After 10 years of being on the stand-up grind, 2022 was the year that Al Park took the leap and decided it was time to go full-time in comedy. And with a decade of work in the bank, he’s putting the final touch on a milestone year by putting his best stuff on record.
With two shows at The Rockwell Theatre on Saturday (December 10), Park will reach the milestone of recording his first album. It’s been a decade in the making, but at the foundation of his journey, Park is just grateful that he’s able to do this after the 48-year old admits that he started very late in the game. But regardless of how long it took him to get to this point, Park has put in the work night after night, and now he’s feeling it’s the perfect time to celebrate the grind.
“For me, this is the culmination of doing stand-up comedy at all levels for these past ten years, and because of that, I’m at the point now where I have a big bank of material, and from that bank of material, I can select a nice hour to put together,” Park tells Vanyaland. “I feel like it’s just time. It’s probably a bit beyond time, but it’s just a lot of my best jokes that I’ve done over the years and every era of my career, I guess you could say. I’m just excited for it, and to be able to work with Ghost Runner Records, there’s just a lot to look forward to.”
Getting behind the mic had always been a dream of Park’s, but he didn’t have “that moment” of pulling the trigger on it until after grad school at Boston University. To offset the sheer boredom he experienced at the office, Park knew he had to do something to shake it up a little, and decided to take a crack at a comedy class. From there, it was no looking back as he dedicated himself to getting up on stage nearly every night over the span of roughly six years.
“I wasn’t doing what I wanted to be doing with my life, and although I still wound up doing corporate jobs for the next however many years, I just never had the guts to try comedy, but decided to just go and do it at one point. It’s always been the thing I’ve been my best at,” says Park. “I don’t have the greatest story or anything like that, but to me, comedy is something that validates me and acknowledges where I’m at and also lets me move forward.”
In and of itself, the album recording is a celebration for Park. But rather than focus solely on what the night means to him on a personal note in terms of his own stand-up journey, he’s grateful to have the opportunity to make it happen at The Rockwell for a number of reasons, beyond it being just a great room for comedy.
For a number of years, Park ran a show, Something Big, in the space with Nick Chambers, which spawned the opportunity to record albums for Corey Rodrigues, Sean Sullivan, Orlando Baxter and Dan Boulger over the span of a few years. Having had the chance to become friends with those four comedy powerhouses, as well as Kathe Farris, who will be opening the recording shows, during his first decade in the scene has been a treasured pleasure for Park, but to be able to join the list of talent that have applied their own stamp in that room is an even greater honor.
“It’s a great thing to be able to take that stage just as those guys did, and what’s really great is that all of those albums sound great,” says Park. “It means a lot to be able to record this at the same place where I had been present for the recordings of four of the best comedians in New England.”
Having worked, on average, 250 nights a year for the last 10 years while balancing his former office job, Park was feeling burned out and tired. Well, he’s still tired, but less than before, and the material is flowing more freely now that he can focus solely on his craft.
Park has always gotten after it, and at this point, he just wants to keep up the momentum and build onto an already extensive catalog of material, which is why he’s recording this album in the place. But even before he pushes the red button on this album, he’s looking forward to further telling his story one joke at a time – and the best part is that he’s really just getting started.
“This album represents a period in my life, the first decade of my career as I find my voice, developing in that, and progressing as a writer in order to get to where I am today.,” says Park. “I’m looking forward to having friends, family and fans come together to celebrate this occasion with me. I’m looking forward to doing this material, because I’ve lived it for ten years and toured it all over the place. It’s now in it’s best and final form, and I want to get a record of where I’m at wit hall the work I’ve put in to become a professional comedian and get to the level I’m at.”
AL PARK :: Saturday, December 10 at The Rockwell, 255 Elm St. in Somerville, MA :: 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. :: Tickets are $20