Hey, what Aspened?

Open letter to the Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival:

Hey ARCF,

Nice work outta you!  You brought some sweet joke tellers to a beautiful valley surrounded by snow capped mountains, and caused some looking-in-the-mirror affirmations by providing that little badge hung around my neck marked "Talent."  Your shows were rockin' and your beer tapped the Rockies.  Big ups.

Sincerely,
Cameron Esposito

Yes, the festival was rad.  Here are the ways:

• Moshe Kasher:  This dude won Best of the Fest, and he deserved it.  His set was excellent and his look is just right.  Check him out below.
  
  
  
  
• Nature:  Did some hiking in my trusty Chuck Taylors.  Crossed a babbling brook via footbridge and happened upon a lovely collection of boulders in a spot called the John Denver Sanctuary and felt great about it.  Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy!

Why is my thumb so sinewy?

• Rooftop Comedy:  In only their second run of the festival, Rooftop did an amazing job.  Amidst super professional shows, live streaming content, and solid talent, the Rooftop folks seemed to genuinely care about helping comics to connect with one another and grow their abilities.  I was especially stoked about their work with the college kids flown out there to hang with working comics and learn the business side of things between performance opportunities.

• Josh Sneed, Marina Franklin, Chad Daniels:  These 3 diverse comics threw down 3 of my favorite performances at the Fest.  Josh works with almost nothing but punchlines, wasting no words to get to a laugh.  Marina has really unusual energy: positive, laid-back and engaging.  Loved her.  (Cameron's note: Kyra Kyles has a great interview with Marina up on the Kyles files).   And Chad just attacked the stage...man, that dude has some confidence.  

As for my set, check out Punchline Magazine's review of the show.  I'm particularly stoked on this part:
 

Esposito has carved out a solid following in Chicago from which she hails - having been nominated for best female comic in 2007 and winning Rooftop Comedy's Snubfest competition - filtering her down-to-earth charm through odd-colored glasses and an animated presence that - I would think - most hip comedy audiences couldn't help but get drawn into.

Odd-colored glasses?  More like odd-colored sunglasses.  It's bright around all these stars.