Brittain Ashford and Caitlin Steitzer are B-Cat and C-Town. — Photo courtesy of the artists

It’s getting to be my favorite time of year to hunker down in the Northeast Kingdom Den. It’s such an cozy space to see a show — yes, small, but also really chill and welcoming — especially in the colder months. Last week, I finally got a chance to catch Bushwick’s own comedy duo B-Cat (Brittain Ashford) and C-Town (Caitlin Steitzer) in a downsized version of their variety show, appropriately mellowed for the basement lounge. I had been seeing flyers for the show for ages and heard glowing reports; the hosts and their guests did not disappoint.

The lovely ladies were clad in matching blue lamé gowns (always matching — that’s the deal) and performed a few delightful songs in between comedy "acts." I know what you’re thinking. Comedy: potentially terrible. I always have that worry myself, but these were some truly funny folks (with serious resumes, I might add).

First up was Johnny McNulty, a writer for The Onion and SNL and member of various improv groups, followed by Joe Garden (also a writer for the Onion and author) who read passages from his new book: The New Vampire’s Handbook and hosted a lively vampire Q&A. The night ended with a set by comedian Hari Kondabolu (who has performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham AND, as we learned during the show, had a minor role in this summer’s really good movie All About Steve). The guy is hilarious and we’re totally Facebook friends now. A favorite moment came when, in describing a recent trip to Portland, Hari posed the question to Brooklyn: "Vegan soul food, WTF?!" All in all, it was a really funny night.

After the show, Brittain and Caitlin told me their regular monthly show began in its current incarnation at Petri Space earlier this year after Steitzer’s comedy show LAFFF lost its host ("in the basement of some Morgan loft building"). The two have been friends since middle school and decided to team up and expand to an all-out variety show featuring their musical stylings and comedy gems as well as "sketch and improv groups, sometimes dancers and people doing magic tricks."

While "the loft space gives it an all around bigger feeling," Brittain appreciated the scaled-back version of the show at the Kingdom and reported that the performers had a great time as well. "This was our first time doing comedy there, but there’s something really intimate and — this sounds nerdy, but — magical about the space." I couldn’t agree more. Most of the guest acts are "people we’ve seen perform, have performed with, or know through friends." Caitlin added that people are starting to come to them — "which is awesome." The two are in agreement about living and performing in the neighborhood: Caitlin: "I love Bushwick." Brittain: "I really like the scene. I feel like when I play shows people really want to be there. Which is probably the best feeling."

There are several opportunities to catch the duo in the coming weeks before Brittain heads out on tour in December. The B-Cat & C-Town Variety Show is this Saturday the 10th at Petri Space (114 Forrest Street, Apt. 4C — buzzer #15) at 9PM. Free! Tuesday the 15th, Brittain will play music (featuring Caitlin) and host musical guests at Northeast Kingdom (10PM, also free!). Check out their Kickstarter page — raising money to record Brittain’s new album, "Kitten Teeth," and mark your calendars for Oct. 21 when Ashford will be playing the pre-CMJ show at Tandem with some amazing company.