CASPER
New member
Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein may be the only comedy duo in television that's just as likely to be a band.
Brownstein is best known as a singer and guitarist, formerly of the seminal Portland, Ore., rock trio Sleater-Kinney. Armisen, a "Saturday Night Live" comedian, played drums for the lesser-known Chicago band Trenchmouth.
So when Armisen approached Brownstein about collaborating, even she assumed he meant music.
"But when he came to Portland, he wanted to make videos," recalls Brownstein. "It was very casual and very organic, in the same way that one might start a band. We were just practicing in our basement."
Their informal sketch comedy Web videos — made under the name ThunderAnt — have produced a six-episode IFC series, "Portlandia," that combines their passions of music and comedy. The show, which premieres Jan. 21 at 10:30 p.m. EST and was executive produced by Lorne Michaels, is a clever mishmash of sketches with the theme of its setting, Portland, and depictions of its Pacific Northwest characters.
"It seems so dreamy to me," Armisen, a New Yorker, says of the Oregon city. "It's kind of misty because of the rain. It almost seems like it's a city in the clouds."
Brownstein is best known as a singer and guitarist, formerly of the seminal Portland, Ore., rock trio Sleater-Kinney. Armisen, a "Saturday Night Live" comedian, played drums for the lesser-known Chicago band Trenchmouth.
So when Armisen approached Brownstein about collaborating, even she assumed he meant music.
"But when he came to Portland, he wanted to make videos," recalls Brownstein. "It was very casual and very organic, in the same way that one might start a band. We were just practicing in our basement."
Their informal sketch comedy Web videos — made under the name ThunderAnt — have produced a six-episode IFC series, "Portlandia," that combines their passions of music and comedy. The show, which premieres Jan. 21 at 10:30 p.m. EST and was executive produced by Lorne Michaels, is a clever mishmash of sketches with the theme of its setting, Portland, and depictions of its Pacific Northwest characters.
"It seems so dreamy to me," Armisen, a New Yorker, says of the Oregon city. "It's kind of misty because of the rain. It almost seems like it's a city in the clouds."