For Joe DeRosa, the significance of another show at Crystal Ballroom is a special one indeed, but this time, he has his sights set on squealin’ and dealin’ with a little yuletide spirit while he’s at it.
With his return to the comfy Davis Square music venue, dubbed Piggy Christmas To You!, which kicks off his Joystick tour on Saturday (December 7), DeRosa is planning for his second engagement with a Somerville crowd to be a night fueled by his multi-faceted creative force. In addition to a brand new hour of stand-up, the New York-based comic has also recently dusted off his musical duo, Salsa Windfall, which he operates alongside longtime friend Paul Chell, and will be bringing that experience along for the ride. He also has a few surprise special guests in the plans for the evening, as well, but we’re going to have to wait to see who shows up in DeRosa’s big bag of tricks.
“This will officially be the first show of this new tour, and the beginnings of what the new hour will be,” DeRosa tells Vanyaland. ”It’s also Christmas time, so that’s fun, and I’m looking forward to splitting the bill with my band, Salsa Windfall, and having some special surprise guests come out. I think it’s going to be a really fun show, or revue, if you will.”
Upon first glance of the show’s poster, it exudes holiday cheer. That, of course, was the idea that DeRosa wanted to get across, while also paying homage to the 1951 Alastair Sim-led classic A Christmas Carol, as it was his mother’s favorite Christmas movie when he was growing up.
The title, on the other hand, is a nod to a not-so-inside joke he has with fellow comedian Chris Distefano, which goes to show that the term “pig” can be endearing, or at the very least bring about the holiday spirit, when put in the right context.
“When I had to think of a title for the show, the words ‘merry’ and ‘piggy’ sounded close enough, and I figured fans would get the reference and enjoy that. I certainly didn’t want ot call it something traditional, like a Christmas spectacular or something, because that would be a bit misleading, and it also just wasn’t any fun. So I went for something that I could inject into it that would make it sound a bit more ‘me.’”
While the material performed during this run of shows isn’t exactly holiday-themed as the yuletide artwork and title may suggest upon first glance, DeRosa has made a conscious effort to move in a bit more of a jovial direction as compared to his previous show, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.
“My last hour was very much a themed show, with a hard spine and an arc throughout it, and as we described it at the time, it was a hopeless hour of comedy,” says DeRosa. “This newer batch of stuff is going in the other direction. It’s a bit more fun and jovial, a bit more jokey, because I wanted to switch things up a little from the last show. That’s not to say I didn’t find my last show fun at all, but I wanted to do something that felt a bit looser, in terms of structure.”
Serving as the first show of the tour, and thus the first time DeRosa will be reporting for double duty between stand-up and music on the same show, he’s hoping the transition between the two creative lanes will be seamless. To help with that, the enthusiasm from fans when it comes to hearing from the Salsa Windfall duo of DeRosa and Chell has been the catalyst in not only bringing these two elements together, but also helping the longtime creative tag team rev up their musical engine again after quite a bit of time away from the spotlight. That interest sparked a new beginning for the band and resulted in the release of their previously shelved album, Artificial Birth, earlier this year and a renewed focus on the project as a whole, which has DeRosa more than excited for the future.
“Paul [Chell] and I have been recording many things for many years, and when the opportunity came about, and people seemed more interested in hearing more about the band and from the band, we thought it was a good time to finally put out that shelved record called Artificial Birth, which came out last year,” says DeRosa. “That really re-lit the fuse, even though Paul and I never stopped recording or writing together, but we just weren’t pursuing it that much, but now we’re working on the next record, and we’re back in the saddle. I’m very excited to be back and playing with Paul, because it’s arguably my favorite place to be.”
For DeRosa’s fans, the show holds virtually everything they love about the multi-talented comic, but even beyond that, for the man himself, it’s shaping up to be quite a special evening for a plethora of different reasons. Not only in terms of the excitement of kicking off a new hour of material and the process of crafting that follows, but also on a personal level, as DeRosa is hoping his return to Davis Square marks a piggy Christmas for all, and for all a piggy night.
“I’m really looking forward to working out this new stand-up material, and to bring the band to an audience that hasn’t seen us live before, especially when we’re back in a venue that I really love and was significant to me on my last tour, as the Crystal Ballroom was the show, after years of dreaming of one day playing music venues instead of just traditional comedy clubs, where that happened,” says DeRosa. “It was a really special night for me, so to be going back with not just new material, but with friends and the holiday season in full swing, every element of this show is already special to me, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
JOE DEROSA :: Saturday, December 7 at Crystal Ballroom, 55 Davis Square in Somerville, MA : 6 p.m., all ages, $30 to $40 :: Advance tickets