Symply Courtney, Volume 2

While Courtney admits he likes to vent and complain from time to time, he can't deny that "comedy is at a 10" for him right now, with 4 weekly shows (+1 monthly), a comedy music project, and more collaborators than we can capture here (listen to the episode!). He jokes at telling "comedy to slow down", but something tells us that dial will keep on turning.

Performing is just one slice of Courtney's life, as he manages what many consider an already full time job: having two teenaged kids. It seems there are never enough hours in the day to get it all done, but the death of his father has put the importance of making the most of that time front and center. A sound reminder that saying "someday" is a notion, but "Sunday at 8am" is a commitment, and Courtney is nothing if not committed.

A newer project for Courtney, the comedy music group RL Stein (yes like the author, but also not), has landed a regular Friday show at ColdTowne Theatre. What started as friend Josh McCaulley's keyboard playing at open mics has turned into a passion for Courtney, McCaulley and his wife Mars, and its own show: Along for the Vibes.

Courtney describes their performances as having special "magic" moments that give him goosebumps, which is touching, a perfect reference, and in no way copyright infringing for comedian nor comedy site writer (note the lowercase "g"); "music hat you can dance to, that you can cry to, that you can make love to, that you can pull yourself out of a rut to," is how he describes it, and hopes that it's so good that people love the music before even noticing it's comedy as well.

Being on stage requires--let's be real--somewhat of a complex. Believing that what you have to say is something people will pay to hear. It follows then that the more ego you have, the more success will follow.

For Courtney, one of his biggest discoveries was shutting that voice down and listening to the reactions from his fans (and of course his kiddos). Turns out that giving without expectation of self gratification can work out pretty well; maybe it'll catch on?