Three takeaways:

• Native Comedy Night featuring Tonia Jo Hall and James & Ernie is Sunday, Nov. 2, at the Showroom at Casino Arizona
• Tonia Jo Hall brings her classic unfiltered, hilarious and relatable auntie energy to the stage
• James & Ernie celebrate 25 years together as a sober and drug free comedy duo

Salt River, clear your schedule for Sunday, Nov. 2, and get ready to laugh until your cheeks hurt!

It’s Native Comedy Night at the Showroom at Casino Arizona featuring solo act Tonia Jo Hall and the first contemporary Native American comedy duo in the U.S., James & Ernie.

Hall is a proud member of the Lakota, Dakota, Hidatsa MHA Nation and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and James & Ernie (James Junes and Ernest David Tsosie) are from the Navajo Nation.

The two acts will perform at 3 p.m. and again at 6 p.m.

You can purchase tickets on the Casino Arizona website here.

O’odham Action News recently spoke with Hall and James & Ernie.

Hear the new podcast episode with James & Ernie here:

Hall is well known for her viral YouTube videos. She is also a Jingle Dress dancer and motivational speaker who champions sobriety and healthy living. James & Ernie are also sober and drug free performers and motivational speakers.

According to Hall, on Nov. 2 the Community “can expect to meet Auntie Beachress unfiltered, funny and full of that classic auntie energy we all know and love.”

“Auntie Beachress brings that crazy rez humor that comes straight from the aunties who raised us, the ones who tell it like it is but also lift you up when you need it most. I’ll be sharing laughs, life lessons, and some moments that might hit close to home,” said Hall, who is hyped about performing in the SRPMIC for the first time.

“I know there’s a strong sense of culture and pride here, and I’m looking forward to connecting with the audience and hopefully making them laugh so hard they forget about all their bills for a night. The energy from Native crowds is always next level, and I know Salt River’s going to show up.”

Hall said that when Native folks come out to see Native comedians, it’s more than just a show. It’s community. It’s healing through humor.

“We’ve been through a lot, and laughter is one of our strongest medicines. So, when we can come together, laugh together, and celebrate who we are, that’s a good night,” said Hall.

“There’s something powerful about seeing our own people on stage telling stories we grew up with, the humor, the aunties, the family gatherings, those moments that only make sense in our communities.”

James & Ernie have their own unique style on stage. They work off each other’s energy without using notes.

“That’s what works best for us,” said Junes.

“Ernie is a solo act in himself and then I’m a solo act as well. But when the two come together, you’re mixing another ingredient. If you’re making dough or frybread or if you’re making dessert or whatever, these are two of what I feel are the good, the great material that has sustained us for the past 25 years.”

If you’ve never heard of James & Ernie’s comedy, “Where have you been?” Junes asked with a chuckle. The duo has performed in the Phoenix area several times over the years.

The two originally met in at an amateur comedy competition show in Farmington, New Mexico, at the Farmington Civic Center.

A year later, in April 2002, the two shared the stage together for the first time in Tuba City. The show ran behind schedule “on Indian time,” Tsosie recalled.

“So, they asked James and I to go on together, but we didn’t want to because we were solo acts at the time. The lady in charge was kind of pleading ‘please!’ so we reluctantly said ‘okay,’” said Tsosie.

“We had 20 minutes on stage and that was the day that James & Ernie was born.”

They originally called themselves Mutton and Stew Productions and had that name for a short period of time.

“The problem was that everyone would ask, ‘Who’s Mutton and who’s Stew and where’s Frybread?’” joked Tsosie.

Like Hall, the duo are sober comedians. They openly talk about their healing comedy and surviving drug addiction, alcoholism and more. Tsosie stands by an equation that many comedians use: pain plus time equals comedy.

“We’ve always wanted to weave in what our struggles were, and that’s overcoming these obstacles like addiction,” said Junes.

“It’s not just substance. We can be addicted to anything. Money, fame, fortune, notoriety. You can be addicted to social media. You can be addicted to the past, to trauma.”

Tsosie feels the duo is helping people on the spiritual, mental and physical levels while also using humor to grab the attention of people.

“It’s a separate act in itself that is different from live standup, traditional comedy,” said Tsosie.

Stay tuned for a new upcoming O’odham Action News podcast episode featuring an interview with James & Ernie. 

Hall has a couple of creative projects in the works. She is a playing a part in an upcoming small film and recording songs in the studio with her husband, Joel Wood, for his new album. The two have a collaborative live show called “Coffee and Stories with Auntie” and “Sing Along with Uncle.”

See Tonia Jo Hall in action here.

See James & Ernie in action here: