Dark City Comedy Night keeps comedy 'alive and fresh' at Silverados

When the opportunity to host an open mic comedy night at Silverados came about, Tommy Finton and Justin Wood jumped at the chance.

“We just want to bring back comedy to Black Mountain,” Finton said. “So it’s easy, so you don’t always have to go to Asheville.”

The open mic nights, known as Dark City Comedy Night, started in August and are hosted every Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Silverados.

“We’re wanting to see what people can do,” Wood said. “We want people to come out and show us what they’ve got.”

Wood said participants in the comedy night range from those who have been doing comedy for a while to those going up on stage for the first time.

Finton said comedy is about “going out there and putting on a good show” for the audience. He said everybody who goes up gets nervous, whether they are a professional or newcomer.

Finton and Wood said the idea came from the owner of Silverados wanting to bring more comedy to Black Mountain and draw people out to the space.

Both Finton and Wood said it is important to them that comedy is not “canceled” because some comedians may say some things that make others “uncomfortable.” Wood said comedy is a good way to get to know people and “understand different life perspectives.”

“It’s really important to keep comedy going because comedy is kind of like the last bastion of free speech in the world,” Wood said. “You can kind of say whatever you want, and that’s what makes it fun.”

Wood said the “beauty of comedy” is that is allows people to “maintain what it means to be humans and free and be able to think.”

“If you can learn to love comedy, that usually means you’ve learned to accept life a little bit,” Wood said. “You’re not going to let everything bother you.”

Finton, who goes by TommyNC2010 online, said one of his goals is to “keep comedy alive and fresh” as well as “subjective.”

Finton and Wood are the hosts of the show, and they said they introduce comedians while engaging in some comedic banter of their own.

Wood said comedy is a good way to get to know new people, and he looks forward to doing that with Dark City Comedy Night.

“We’re people who like to meet talent and hang out with people and get to know what makes people special,” Wood said. “Comedy is a great way to do that.”

The Dark City Comedy Night is hosted every Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Silverados.