Atomic Pop Shop is ready to shine the spotlight on Baton Rouge’s comedy talent with Comedy Etouffee. The store’s first event.
The Oct. 8 show will begin at 9 p.m. and will showcase local comics Jeffrey Buck and Nick Portier, with New York comic David Heti as the headlining act.
Atomic Pop Shop booking director Matthew Polito said he became involved with the show through the organizer and host, Mikel Albagdadi, because of their mutual interest in comedy. Polito said Atomic Pop Shop, while still a music-oriented venue, lends itself to a comedy show because of the shop’s layout.
“It’s a space for any kind of artist to perform live,” Polito said.
The venue is a small room, which gives the show a more intimate vibe. Polito said he hopes Comedy Etouffee is a new and refreshing experience for the audience, since Atomic Pop Shop has never had a comedy show before.
Each comic will bring their own style to the Atomic Pop Shop stage.
Heti released a comedy album in May 2015 titled “It was OK” to critical acclaim and teaches comedy writing at McGill University. Buck tries to make his material relatable, saying his style of comedy falls between storytelling and one-liners. While Portier describes his humor as self-deprecating and mostly related to himself.
Buck said he booked Albagdadi on a recent show and is performing at Comedy Etouffee to return the favor.
The comedian said he is excited to perform in front of a Baton Rouge audience, giving him an opportunity to perform a longer set.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve done a feature set — a 15 to 20 minute set,” Buck said.
The comedian is now based out of New Orleans but said he did not find as many opportunities to show off his comedic talent in Baton Rouge as he did in New Orleans.
He attributes the lack of a thriving comedy scene in Baton Rouge to college students competing interest in LSU football games and a rather large music scene. Buck said he hopes Comedy Etouffee becomes a recurring show local comics can look forward to.
Buck is the curator and runs the Baton Rouge Comedy social media accounts, which organizes a show once or twice a month with nationally-known headliners.
Another Comedy Etouffee performer, Portier said he is excited to perform his material on Thursday.
Portier said he hopes Comedy Etouffee exposes comedy to college students who are often more interested in other forms of entertainment, he said. Currently, Portier performs at open-mic nights at The Station Sports Bar and Grill and hopes Comedy Etouffee will expand opportunities for local comics.
“The people that show up week after week are insanely talented and they need more places and more stages to showcase their material because we have got a lot of stuff to show,” Portier said.

Gallery • 9 Photos

Haskell Whittington

Atomic Pop Shop's listening station for testing and listening to vinyls before a purchase on Wednesday Oct. 7, 2015, on Government St. in Baton Rouge.