A Tight 45 with Tabari McCoy

Seattle is known for many things: The Space Needle, the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Public Square Market and the Puget Sound. It was also home to the Comedy Underground, where comedian Ty Barnett got his start. And as the alumni of Last Comic Standing can tell you, he's never looked back since. A staple of the stand-up comedy circuit whose highlights include Comedy Central and Dry Bar...

Traci Callahan is a graduate of Concordia University, Irvine, where she was named Female Athlete of the Year (2009), the culmination of a career that saw her be recognized in 2005 as the NCAA Freshman of the Year before becoming a 1st team All-American 3 straight seasons (2006-2009). Then, in 2012, she started playing on the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) tour. Then, in 2015, she wa...

A lot of people say it, but all you have to do is listen to him one time and you'll know the truth about the man born Deon Lemar Guyton, Jr.. For as his chosen emcee name states, Deon CanRap . A native of Cincinnati, OH, Deon CanRap is currently sparking feelings of classic 90s hip-hop on LL Cool J 's Rock the Bells radio on SiriusXM . That's where, like Tabari, you can hear his cur...

Shaun Latham is down for a good time ... Which makes him a perfect guest for this episode of A Tight 45! Making his network debut on the premiere season of Comedy Central's Stand Up Revolution , Shaun was a featured headliner on NUVOtv's Stand Up and Deliver. This also explains why Gabriel Iglesias is a fan of his work and took him on the road for not one but two international tours. Out...

Guitar? Check. Funny? Check. And a performer with not one but two NBC hits under her belt? Check and check. Guess that explains why Kristin Key has been earning a lot of checks being funny for years. Most recognized from NBC’s Bring the Funny   and Last Comic Standing , Kristin has two-plus decades to her credit doing stand-up, a far cry from her humble origins as a preacher’s daughter who started...

She's a New York City-based comedian with Massachusetts roots, been featured on SiriusXM, Fox, ASX, Comics Unleashed and is the love & relationship advice segment host on the Bob & Tom Show. She's also pretty funny, which is why if you haven't gotten hip to Alli Breen (@allibreen), there's no better time to do so than post-quarantine. The winner of 2011 Laughing Stock C...

She's a classically trained pianist and harpist ... So what did she do during the pandemic? Start making covers of classic hip-hop songs with some of her friends, of course! A resident of Los Angeles, Minta Spencer spent her 20s running  businesses with her husband while playing the occasional gig off and on. But once 2020 hit, she and some friends discovered a new hobby: Making covers of cla...

She's an ESPN personality, an Emmy and Peabody Award winner, the co-owner of a sports franchise and a fellow podcaster ... And yet despite it all, Sarah Spain still found the time to be on the latest episode of A Tight 45 !   First joining the "Worldwide Leader" in 2010, Spain has been the co-host of Spain and Fitz , with Jason Fitz, since its return to the ESPN Radio lineup in Augu...

Before the pandemic, he was a baby-faced performer that has entertained audiences for years. Now, he's got a new look, a new relationship ... But when it comes to being funny, he's the same ol' entertaining Andy. Andy Woodhull has performed on The Late Late Show with James Corden , Conan and was the first comedian to make his network television debut on the Jimmy Fallon-led iteratio...

Before he ever got into stand-up comedy, J.B. Ball was just another college athlete with dreams of making it to the NBA. Given the success he's found on stage, however, it looks like he's made a slam dunk of an alternate career choice. A native of Florida, Ball has found big success since transitioning from performing on the hardwood to in front of brick walls. Selected for the prestigio...

When he was in 8th grade, Tabari had no idea one of his classmates was going to grow up to own of the best barbecue restaurants in not only Cincinnati, but the entire country. But it happened ... And Tabari still can't cook anything other than bacon. The namesake of Eli's Barbeque , Elias Leisring has been slinging meat professionally for a decade. Starting with humble beginnings in the...

Ms. Jackson is for real ... Real funny, that is. A native of Georgia, Mia Jackson is a stand-up comedian who's wit and charm results in big laughs in an easy to relate to style. Her career took off in 2017 when she was selected as a "New Face" at the prestigious Just for Laughs International Comedy Festival and Atlanta's Creative Loafing honored her with the Critic's Choic...

