Radio Happy Hour is a live-mystery-meets-late-night-talk-show, that engages guest stars in wildly right-angled conversations that careen between interviews, performances, and an audience quiz show. At the center of the show is an old-time radio murder mystery/comedy, where the guest star is written into the storyline as him or herself. Past shows have seen Norah Jones as a motel manager; Michael Showalter as the host of his very own cable fitness show; Andrew W.K. as the iconic John Bender character from The Breakfast Club; Tunde Adebimpe as the founder of a wilderness camp for ineffectual men; Kumail Nanjiani as a ventriloquist with a southern dummy; Craig Finn & Tad Kubler as brothers and Chuck Klosterman as their dad on a doomed road trip to a small town called Manhattan, Minnesota.
The show regularly stars host/creator Sam Osterhout, actors Robin Reed and Matt Skibiak, as well as music by Rich Bologna. The show was produced by Dustin Luke Nelson and Massoumeh Emami-Osterhout. Episodes were written variously by head writer Sam Osterhout, Geoff Herbach, and Dustin Luke Nelson
Radio Happy Hour aired three episodes on Minnesota Public Radio's The Current, performed live events in New York, NY, Minneapolis, MN, and Lincoln, NE, and aired the final episode in August 2011.
The complete run of episodes of Radio Happy Hour are available as podcasts through iTunes and Stitcher.
The show regularly stars host/creator Sam Osterhout, actors Robin Reed and Matt Skibiak, as well as music by Rich Bologna. The show was produced by Dustin Luke Nelson and Massoumeh Emami-Osterhout. Episodes were written variously by head writer Sam Osterhout, Geoff Herbach, and Dustin Luke Nelson
Radio Happy Hour aired three episodes on Minnesota Public Radio's The Current, performed live events in New York, NY, Minneapolis, MN, and Lincoln, NE, and aired the final episode in August 2011.
The complete run of episodes of Radio Happy Hour are available as podcasts through iTunes and Stitcher.
PRESS:
“Radio Happy Hour is part fiction, part play, and part concert. What’s not to love?”
Nylon Guys Magazine January 2010 [Download PDF]
“Radio Happy Hour is a monthly variety show dedicated to off-kilter conversations with writers and musicians, in an environment that encourages daytime drinking and slurred questions from enthusiastic audience members. Host Sam Osterhout knows how to keep things casual, even when the stakes are high.”
Onion A/V Club 11/5/09
“Tapes ‘N Tapes frontman Josh Grier will star as an intramural-roughhousing coach for a local parks and recreation department who must solve the murder of a student with the help of musician Chris Koza and novelist Geoff Herbach. Yeah, it doesn’t make much sense, but there’ll be music from TNT and plenty of laughs to keep you distracted.”
Onion A/V Club 04/10
“On occasion, you stumble upon something special and unique. This happened to me this past Saturday. I attended Radio Happy Hour, a live variety show performed at Le Poisson Rouge that features guest actors/actresses who read through hilarious screenplays, perform intimate shows and interact with the audience through random quizzes.”
Music Taster’s Choice10/13/09 [Other MTC reviews of RHH: February '10 | March '10 | November '09 | May '10]
In addition to playing a couple of songs and answering serious questions (or non-fantastical queries, anyway), the musicians on “Radio Happy Hour” are always hoodwinked into the show’s scripted narrative segments — where they always wind up portraying “weirdo versions of themselves,” as Osterhout described it.
Star Tribune 04/22/10 [Download PDF]
“Looking to return to simpler times? Leave the iPod at home for an afternoon, and tune into (le) poisson rouge’s old-timey Radio Happy Hour, a live variety show, created by Sam Osterhout, featuring the behind-the-scenes making of a radio program complete with sound effects, trivia games, and live performances by special guests. Today, Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio and comedian Kumail Nanjiani (most recently of Comedy Central’s Michael and Michael Have Issues) sing songs and do skits (in one, Adebimpe leaves the music business to start a wilderness camp for “ineffectual” men), while you laugh along and get drunk like it’s 1931.”
The Village Voice 10/7/09
“Pop-jazz artist Norah Jones, a lifelong “Prairie Home Companion” fan, starred in New York’s “Radio Happy Hour” in mid-June. During the show, Jones oversaw a Norah Jones trivia session with an audience that she also asked to whistle along with one of the two songs she performed. She also starred in a comedy skit about a snarky hotel owner not so coincidentally named Norah Jones.”
“It was awkward and funny . . . hopefully,” says Jones. When asked how the experience compared to a concert, she says, “It was totally different. It was chilled out and everyone was drinking. It was nice.”
New York Post 7/11/09
“Radio Happy Hour updates the old-time radio mystery”
Lincoln Journal Star 04/19/10 [Download PDF]
“Created by Sam Osterhout (co-founder of the Minneapolis-based radio sitcom Electric Arc Radio Show), this monthly hour of conversation recklessly, if lovingly, careens between the fine lines of interview, performance and questions from the audience — anchored by an old-time radio drama/comedy in which the special guest appears as him or herself.”
The Villager6/2/09
“Old fashioned radio is making a comeback in Greenwich Village!” -WCBS 6/15/09
“Several songs, jokes, audience quizzes, theatrical reveals, and insults later, the audience riots into applause. It’s unclear if Radio Happy Hour is ever actually broadcast, but as a variety hour it still feels like one of the city’s best-kept secrets.”
