Billings native Seely to headline comedy show this Saturday

On Friday afternoon, stand-up comic, actor and former Billings resident Lukas Seely phoned into the Phillips County News from an undisclosed location filming a commercial for an undisclosed product. He was sworn to secrecy about the day he was having, but was more than happy to talk about the upcoming comedy show he will be headlining this Saturday in Malta at the Villa Theatre.

"It will be a great show," he said. "I talk a lot about my family and what it is like growing up in Montana and being Asian. Nothing to raunchy, everything will be mostly PG-13 and people will get to see some really good comics. For the people of Malta, this show will perhaps offer them a different form of entertainment than they are used to."

Seely said that he ventured into standup comedy after hearing for years from friends and family that he was funny. He started to frequent venues on open mic nights, discovered that he enjoyed being a comic and decided that he would make a career of it. Seely started working open mic gigs in Denver before moving to Seattle for five years before heading to Los Angeles where he currently resides.

"So I guess I have been doing this for about 12-years now," he said.

Seely has been featured on Louis Anderson Presents on Showtime and on November 7 he will be on TNT's On the Menu hosted by Ty Pennington of Extreme Makeover Fame. Seely has also opened for fellow comedian Bill Burr on his Billy Red State Tour and has worked with comedy heavyweights Dane Cook, Daniel Tosh, Damon Wayans and Blue Collar Comedy Tour comic Ron White. Seely said though he thinks his comedy could lead to other avenues in entertainment but added tha stand-up comedy is his passion.

"Out of all entertainment, in stand-up it is all me," he said. "I write it, I preform it, and it is just me, the microphone and the audience and I love it."

Seeley comes to Malta fresh on the heels of the Big Sky Comedy Festival that he hosted in Billings two weeks ago. The Big Sky Comedy Festival is a four-day event where select comedians from all over the U.S. and Canada come to Billings to perform for a cash prize and a chance to be seen in front of agents, managers, producers, club owners and casting directors.

Seely said that he and the other comics are looking forward to Saturday night's venue and though he has never been here before, the name Malta conjures up one image in particular.

"I hear there is a good football program there," Seely, who played running back for the Bears of Rocky Mountain College, said. "I remember the Malta boys are always great at football and when I think of Malta, I think football."

Besides Seely, comics Jose Balanos, Conner Roma and Harlem's Good Charlie Mulluk will also take the stage and the night gets underway with live music from Prairie Dweller featuring Malta's Nathan Salsbery (whose new album, Kickin Can was recently released and can be purchased at Radio Shack.) The show is being hosted by Travis Rhoads – of KMMR fame – and the doors open at 7 p.m. Seely said he thinks it is great that comics can find a small venue like Malta to perform in.

"A lot of the time you have to go to bigger cities to see quality comics," said Seely. "But Travis has been great about bringing this show to Malta so I hope people really come out and support him and support the art. It's something different and laughing is the best medicine."

Tickets for Friday night's event can be purchased at any of the Malta Banks and for more information Rhoads can be contacted at 654-4674.