This show is SOLD OUT. Tickets may be available at the door night-of.Due to a change in her schedule, Wendy Melvoin will not be appearing. Vicki Peterson is replacing her.Fred Armisen presents a night of comedy and music with special guest
Vicki Peterson (The Bangles).
For three nights, SF Sketchfest hosts Fred Armisen "in residence" at the Chapel with Comedy for Guitar Players but Everyone is Welcome, featuring a different special guest each night.
Vicki Peterson began writing songs in elementary school: "I was the kid who brought a guitar to every sleep-over in order to torture everyone with my newest creation …" She started a band with friends (and younger sister Debbi Peterson), playing power pop in high school. In 1981, Debbi and Vicki met Susanna Hoffs, and the three formed the iconic 80’s group The Bangles.
In the early 90’s, Vicki began writing songs with her good friend Susan Cowsill, the two performing as the Psycho Sisters. (In 2003, they became actual sisters when Vicki married John Cowsill, Susan’s brother and Vicki’s future Action Skulls band-mate.) In addition to performing their own material, The Psycho Sisters freelanced as celebrity back-up singers. Vicki herself provided harmonies to artists like Tom Petty, the Hoodoo Gurus, John Doe, and Belinda Carlisle. She also replaced a pregnant Charlotte Caffey as guitarist on the Go-Go’s 1994-95 reunion tour.
Vicki moved to New Orleans to be a part of the Continental Drifters, a critically acclaimed songwriters’ collective, which included old friends Peter Holsapple (dB’s) and Mark Walton (The Dream Syndicate).
The Bangles began recording and touring again in 2000. Two new albums from the band have emerged in the 21st century: 2003's Doll Revolution and Sweetheart of the Sun, released to glowing reviews in 2011.
The summer of 2014 saw the long-awaited release of Up On the Chair, Beatrice, the first—and almost mythical--full-length recording from the Psycho Sisters.
Vicki’s current musical projects include the Action Skulls, a combo formed spontaneously at a Christmas party. Skull members Bill Mumy, John Cowsill and Vicki get together whenever schedules allow; they released their debut LP (Angels Hear) in 2017, and are currently at work on an LP scheduled for release later this year.
Fred Armisen is one of the most diversely talented performers working today with credits that run the gamut from acting, producing, and writing in both comedy and music.
He is the co-creator, co-writer and co-star of IFC’s "Portlandia" alongside Carrie Brownstein. He received an Emmy® nomination for “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series” in 2014 and a nomination for “Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series” in 2012, 2013, and 2014. In 2015, the show received an Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Variety Sketch Series.” In 2013, Armisen, along with the other writers, won a Writers Guild Award for “Outstanding Comedy/Variety Series,” they were nominated again in 2014. "Portlandia" received prestigious Peabody Award for excellence in 2011. The critically- acclaimed show recently finished its sixth season, and the seventh season will begin airing next year.
Armisen’s most recent venture is his new IFC comedy, "Documentary Now!." The show is a curated series of half-hour documentaries and biopics, each about a completely fictitious subject. The show is returning for its second season later this year. Meyers is an executive producer for the series along with Armisen and Hader, who play all of the primary roles. Additionally, Armisen recently teamed up with Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video, NBCUniversal Telemundo, and fellow "SNL" alum Horatio Sanz to create a digital comedy channel aimed at the English-speaking Hispanic audience called Mas Mejor. The channel launched in early January and includes a weekly short-form premium comedy series and other topical video and editorial content.
This past February, Armisen starred alongside Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penélope Cruz, Christine Taylor and Kristen Wiig in "Zoolander 2," the sequel to the hit 2001 comedy "Zoolander."
In February 2014, Armisen was named band leader of the 8G Band on "Late Night With Seth Meyers." The band, curated by Armisen, includes members of indie rock bands Les Savy Fav and Girls against Boys.
An eleven season veteran of "Saturday Night Live," Armisen has engaged audiences with memorable impressions and characters including world leaders like President Barack Obama or Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the popular digital short “Iran So Far Away” to “Weekend Update” fixtures like political comedian Nicholas Fehn or half of the songwriting team of Garth and Kat (with Kristen Wiig) to name a few. He closed out his last season in the guise of British punk rocker Ian Rubbish with a star-studded performance of the original song “It’s a Lovely Day.”
He has appeared in countless feature films including "7 Days In Hell," "Addicted To Fresno," "Easy A," "The Rocker," "Confessions of a Shopaholic," "Eurotrip," and "The Promotion" as well as lending his voice to the feature "The Smurfs." He has also appeared in the films "Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny" with Jack Black, "Baby Mama" with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, "The Ex" with Zach Braff and Jason Bateman, and in Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy."
On the small screen, he has made guest appearances on "New Girl," "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," "Man Seeking Woman," "The Awesomes," "Modern Family," "Difficult People," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "30 Rock," "House of Lies," "Super Fun Night," "Broad City," and "Parks and Recreation," and the cable comedy shows "The Sarah Silverman Show," "Human Giant," and "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!." He was also seen in the smash kids show "Yo Gabba Gabba" on Nickelodeon and did voice over guest spots on "Archer" and "Chozen."
His career began as a musician in the Chicago-based post-punk band Trenchmouth as well as playing with the Blue Man Group. His transition to comedy came with the 1998 underground short film Fred Armisen’s Guide to Music and SXSW which followed him through the Austin, Texas “South by Southwest Music Festival” posing as a music journalist. In 2006, he interviewed Cat Power for the influential music website Pitchfork.com and later combined his love for music and comedy by creating the role of drummer Jens Hannemann and releasing an instructional DVD, Complicated Drumming Technique, in 2007. Armisen has landed on Rolling Stone’s “Hot List” and has also been included several times on Entertainment Weekly‘s “Must List” in regards to his many projects.
Armisen splits his time between Portland, New York, and Los Angeles.
Co-presented by
Amoeba Music ($40 in advance, $45 day of show, All Ages)
