SLUG Localized: Stand-Up Comedy Showcase 2025

After a riveting game of Bananagrams during the Wednesday night Wiseguys open mic, I got the chance to talk to some of Salt Lake’s rising comedy stars, as well as Arash Tadjiki. So many people on this lineup are fresh faces who are still so jazzed on doing stand-up. It can become a real grind after a while, which takes some of the enjoyment out of it. But no! For most of them, life is as wide as the mouth of a big bass! Dare I say it fills me with a little more hope for the future of comedy than I had before. Don’t miss their sets at SLUG’s Comedy Localized on Dec. 17 at The Urban Lounge. Get your tickets here!

Arash Tadjiki

Arash Tadjiki, if that is his real name, is a scoundrel, layabout, louse-riddled hooligan that I will unfortunately have to share the stage with for a brief handshake in between sets (it will feel like an eternity). Tadjiki is the old warhorse of the group. The light and love of standup has left his eyes. He has been divorced once, as far as we know, and with his bohemian lifestyle prevailing, it should be many more times. The blaggard. Tadjiki says “failure is devastating” is the ruling mantra of his life.

Tadjiki has been doing stand-up for about six or seven years, “if you count all the times I quit,” he says. His style is very character and interaction-driven and he finds much of his material in everyday life. Tadjiki talks about immigrating from Iran in 2001, observations from his life and what it’s like to date single moms. He says that the thrill of writing jokes and trying them out on stage is “a science experiment that never gets old.”

He shares a notable experience from his early days in stand-up: “I accepted a gig at an old people’s home and didn’t know I was supposed to do a whole hour. I don’t know if anyone was awake or even alive. [I’m] actually amazed they still paid me.” When I ask if he was always funny, Tadjiki replies, “I don’t think I’m even funny now.” You can find him performing around Salt Lake City and Austin, at clubs and bars alike. Find him on Instagram and TikTok at @arashisonline.

Kari Bristow

Kari Bristow is a mom and a redhead. She loves my girlfriend and frankly my girlfriend may love her more than she loves me. I will try not to let this influence my writing about or general attitude toward Bristow as much as possible. If you’re a fan of comedy that has punchline after punchline, a sardonic attitude toward motherhood and a love of cheese peppered in, Bristow is for you. She talks about marriage, motherhood and everyday relatable stuff. Not necessarily my cup of tea, but that’s not personal in any way — I just like other stuff. Like my girlfriend. Love, even, my girlfriend. Anyways, Bristow is on the show and she has jokes, I hear.

Bristow started her standup journey at the old Bucket List Mic at Wiseguys in August 2023. She’s been writing jokes since she was a little kid, and she finally decided to act on it. “Luckily [I] had plenty of material to start with,” she says. Something that stands out about Bristow is her obsession with stand-up. All comedians love comedy; this is true to varying degrees. However, Bristow has a marked passion for the craft that can be seen quite clearly in her performance. “I wouldn’t want to be doing literally anything else,” she says.

You can find Bristow on all platforms at @karibristow and see her nearly every weekend performing at Wiseguys. Give her a follow so she can achieve her dream goal in comedy of being “famous enough for a couple of stalkers.”

Jimmy Glasscock

Jimmy Glasscock. (Yes, dear reader, that is his real last name.) You’ll hear him talk about it at the show. Or he’ll read this and say, “Actually I won’t now,” just to spite me. He also talks about the political and economic state of the world, and he really tries to get to the bottom of the deal with airline food.

Glasscock has been doing stand-up for about two years now, and seeing him at the club always puts a smile on my face, mostly because of how hard he is visibly trying to have good posture. His dream in stand-up is “to do more shows.” An earnest and, for a comic of his caliber, easily achievable goal. “I love having a creative outlet and it’s fun that it can be a public shame ritual,” he says. “One time I did comedy in front of a bunch of firefighters at a PTSD conference and they didn’t laugh at anything I said. I did not enjoy that.”

Glasscock started doing stand-up because “it was the scariest social thing I could imagine,” he says. “The first time I did it was just to challenge myself to get over the fear. I went up at the mic and my hands went numb.” I love this story because it shows how much he cares about what he’s doing, in a good way. He can be seen on weekend shows at Wiseguys, at bars and coffee shops around town and, if you were lucky enough to catch him, he once performed at The Utah Hogle Zoo. You can follow him on YouTube, Instagram and JDate at @jimmyglasscock.

Brooke Tennison

Brooke Tennison is small of stature, but big of heart. She’s giggly, awkward and unlike most comedians when they get heckled, receives positive feedback. “When I tell a joke that’s a little self-depricating there will be a very supportive lady who will loudly disagree, and that’s annoying to deal with because I don’t like being mean to a lady who’s just trying to be nice,” she says.

She first started stand-up in 2021 at the very same Wiseguys. The reason? Her roommate mentioned once that she wanted to go and “it occurred to me that this was a thing I could try out,” In her sets, Tennison talks about stuff from her life — probably dating — and reasons why she hates herself. “I just need to write at least one more good joke,” she says. Tennison loves the process of figuring out how to make a joke work. She enjoys all forms of comedy but the one thing she’s very sure about wanting to do is work in a writers room. This probably has something to do with her perfect Sunday, which she says is to “watch a movie and go on a walk outside and then watch another movie.”

“I was always obnoxious and intent on making people listen to me,” she says. Tennison has opened for Andy Gold and can be caught in an upcoming PBS human interest story about the Salt Lake comedy scene — “if they still have any funding, fingers crossed!” Follow her on Instagram at @brooketenny and TikTok at @brooke.tenny.

Read more about past SLUG Comedy Localized shows:
SLUG Localized: Stand-Up Comedy Showcase 2024
SLUG Localized: Stand-Up Comedy Showcase 2023