James Adomian is in town this weekend: He's a Comedy Bang Bang regular, Last Comic Standing finalist, and a brilliant standup probably best known for his impersonations, like his string of appearances as George W. Bush on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

Here's the thing about Adomian's uncanny knack for slipping into character: He builds jokes based on character impersonations that're much smarter and more nuanced than a simple "hey, he sounds just like George W. Bush!," brilliantly integrating his characters into larger jokes and riffs about politics, culture, and how hot Peter Dinklage is:

Last time I saw him live, it was at East Burn's Monday Night comedy showcase, where he absolutely blistered through a surprise drop-in set. (That showcase, BTW, which used to be called Down to Funny, is now being hosted/produced by Mercury columnist Barbara Holm, and has been re-christened "It's Gonna Be Okay"—that's the first and third Monday of every month at East Burn, 8:30 pm, free.)

Adomian's also got a great record out through Earwolf, Low Hangin Fruit, which you can buy here, which has great material about the confidence issues of small-town gay bars, beer ads, gay villains, Jesse Ventura, and plenty more. Plus, the bonus track was recorded in Portland! So that's fun.

He's got four shows at Helium, two tonight and two tomorrow; tickets and info are right over here.