Lots to do on St. Patrick’s Day in Ypsilanti
Mar. 8, 2010 · 1:20 p.m.
Ypsilanti will soon be covered in images of shamrocks and pints of Guinness, as there are several activities lined up all around the city to for St. Patrick's Day....read more
Dreamland Tonight debuts
Mar. 2, 2010 · 10:22 a.m.
Most popular talk shows are hosted in a few cities, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.
Ypsilanti can now be added to that list with the debut of Dreamland Tonight,...read more
Local writer pens book on Ypsilanti history
Feb. 26, 2010 · 4:27 a.m.
Laura Bien spends hours poking through artifacts at the Ypsilanti Archives.
Often she’ll uncover something small, but fascinating – a photo of a local family,...read more
Cafe Luwak wins Chili Challenge
Feb. 23, 2010 · 10:29 a.m.
The Corner Brewery was crowded.
Bicycle enthusiasts stood outside and talked about their ride while the rest of their group was inside with the crowd enjoying...read more
Depot Town businesses battle for chili champion
Feb. 17, 2010 · 2:37 p.m.
The Depot Town Chili Challenge will return for its fourth year Sunday to help raise money for needy families in the county.
Beginning at 3 p.m., participants...read more
Michigan native Vince Averill performed at the Riverside Arts Center with Jesse Popp, Matt McCarthy and Greg Johnson Friday evening. Tickets for tonight's show are still available.
Show wrappes up tonight at Riverside Arts Center
Jan. 24, 2009 · 12:37 a.m.
The Riverside Arts Center is not your typical venue for stand-up comedians, but Michigan natives Vince Averill and Jesse Popp have made their way back to the Great Lakes State to bring a little stand-up comedy to Ypsilanti.
Averill and Popp returned to their old stomping grounds in southeastern Michigan where they got their start in comedy before moving to New York City in 2006.
Averill grew up in Milford and graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in geography and tourism. Popp grew up in Garden City.
“We haven’t been back to perform in a long time,” Averill said before Friday night’s show at the RAC.
The guys said they decided on the Riverside Arts Center because the space was available and they liked the area.
“I’ve always liked Ypsi, for its good and its bad,” Averill said.
Averill said he got into comedy after graduating with his degree.
“I graduated from Eastern and realized with a degree in geography I couldn’t do much but go to work and sleep,” he said. “That’s when I started taking classes at the Second City.”
Popp and Averill met at the Heidelberg in Ann Arbor and the pair decided to make the move to New York. The two have been on Comedy Central and toured countless spots in the Big Apple.
Popp and Averill came back to Ypsilanti with friends Matt McCarthy and Greg Johnson in tow.
McCarthy has appeared on Comedy Central’s “Just for Laughs” and several commercials including McDonald's, Verizon and Guinness. He also made it to the top five in the Doritos’ make-your-own-commercial contest “Crash the Superbowl” for his commercial "New Flavor Pitch." The winning commercial will have the chance to have their ad aired during the game.
Johnson’s weekly show in NYC was awarded the ECNY award, formally the Emerging Comics of New York Awards, for Best Variety Show in 2008.
All four comedians will be performing again tonight at 8 p.m. at the RAC. Averill said more than 100 tickets have already been sold, but there are still some available. Tickets are $12 at the door.
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