My Crazy Music Blog 11/18/09
--
The Daily Nebraskan: Interview w/ Sam Osterhout, Robin Reed, and Matt Skibiak – 04/20/10
Minnesota Monthly 7 Ways to Get Cultured This Week 04/20/10
NY Barfly 04/19/10
Time Out New York & Five things to do today 03/13/10
Brooklyn Vegan 03/13/10
Time Out New York’s Own This City w/ Sam Osterhout 03/11/10
New York Times 03/11/10
Radio Happy Hour aired on MPR’s The Current in February
NBC New York 02/12/10
Minneapple in the Big Apple 02/13/10
Villager A-List 02/10/10
Minneapple in the Big Apple 11/10/09
Ephman.com 09/09/09
Will You Miss Me? 06/14/09
The Villager Best Bets 05/27/09
“Radio Happy Hour is part fiction, part play, and part concert. What’s not to love?”
Nylon Guys Magazine January 2010 [Download PDF]
![Download PDF]](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4250895541_d585144cd4_b.jpg){kind=link}
“Radio Happy Hour is a monthly variety show dedicated to off-kilter conversations with writers and musicians, in an environment that encourages daytime drinking and slurred questions from enthusiastic audience members. Host Sam Osterhout knows how to keep things casual, even when the stakes are high.”
Onion A/V Club 11/5/09
“Tapes ‘N Tapes frontman Josh Grier will star as an intramural-roughhousing coach for a local parks and recreation department who must solve the murder of a student with the help of musician Chris Koza and novelist Geoff Herbach. Yeah, it doesn’t make much sense, but there’ll be music from TNT and plenty of laughs to keep you distracted.”
Onion A/V Club 04/10
“On occasion, you stumble upon something special and unique. This happened to me this past Saturday. I attended Radio Happy Hour, a live variety show performed at Le Poisson Rouge that features guest actors/actresses who read through hilarious screenplays, perform intimate shows and interact with the audience through random quizzes.”
Music Taster’s Choice10/13/09 [Other MTC reviews of RHH: February '10 | March '10 | November '09 | May '10]
In addition to playing a couple of songs and answering serious questions (or non-fantastical queries, anyway), the musicians on “Radio Happy Hour” are always hoodwinked into the show’s scripted narrative segments — where they always wind up portraying “weirdo versions of themselves,” as Osterhout described it.
Star Tribune 04/22/10 [Download PDF]
“Looking to return to simpler times? Leave the iPod at home for an afternoon, and tune into (le) poisson rouge’s old-timey Radio Happy Hour, a live variety show, created by Sam Osterhout, featuring the behind-the-scenes making of a radio program complete with sound effects, trivia games, and live performances by special guests. Today, Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio and comedian Kumail Nanjiani (most recently of Comedy Central’s Michael and Michael Have Issues) sing songs and do skits (in one, Adebimpe leaves the music business to start a wilderness camp for “ineffectual” men), while you laugh along and get drunk like it’s 1931.”
The Village Voice 10/7/09
“Pop-jazz artist Norah Jones, a lifelong “Prairie Home Companion” fan, starred in New York’s “Radio Happy Hour” in mid-June. During the show, Jones oversaw a Norah Jones trivia session with an audience that she also asked to whistle along with one of the two songs she performed. She also starred in a comedy skit about a snarky hotel owner not so coincidentally named Norah Jones.”
“It was awkward and funny . . . hopefully,” says Jones. When asked how the experience compared to a concert, she says, “It was totally different. It was chilled out and everyone was drinking. It was nice.”
New York Post 7/11/09
“Radio Happy Hour updates the old-time radio mystery”
Lincoln Journal Star 04/19/10 [Download PDF]
“Created by Sam Osterhout (co-founder of the Minneapolis-based radio sitcom Electric Arc Radio Show), this monthly hour of conversation recklessly, if lovingly, careens between the fine lines of interview, performance and questions from the audience — anchored by an old-time radio drama/comedy in which the special guest appears as him or herself.”
The Villager6/2/09
“Old fashioned radio is making a comeback in Greenwich Village!” -WCBS 6/15/09
“Several songs, jokes, audience quizzes, theatrical reveals, and insults later, the audience riots into applause. It’s unclear if Radio Happy Hour is ever actually broadcast, but as a variety hour it still feels like one of the city’s best-kept secrets.”
My Crazy Music Blog 11/18/09
--
The Daily Nebraskan: Interview w/ Sam Osterhout, Robin Reed, and Matt Skibiak – 04/20/10
Minnesota Monthly 7 Ways to Get Cultured This Week 04/20/10
NY Barfly 04/19/10
Time Out New York & Five things to do today 03/13/10
Brooklyn Vegan 03/13/10
Time Out New York’s Own This City w/ Sam Osterhout 03/11/10
New York Times 03/11/10
Radio Happy Hour aired on MPR’s The Current in February
NBC New York 02/12/10
Minneapple in the Big Apple 02/13/10
Villager A-List 02/10/10
Minneapple in the Big Apple 11/10/09
Ephman.com 09/09/09
Will You Miss Me? 06/14/09
The Villager Best Bets 05/27/09