COMEDY | ALBUQUERQUE
‘Best of Burque’ at Hyena’s showcases local comics
Tim Mathis hosts local comics Sunday, June 28
Hoping to check out Albuquerque’s stand-up comedy scene but not sure where to start? “Best of Burque” at Hyena’s Comedy Club offers a quarterly showcase of local talent, curated and hosted by Tim Mathis, a comic who has performed on the Comedy Central series, “Hart of the City” with Kevin Hart. The fifth “Best of Burque,” on Sunday, June 28, features 10 comics, including five headliners.
“I wanted to put together a show where locals could showcase their talent,” Mathis said.
Mathis goes to as many comedy clubs and open mics as possible to scout out new voices in stand-up, and he hosts his own open mic at Thrive Craft Cannabis every Tuesday.
“I tell people that’s the best way to get seen by me, because I also go to other open mics, but that’s the main one that I do,” Mathis said.
Mathis moved from Los Angeles last year to work at Hyena’s newly opened Albuquerque club. In addition to working the door, he often performs onstage.
“I’m basically the in-house comic. I fill in whenever somebody can’t make it,” Mathis said.
Mathis will open “Best of Burque” with a 10-minute set. Savannah Holder, Traye Holland, Cardo Madd and Angel Lopez will each do 12 minutes, with several newer comics performing shorter sets.
“Cardo Madd is … really good. He’s got a podcast called Community Stepdad. Angel Lopez works at a bunch of different comedy clubs and does shows throughout the state. But I’m really excited, because it’s the first time he’ll be performing on a show at Hyena’s,” Mathis said. “Savannah Holder just did Funny Fiesta, which is our local comedy fest. Then, Traye Holland is a much newer comic. He’s only been doing comedy for about a year and a half or two years, but he’s really, really funny.”
The final headliner, award-winning Diné comic Josh Fournier, will close out the night.
“Then, of course, we’ve got Josh Fournier. He’s done the Netflix Is a Joke Fest (in Los Angeles) and tours all over the country — a really funny Native comic,” Mathis said. “He was on our first ‘Best of Burque’ show, so I’m really excited to have him back.”
Mathis said he was impressed with Albuquerque’s comedy scene from the moment he arrived in the city.
“I moved to Albuquerque blind. So, I knew they would have some good comedians out here, but I didn’t know how extensive the comedic community and culture was,” he said. “But when I got here, I was really impressed with a bunch of the comics. So, for the first few shows, it was really easy selecting a lineup.”
Since then, he has been exposed to many more comics and watched others improve their craft.
“A lot of the comics out here are working really hard, and many of them are really improving. So, I’ve moved some comics from guest spots to feature spots,” Mathis said.
Hyena’s manager, Ethan Kishi, said the ready supply of quality local talent allows Mathis to feature new comics at every “Best of Burque” show.
“There’s such a great scene out here — it’s so tight-knit, and we’ve got such amazing top comedians — that we are able to rotate, getting a very different lineup every single time,” Kishi said.
For audiences, “Best of Burque” introduces a wide selection of comedic voices in one fast-paced show — which Mathis said he tries to keep to 90 minutes.
“People usually get a little laughed out after about an hour and a half,” he said.
Logan Royce Beitmen is an arts writer for the ϼ. He covers visual art, music, fashion, theater and more. Reach him at lbeitmen@abqjournal.com or on Instagram at .