Comedy Night comes to THE BLOCK

RIO RANCHO — THE BLOCK in Enchanted Hills began its three-week run of Tuesday Comedy Nights Oct. 15, which feature local comedians on THE BLOCK's mainstage.

Despite the high winds, a solid crowd formed in the outdoor space. People bundled up together to stay warm, and others brought blankets.

The standup event was hosted by local comedian Anthony "AJ" Deleon.

"We're just trying to bring comedy — local comedy — into Rio Rancho. All you guys really have is Quezada's [Comedy Club], and that features more national headliners. So, we really hope everyone gets a better taste of the local guys," Deleon said.

The lineup featured local comedian and podcaster Noah Vargas, Dry Heat Comedy Club regulars Jake Otero and AJ Matthews, comedian Keith Breckenridge, who has appeared on Steven Michael Quezada's show "The After After Party," headliner Robert "Buck D." Gibson who has his own radio show, and comedian Curt Fletcher, who was one of the few comedians from Rio Rancho.

"Compared to Albuquerque, Rio Rancho is usually a little bit of an older crowd, which is fine ... but I prefer an older crowd because they're smarter," Fletcher jokingly said.

Fletcher is a national-touring comedian who will be in Alberta, Canada, next week to headline a show at the Comedy Cave. He has been doing standup comedy for more than 20 years but has really wanted to do it his entire life.

"Try it at least once. See if it's something you like. That's kind of how I was. I had wanted to do it since I was 4 years old, and when I turned 21, I was ready to give it a shot. If it doesn't go well, I'll probably quit ... and it actually went well. Twenty years later, and I am still doing it."

The comedians told stories, read the crowd, tried out some edgy jokes, and every single one found time to rip on their fellow comedians.

"We are on the same stages every weekend, on the road with each other sometimes. So, you have those six-hour car ride — then the 45-minute car rides to Enchanted Hills — and you're bonding the whole time and going over jokes," Deleon said. "Not to get too deep, but a lot of comedy is trauma dumping. People are telling their stories about what happened to them ... a lot of the times that we are around each other, it's kind of like a therapy session. We have all become really close."

Next week's show, at 8 p.m. Oct. 2,2 will feature local comedians Stef Darnell, Dave Corvette, June Opal, Michael "Black Mike" Ogden, Tyler Lovely and Sarah Kennedy as the headliner.

Kennedy is a three-time winner of the Albuquerque the Magazine's Best Comedian award and a co-owner of the Dry Heat Comedy Club in Albuquerque.

There is no cover, and restaurants will remain open. Deleon will return to host.