L.A.-based comic Mayce Galoni got his start in Hamilton bars before he was old enough to drink

Mayce Galoni remembers the day he gave up on having a backup plan and went all-in on standup comedy.

It was during his first month at McMaster University, which he attended for "something like three weeks" studying a major he doesn't fully remember. "I wish I could tell you. Is it bachelor of arts? Could it be that?" he wondered in an interview with CBC Hamilton this week.

"I remember standing up in the middle of a class," said Galoni, who is featured on the new season of CBC Gem's The Next Wave of Standup, which went live on the streaming service on Monday.

"I walked out and went to the office and was like, 'Can I drop out now and still get my money back?'"

That was 2013. Galoni, 29, now lives in Los Angeles and performs all over the continent. This weekend he's headlining the Brewing For Comedy Festival at the Capitol Theatre in Windsor. He's been featured by Just for Laughs, MTV, This Hour Has 22 Minutes and The Debaters.

But before all that, he spent several years honing his skills in the Hammer, following a stint as a teen magician that first exposed him to standup comedy venues.

"I fell in love with [standup] but also I think I fell in love with not having to bring a trunk of random objects," he says in his Next Wave episode, where his set touches on on cultural appropriation, old-people emails and moving in with his girlfriend, comic Sophie Buddle.

"[I fell in love with] not having to have livestock up my sleeves and stuff."

By his late teens, Galoni and pal Jordan Scherer were hosting a comedy radio show on McMaster radio station CFMU and lighting up the stage in local bars, despite being too young to be there as patrons. Not being old enough to drink didn't really matter to Galoni, who doesn't drink to this day. His inebriant of choice? "Getting really sugared up on Mountain Dew Voltage."

'He's made all his life choices for standup'

Galoni says that back then, he spent several nights a week doing local shows at any venue with a microphone willing to host comedy — including pot lounges, sports bars, a Hooters patio, a comic book store, delis and "multiple different alleyways." Much of that was alongside more experienced comics Gavin Stephens, Manolis Zontanos and Patrick Coppolino.

"The biggest thing I got from starting in Hamilton was being able to be around those guys most nights of the week," said Galoni, who grew up in Binbrook before moving to downtown Hamilton as a young adult.

"We were just trying to live in comedy as much as we could and be around other people that were as excited and passionate as we were."

Gavin Stephens is a Hamilton-based standup comedian and hosts the Uncolonized podcast, which he says is 'a funny and blunt podcast about race, politics and culture, from a Black Canadian perspective.' (Cara Nickerson/CBC)

Stephens, whose recent comedy album All Inclusive Coma was nominated for a 2022 Juno Award, said he could tell soon after meeting Galoni that he "was going to be something special… You just saw it happening, it was going to happen. He's made all his life choices for standup. I don't know how healthy that is but it's working out for him."

Stephens, 48, said Galoni "works really hard" and is well-loved for lacking ego and being interested in others' success.

"He helps people out and he's always cheering people on," said Stephens. "He's always in people's corners."

One of Stephens' favourite memories of that era is the first time he went on the road with Galoni and Scherer to perform.

"We went to Kingston [Ont.,] and [Galoni] thought he had to get his passport," said Stephens. "I don't know why he thought he had to get his passport. That's a perfect example of Mayce for me."

From his perspective, Galoni said he remembers thinking how "badass" it was to be travelling to do comedy for the first time.

"It was less badass when you're two essentially grown men sleeping in the same double bed, but it was still glamorous," he said.

Comic Mayce Galoni is pictured in a 2017 file photo. (CBC Comedy)

Galoni said his comedy has changed a lot from the days when it was all jokes about living with his parents, even though his youthful appearance still leads some audiences to expect something in that vein.

"People still expect me to be a little more clean or wholesome or something and I can play with that," said Galoni, whose recent work in the U.S. has included jokes about controversial topics such as anti-abortion flyers and gun control.

"I can weave in and out of these expectations. You can surprise them if you have a fun idea that's a bit edgier.

"I do like to dip into things that make the room a bit uncomfortable and see if you can save it, see if you can get everybody back on the same page."