As a former quarterback, he's a legendary figure in the ranks of the Cincinnati Bengals. As a coach, he won a Super Bowl ring with the Pittsburgh Steelers only to then retire and walk off into the proverbial sunset. But If you think Ken Anderson hasn't been busy and/or enjoying life away from football, you'd be sadly mistake because that couldn't be further from the truth. The...

Alexandrea (Alex) Whirley is a yoga instructor, traveling fitness trainer in addition to modeling and running another entrepreneurial venture in Mind Body Spirits , a natural wine distribution company. She is also a member of the Kansas City Force, the newest expansion team in the Extreme Football League – which is perfect for a certified bad ass who loves to get physical like herself. On this epi...

In 1991, Tara Kemp burst upon the music scene with her debut single, a classic 90s R&B/hip-hop hybrid track "Hold You Tight." This was followed up by her debut self-titled album and an another hit single, "Piece of My Heart," that charted in the Billboard Top 100 ... And then she seemingly faded away from the public eye. On this episode of A Tight 45 (dropping Wednesday, Ma...

20+ years ago, TT Stern-Enzi made the decision to pursue his passion for film as a career ... Turns out it was the best decision the Rotten Tomatoes-certified movie critic ever made. A film reviewer and columnist regularly featured in CityBeat Cincinnati , on WXIX-TV "Fox 19" and formerly Dayton City Paper ,  Stern-Enzi is a lifelong movie lover who got his start the way many amateur cri...

Graduating from high school, one might have thought Allie Martin was destined for an athletic college career given her competitive nature and the God-given talents to fuel her pursuits. But as fate would have it, she discovered a new love – telling stories – leading to her getting into the world of video production and advertising. Then a fateful phone call changed her career ... And the 6-foot-1...

On stage, Chris Alan is a powerhouse comedian ... But off stage, he's a parent, a husband, a military veteran and black in America – all of which influence the former into a comedy tour de force with insight to back up his punchlines. Regularly opening for fellow comedian Mark Normand, Chris made the decision to become a full-time comic after retiring from the military a few years ago. He has...

In his youth, Eliot Rahal liked two things a lot: Comedy (stand-up in particular) and comic books. His latest work, the Aftershock Comics release Knock Em Dead , shows how he's been able to combine them into quite the entertaining experience. Growing in the Chicago area and now  Minnesota-based New York Times -acclaimed writer and creator, Rahal is best known for his  work in comics, includin...

Ireland – it's given us living legends like U2, great mystical legends like leprechauns, sports legends like the 80s Boston Celtics, legendary beer ... And now, comedian Katie Boyle , a legend in the making in the world of stand-up comedy. An Irish-born comedian living in Brooklyn, New York, Katie is a regular at esteemed comedy venues like Caroline's on Broadway and the Creek and the Ca...

He's been a professional writer – primarily focusing on the world of sports – for four decades running ... But if you think Paul Daugherty is running out of things to say, this episode of A Tight 45 with Tabari McCoy will prove that couldn't be further from the truth.     A sports writer at The Cincinnati Enquirer since 1994, Daughtery – in addition to covering the Cincinnati Reds and Ci...

What would your life be like if you got to work in a comic book shop? Would it be your dream job? In the case of Kelsey Swafford of Up, Up & Away Comics , that dream is her reality. Working at her family's two Cincinnati-area shops since her youth, Kelsey literally is surrounded by thousands of comics on a nearly daily basis. On this episode, Kelsey talks with Tabari about what it's...

Do you know what you wanted to do at 16? In Liz Miele's case, the answer was "yes" – which is why she started hitting comedy clubs in New York City. And 16 turned out to be quite the sweet age to start given where she is today. Profiled in  The New Yorker Magazine at 18 and appearing on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham at age 22, Miele has been featured on/in numerous shows and viral...

Like many people, Tabari McCo y is a collector of many things – sneakers, baseball caps, comic books and above all else, autographs. As the President and CEO of one of the largest memorabilia companies in the world in TriStar Productions , Jeff Rosenber g has the power to bring a lot of people's favorite athletes into their lives ... For the right price. Founded in 1987 in Houston with the or...

"Me." While his two letter, one word response was meant as a self-deprecating, good-natured and humorous to a post about a star college athlete Twitter users expected to have a better professional career, it also shows just how far Ryan Leaf has come. The no. 2 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft by the (then San Diego) Chargers, Ryan's career did not go the way those who saw him wow...