"Right before the pandemic, Ed Bell and I were standing outside the Irish Rover on South Broadway, dreaming about becoming professional comedians who could sustain themselves," reminisces comedian Sammy Anzer.
"One of the things that Ed suggested was doing an album, because every time you get plays, you earn residual income," he continues. "It’s a way to sustain yourself doing comedy while getting paid $40 or whatever it is. So we talked about that and joked about it, and three years later, we got a label, we recorded it, we did it, and it’s about to come out."
This conversation between Denver-based comics Anzer and Bell laid the foundation for what would become their comedy album Residual Income. Released on March 1 by Burn This Records — a record label founded in 2023 by Brandie Posey dedicated to promoting original comedy voices — the album is a testament to the dedication and innovative spirit that define Denver's comedy scene.
Anzer, with his smooth-talking New York charm, and Bell, known for his sharp Iowan wit, offer a blend of humor that captures the diverse palette of comedy enthusiasts. The pair met about five or six years ago at Mutiny Information Cafe's 6 p.m. open-mic nights.
"At first there was a dislike of each other, for sure, because of our different comedic styles," Anzer quips. "Ed’s super dry and I’m super charming."
"I would say I’m still charming," Bell interjects. "But there are just a couple more punchlines in my jokes."
Both Anzer and Bell have deep roots in Denver's comedy scene, having honed their skills and developed their distinct styles through years of performing at local venues and festivals. Following their early rivalry, the pair developed a mutual appreciation for each other's style and work ethic.
Since meeting, they have collaborated on a number of projects, including multiple scripts, a web series — Not That Famous, which premiered at the 2021 Denver Fringe Festival — and a number of shows together around town.
"Sammy and I have an interesting friendship because it’s based on the fact that we are incredibly competitive," Bell says. "Being competitive makes us good partners. We were inspired to make Residual Income by punk bands who recorded albums together back in the day. They probably didn’t have enough money to record on their own, but wanted to do it anyway and didn’t want to wait for permission. We kind of took that idea and ran with it."
The album, which is performed, sound-engineered and features cover art by Colorado-based talent, not only showcases Anzer and Bell's unique styles, but also underscores their commitment to the local creative community. Their set was recorded over five performances at the Comic Cents Comedy Club located inside Hotel Boulderado.
"What I really love about the recording is that it is so well done that you can hear specific pockets of laughter," Anzer says. "You can hear dudes laughing at jokes that are geared toward them. You could hear people gasping at a shocking punchline, so you really feel the character of the room on the record. It’s one thing to have personal glory and go, 'Look at what I can do,' but it’s so much cooler to be like, ‘Look at what we can do.’ ... I love the idea that we are always pushing each other."
Bell adds that this allowed them to create something without having to wait for permission from the comedy industry.
"There are not a lot of people who think there is industry in Denver, but we know people who can make good stuff," Bell says. "We know amazing artists, audio engineers and guys who run comedy clubs in the basement of a hotel. All these things are happening, and if you can organize them together, you can make a lot of things possible."
About a year ago, Anzer and Bell decided to devote their entire careers to comedy, leaving their day jobs as a teacher and mortgage processor, respectively. This bold move, supported by a close-knit community of Denver comedians, epitomizes the cooperative and encouraging nature of the local comedy scene.
"I had this moment where I was sitting with a bunch of professors who, like me, also had an advanced degree," Anzer says. "I was struggling to keep my job at the time because I was over PTO and kept coming up with excuses for flying out for gigs on the weekend."
He asked his colleagues for advice on how he could continue being a comedian and an educator. Their response was what gave him the courage to quit his job.
"They told me, ‘Give it a try. See if you can do it; education will always be here.’ It was like those five words stuck with me," Anzer says. "From there, I decided to give it a try and have been eking out an existence here in Denver since becoming a full-time comedian. My life has totally changed by doing that, and this is a project that I think and hope will allow me to continue doing that."
And Bell?
"I got laid off," he admits. "Honestly, seeing Sammy take the leap inspired me, because if he can do it, anyone can. But for real, it did inspire me. I had been doing this for a while and was thinking about whether I was going to do it for real or part-time forever. My theory was that if I had more time to put in, I would find more gigs and opportunities, and so far it’s worked out great."
Residual Income embodies Denver's collaborative spirit and briefly peaked at number one on the iTunes comedy charts after its release in March.
"My biggest hope is that we get an income from it," Anzer says. "I hope someone goes, ‘I heard your album, and now I’m going to see Sammy and Ed live.’ That would be so cool.
He also shared his pride in Denver's cultural landscape, noting that "Denver does comedy really well. There are certain things we don’t do super well — like we're not a great rap city. We are a great food city, but on the pricey end. Denver does great street art, and we are one of the top five comedy cities in the country. Denver does comedy super well, and anyone who comes to our show continues to come because the people before us cultivated and created great comedy audiences."
Anzer and Bell's journey signifies a broader evolution within the comedy industry. Traditionally, success often depended on navigating a system of gatekeepers. However, Residual Income illustrates a shift toward a more grassroots approach, where local talents forge their own path.
"What makes Denver comedy great is its collaborative spirit," Bell says. "If you look at all the people who came before me, and Sammy, who crushed it, it's because they worked with other people. The Grawlix and the Fine Gentleman's Club were able to accomplish more together than they could individually, which is why we decided to collaborate."
