In the basement bar of the Capitol Hill Arts Center (CHAC), Laffstravaganza, the monthly all-ages night club, is in full swing. Sixteen-year-old comedian Jim Allen tells a joke about listening to electronic music and sex with a washing machine. The booths of regulars laugh heartily and a few young, mute hipsters kids plant their faces in a table and shake uncontrollably. Tears come to the eyes, and composure regained before somebody from the music scene recognizes my cathartic joy as decadent leisure-class escapism.

Every first Wednesday of the month, Laffstravaganza features several comics and a band in the Laff Hole, the basement of CHAC. Every remaining Wednesday is a 21+ night featuring the usual suspects of Capitol Hill comedy and the loose organization of comedians known as The People's Republic of Komedy.

Formed from a group of comedian friends (who met at People's Republic of Koffee), People's Republic of Komedy now runs the Laff Hole and organizes the community of disparate funny people.

The comics for the all-ages portion of the night were a mixed bag of high schoolers, college professors and 30-something Capitol Hill professionals.

'Alternative' comedy in Seattle is a recent development. After the '80s boom and bust of national comedy, things quieted down, and the traditional comedy clubs in the area saw nearly a decade of low attendance. The mid-to-late '90s were a dark time for comedy, with acts as dismal as Carrot Top garnering national attention.

Recently The Stranger has highlighted the emergent alternative comedy scene in Seattle. Generally younger and more politically liberal — though this is contested — the scene is taking hold in small bars and rock clubs in Queen Anne, Ballard and Capitol Hill.

Even the Myspace profile of People's Republic of Komedy admits ambiguity, plainly stating "nobody is really sure why we call it alternative."

Nothing seems terribly alternative about the comedy to me, though some of the jokes told were sophisticated, referencing obscure Mortal Kombat moves or the political subtleties of libertarianism. The audience met these intellectual challenges completely and passed the complicated humor test with flying colors.