Good Time Charlie returns to Malta at Comedy Night

Charlie Mulluk, or as he is known in entertainment circles, Good Time Charlie, is no stranger to Malta. The 1991 Harlem High School graduate got his start in "the business" right here in town. On Saturday night, he will emcee the third installment of Malta Comedy Night at the Villa Theatre and he said he is stoked that he once again gets the chance to return to his old stomping ground.

"For some strange reason, people in Malta like to have a good time," Mulluk joked. "I lived there for a total of six years and I love those folks. They treated me so well when I started doing radio there and they treated me even better when I came back to do comedy there. Each time, they come out and pack the house and I think they are just ready to laugh when we get there. I can't wait until Saturday. The crowd is always hot at the Villa and I am honored to be given the chance to go back and rock the stage in the building I used to watch movies in as a teenager."

Comedian Tony Baker will headline the night's event along with fellow comics Kasey Nicholson from Harlem, James Carden from Havre.

"Tony Baker is a funny guy," Mulluk said. "I got a chance to work with him at the Big Sky Comedy Festival and I think he should have won. I like his style, he has a very voice and I like the way he sees things and the way he acts things out. The people of Malta are in for a treat on Saturday night with Tony."

Baker has been featured on Comedy Central and was a cast member on NBC's Last Comic Standing.

The night will also feature two other Montana comics on the night as Carden and Nicholson grace the stage with their comedy styling's. Mulluk said that he has heard great things about Havre's Carden and has firsthand knowledge of Nicholson.

"I saw Kasey Nicholson open up for JR Redwater at a comedy show at my high school," said Mulluk. "I was watching him do stand-up, and he was killing it, and I was like 'yeah, I could try that too'. We recently got to do a show at the Laugh Factory in L.A. He's a really strong comic. "He talks a lot about his home life when he is on stage and he does a lot of Native related comedy. He is really positive, and very funny. I look up to him, even though he is younger than me. He's got a silly sense of humanity and when he is on stage he really sharpens it and gives whip-smart punch lines that hit you in the face and surprises you."

Mulluk, who is now a DJ in Bozeman, said that he enjoys doing "scary things that are creative" – he was often recognized in his high school days for his performances in speech and drama – and when his schooling was complete, he decided to try his hand, er voice, on radio and asked a local DJ for a job (several times.)

"I started at KMMR right after high school," said Mulluk. "That was my first radio job back in the day. I started there on September 12, 1991 and I was all geeked-out because Greg (Kielb) hired me after I bothered him four or five times."

Mulluk currently works as a DJ for both Eagle 104.7 and KSYK Country 106.9 in Bozeman. Since graduating from high school, Mulluk has put in 20 years as a radio disc jockey but about five years ago decided to add another occupation to his resume, stand-up comedy. Over the past five years while earning his comedic chops, Mulluk has opened for comedians Louie Anderson, Jeff Dye and Lukas Seely – Seely found great success as the headliner of Malta Comedy Show's first event in October of last year.

"Since I started doing stand-up, it has been go, go, go," Mulluk said.

Besides the comedy on the night, As the Crow Flies, a two-piece band consisting of Harlem High graduate Mario Minor Jr. – Good Time Charlie's brother – and Nick Hamilton will open the night with some music. The two-man band features guitar, keyboard, and harmonica and Charlie said that they rock, plain and simple.

"They are a rocking blues band," Mulluk said. "To be in a two-piece band, you have to be spot on, and these two guys bring it."

Montarctica – the brainchild of Malta's Travis Rhoads -- presents the third installment of Comedy Night in Malta at the Villa Theatre this Saturday, March 21 starting at 8 p.m. Tickets for the event can be purchased prior to the show at all the banks in Malta, at Crossroad Coffee, the Mint Bar or at the door the night of the event. The show is for ages 18 and up and the Malta Shriners will be selling adult beverages – 21 and older -- on the night.