that,” Mote said. “They are in a great location, Campus 124, that has a potential for growth. Since early conversations Beer Hog management has been a joy to work with. They were excited about the idea and we were quickly able to find a date to kick it off. Sometimes venues show hesitancy but we had the opposite response from The Beer Hog. Their excitement and openness let us know this would be a good fit.”

Real Funny can be found on Instagram at Reallfunnybham. Another mic produced by Real Funny is is at True Story Brewing every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.