Comedy on the Coast Apr 19-20

Michael Palascak is a comedian who grew up in Wabash, Indiana, began his career in Chicago and now resides in LA.  He performed on both The Late Late Show with James Corden and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in the same year.  In addition, his resume includes A Little Late with Lilly Singh, Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Conan. Michael has a Comedy Central Half Hour special, and was a Top 5 Finalist on Last Comic Standing. He has also performed at Montreal’s Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, where he taped a set for Kevin Hart’s LOL network.

Michael’s likability allows him to relate to his audiences in a real way which sets up the huge laughs he gets from his sharp, personal material.  Consistently writing and performing, Michael recently released both a new album— The Internet Live through 800 Pound Gorilla and a new stand-up special on the Dry Bar app— 1984. Michael’s short film You’re Alive was accepted into numerous festivals including the Hollywood Comedy Shorts Festival and was the winner of the Audience Award at the Chicago Comedy Film Festival.

​Drew Hunt of The Chicago Reader wrote about Michael, “In a lot of ways, he represents the ideal antidote to the sort of unbridled cynicism that pervades much of contemporary stand-up.”  Michael’s optimism continues in the new National Lampoon series — The Bright Side, where he takes a positive stance on a negative topic streaming on YouTube.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Kermet Apio enjoyed a childhood in paradise. He spent his time watching television, playing, and procrastinating everything else. To this day, he still does all three extensively.

After graduating from high school, Kermet moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington. Seattle became home. In early 1989, Kermet did his first open mike night at the Comedy Underground in Seattle. Comedy was a fun hobby. In May of 1990, he quit his job, said good bye to health care and benefits, and took the leap to performing full time. It is still his only job skill.

He was the winner of the 2009 Great American Comedy Festival and has had numerous appearances on television and radio. He has showcased at comedy festivals in Aspen, Las Vegas, and Vancouver and has performed in 47 states and 3 Canadian provinces. He is a past winner of the Seattle Comedy Competition and was a semi-finalist in the San Francisco Comedy Competition. Also, in 1988 he was Dishwasher of the Month at the Sea-Tac Airport Denny’s.

Kermet is married and the proud father of two wonderful children. He enjoys his family, baseball, and pie. He does not enjoy opera, sitting in traffic, and writing about himself in the third person.

Philadelphia-born comedian Jaye Devan found his funny early as the comic relief among households filled with his sister and cousins. After graduating, Jaye joined the Marine Corps and got his first exposure to standup during a talent show on base.  Taking second place was not nearly as significant as the passion he found from telling his stories onstage.  He would spend the next few years honing his craft but upon leaving the Marine Corps found difficulty in balancing civilian life with his passion.

In 2013, fifteen years removed from the stage, Jaye returned to pursue his love for standup.  Armed with a bevy of life experience and knowledge, he approaches comedy from the perspective of an ‘everyday dude’.  His views on relationships/marriage, fatherhood, corporate life and living as a Black man in America are delivered with unfiltered candor and intrepid wit.

His credits include The Comedy Store, Comedy Union and Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, LA Comedy Club and the Comedy Cellar in Las Vegas and various clubs around the country. He recently performed in the Memphis Urban Laughs Comedy Festival, NW Black Comedy Festival and San Diego Comedy Festival and can be seen on Laughs on Fox (Season 2, Episode 18). He is the former host of his own radio show entitled Everyday Talk with Jaye Devan and current co-host of The Pool Table Talk Podcast. He also released his first recorded standup special, titled ‘Temper Yourself’ on DVD and Amazon Prime.