Those awkward family moments provide grist for his comedy mill

Gabriel Rutledge doesn’t mix politics with stand-up comedy.

No, not Rutledge. He likes to get more personal on stage. He tells jokes about his family.

Rutledge, 45, takes mental notes on awkward moments — like when he unintentionally sounded creepy for yelling at his three kids to get in the family van so they could leave a WalMart parking lot — for laughs later on.

“Whenever something awkward or bad happens, the silver lining is that maybe it will be two minutes on stage one day,” he said.

The comedian from Olympia will headline Everett Comedy Night’s show Aug. 11 at Emory’s on Silver Lake. He’ll be joined by John McKay, an LA comic who wrote for comedy website Funny or Die, and Everett comedian Kate Carlson Carlsen, co-host of Comedy Garage at Tony V’s Garage in Everett on Monday nights.

Rutledge, 45, has won the Seattle International Comedy Competition and Atlanta’s Laughing Skull Comedy Festival, and appeared on Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham” and Nickelodeon’s “NickMom Night Out.”

“This guy deserves a Netflix special or more,” said Cory Michaelis, host of Everett Comedy Night. “Gabe is quite possibly the best in the country who has not moved to New York City or Los Angeles. He’s amazing.”

Everett Comedy Night features touring and local comedians on the second Sunday of every month except November, when Emory’s hosts the annual Seattle International Comedy Competition.

The comedy show started in 2012 at Chopstix Dueling Piano Bar in Seattle. After the piano bar closed, Michaelis turned to Emory’s. He liked that the restaurant is classy and has a stage — Emory’s also hosts live music on weekends.

Since then, well-known comedians like Kermet Apio and Brad Upton from Seattle and LA’s Pete Lee have performed for the Everett show. Michaelis, Apio and Upton have all performed sets for Dry Bar Comedy in Utah — which can be watched on YouTube and Facebook.

Cory Michaelis, an Everett native and former Cascade High School teacher, is the host of Everett Comedy Night. (Matt Misisco)

Michaelis, 39, a former history teacher at Cascade High School (his alma mater), said the show keeps locals from having to drive to Seattle for good stand-up comedy. He’s been a comedian for about 11 years.

“I love the idea that people have a place to go,” he said. “I want them to feel like they’re in a comedy-club setting. They’re going to be able 100% immerse themselves in the jokes.”

Evan Thompson: 425-339-3427, ethompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @ByEvanThompson.

If you go

Everett Comedy Night is a second-Sunday comedy show featuring local, regional and touring comedians at Emory’s on Silver Lake, 11830 19th Ave. SE, Everett. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The show is 8:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available via Eventbrite. To reserve a table, call 425-337-7772. Find Everett Comedy Night on Facebook for more information.