Spokane’s Ryan McComb took his comedy routine to the South and beyond; and he says his hometown’s stage is still ‘one of the best’

Comedian Ryan McComb has been surrounded by comedy his whole life. In the truest sense of the phrase.

Father Ken McComb has been doing comedy since before the younger McComb was born, and while McComb didn’t grow up seeing his father’s weekly sets around town, it was always something he was aware of.

McComb’s first steps in the comedy world came after he moved back to Spokane after one semester at Washington State University. His father was going to an open mic at the since-closed Uncle D’s Comedy Underground, and McComb decided to tag along, writing a quick five minutes of material.

McComb did “pretty OK” and has been performing stand-up ever since. Father and son can sometimes be found sharing the stage, with the younger McComb saying it’s nice to give the audience context about who some of his jokes are about.

After that first set, McComb was able to find plenty of opportunities to perform around town, including Soulful Soups and Red Dragon.

“There was a bunch of random small shows,” he said. “There’s a lot of passion for comedy amongst comedians in Spokane, even now, but especially then, they’ll find any bar that’s willing to tolerate comedy for the night and put on a great show.”

When he started performing, comedians knew McComb as “Ken McComb’s son” and were quick to offer tips. It may sound like “Nepo Baby” treatment, but McComb said that’s how the comedy community in Spokane has always been.

“Spokane has some really, really talented folks there, and there’s always new folks starting,” he said. “From what I’ve seen, it’s a super supportive scene that wants to see people succeed.”

McComb said many comedians liked discussing what bigger city they would move to if they had to choose and about the “nominal opportunities” they’d get if they were in a bigger city.

About five years into his comedy career, McComb realized that fantasy would have to become reality if he wanted to further his career. Three years later, McComb, feeling as if his career had plateaued in the Inland Northwest, made the decision to move to Nashville.

McComb hasn’t forgotten about his hometown though and will headline the Spokane Comedy Club on Thursday, bringing a few friends from Nashville – Jimmy on just first name, Marcus Lustig and Rob Wentz, who moved to Nashville from Spokane with McComb – with him.

Nashville has a phenomenal comedy scene, McComb said, but the choice was purely for logistical reasons. From Spokane, it’s five hours to Seattle and six to Portland, plus between Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, there are less than a dozen true comedy clubs.

While travel is easier from Nashville, the issue of too few clubs for too many comedians is something he didn’t expect when he moved.

“It is a massive, massive scene for one club, so it’s hard to get consistent work there,” he said, speaking about Zanies Comedy Night Club. “Comedy is such a competitive scene. People are very defensive of their opportunities. They think if someone else is succeeding, it’s taking opportunities away from them.

“You come in and people are a little bit cold to you until you prove your talents and your intentions.”

He performed more consistently while in Spokane because of all the opportunities at the Spokane Comedy Club, but being in Nashville has allowed him to travel for shows at clubs in states like Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin and Indiana an average of two weekends a month.

McComb tries to visit Spokane twice a year and enjoys seeing how the city has changed since he moved to Nashville. As he didn’t often write material about Spokane or any specific place, McComb didn’t have to worry about whether his material translated to Southern audiences.

Instead, he prefers to write about the “chaos” that’s happening in his life, including having to readjust to life as a single man in Nashville after getting out of a long-term relationship.

“It’s pandemonium,” he said. “There’s a bunch of good stories about that and a bunch of stuff along those lines. That’s the main personal thing that I’ve had going on, so lots of good stories about me putting my foot in my mouth and readjusting to life as a single man.

“I mean, I go shopping for pants alone. It’s impossible.”

He also got a new tattoo and is looking for feedback as, so far, “people are not loving it.”

Mostly, McComb is excited to be introducing Spokane Comedy Club to his Nashville comedian friends.

“Now that I moved out here and I do more comedy and have more context, I can genuinely say that it’s one of the best clubs that I’ve ever performed in,” he said. “It’s phenomenal.”