Listen to Residual Income now at burnthisrecords.com.
"One of the things that Ed suggested was doing an album, because every time you get plays, you earn residual income," he continues. "It’s a way to sustain yourself doing comedy while getting paid $40 or whatever it is. So we talked about that and joked about it, and three years later, we got a label, we recorded it, we did it, and it’s about to come out."
This conversation between Denver-based comics Anzer and Bell laid the foundation for what would become their comedy album Residual Income. Released on March 1 by Burn This Records — a record label founded in 2023 by Brandie Posey dedicated to promoting original comedy voices — the album is a testament to the dedication and innovative spirit that define Denver's comedy scene.
Anzer, with his smooth-talking New York charm, and Bell, known for his sharp Iowan wit, offer a blend of humor that captures the diverse palette of comedy enthusiasts. The pair met about five or six years ago at Mutiny Information Cafe's 6 p.m. open-mic nights.
"At first there was a dislike of each other, for sure, because of our different comedic styles," Anzer quips. "Ed’s super dry and I’m super charming."
"I would say I’m still charming," Bell interjects. "But there are just a couple more punchlines in my jokes."
Both Anzer and Bell have deep roots in Denver's comedy scene, having honed their skills and developed their distinct styles through years of performing at local venues and festivals. Following their early rivalry, the pair developed a mutual appreciation for each other's style and work ethic.
Since meeting, they have collaborated on a number of projects, including multiple scripts, a web series — Not That Famous, which premiered at the 2021 Denver Fringe Festival — and a number of shows together around town.
"Sammy and I have an interesting friendship because it’s based on the fact that we are incredibly competitive," Bell says. "Being competitive makes us good partners. We were inspired to make Residual Income by punk bands who recorded albums together back in the day. They probably didn’t have enough money to record on their own, but wanted to do it anyway and didn’t want to wait for permission. We kind of took that idea and ran with it."
The album, which is performed, sound-engineered and features cover art by Colorado-based talent, not only showcases Anzer and Bell's unique styles, but also underscores their commitment to the local creative community. Their set was recorded over five performances at the Comic Cents Comedy Club located inside Hotel Boulderado.
"What I really love about the recording is that it is so well done that you can hear specific pockets of laughter," Anzer says. "You can hear dudes laughing at jokes that are geared toward them. You could hear people gasping at a shocking punchline, so you really feel the character of the room on the record. It’s one thing to have personal glory and go, 'Look at what I can do,' but it’s so much cooler to be like, ‘Look at what we can do.’ ... I love the idea that we are always pushing each other."
Bell adds that this allowed them to create something without having to wait for permission from the comedy industry.
"There are not a lot of people who think there is industry in Denver, but we know people who can make good stuff," Bell says. "We know amazing artists, audio engineers and guys who run comedy clubs in the basement of a hotel. All these things are happening, and if you can organize them together, you can make a lot of things possible."
About a year ago, Anzer and Bell decided to devote their entire careers to comedy, leaving their day jobs as a teacher and mortgage processor, respectively. This bold move, supported by a close-knit community of Denver comedians, epitomizes the cooperative and encouraging nature of the local comedy scene.
"I had this moment where I was sitting with a bunch of professors who, like me, also had an advanced degree," Anzer says. "I was struggling to keep my job at the time because I was over PTO and kept coming up with excuses for flying out for gigs on the weekend."
He asked his colleagues for advice on how he could continue being a comedian and an educator. Their response was what gave him the courage to quit his job.
"They told me, ‘Give it a try. See if you can do it; education will always be here.’ It was like those five words stuck with me," Anzer says. "From there, I decided to give it a try and have been eking out an existence here in Denver since becoming a full-time comedian. My life has totally changed by doing that, and this is a project that I think and hope will allow me to continue doing that."
And Bell?
"I got laid off," he admits. "Honestly, seeing Sammy take the leap inspired me, because if he can do it, anyone can. But for real, it did inspire me. I had been doing this for a while and was thinking about whether I was going to do it for real or part-time forever. My theory was that if I had more time to put in, I would find more gigs and opportunities, and so far it’s worked out great."
Residual Income embodies Denver's collaborative spirit and briefly peaked at number one on the iTunes comedy charts after its release in March.
"My biggest hope is that we get an income from it," Anzer says. "I hope someone goes, ‘I heard your album, and now I’m going to see Sammy and Ed live.’ That would be so cool.
He also shared his pride in Denver's cultural landscape, noting that "Denver does comedy really well. There are certain things we don’t do super well — like we're not a great rap city. We are a great food city, but on the pricey end. Denver does great street art, and we are one of the top five comedy cities in the country. Denver does comedy super well, and anyone who comes to our show continues to come because the people before us cultivated and created great comedy audiences."
Anzer and Bell's journey signifies a broader evolution within the comedy industry. Traditionally, success often depended on navigating a system of gatekeepers. However, Residual Income illustrates a shift toward a more grassroots approach, where local talents forge their own path.
"What makes Denver comedy great is its collaborative spirit," Bell says. "If you look at all the people who came before me, and Sammy, who crushed it, it's because they worked with other people. The Grawlix and the Fine Gentleman's Club were able to accomplish more together than they could individually, which is why we decided to collaborate."
Listen to Residual Income now at burnthisrecords.com.
