For years, Quincy Jones was known in the independent comedy scene in Los Angeles for his welcome presence and laidback observational humor. Like most fledgling comics, he hustled hard at local shows and open mics, longing for the opportunity to get a crack at the infinitely larger audience that a…
The fourth annual High Plains Comedy Festival begins just thirty days from now, and the 2016 lineup has all the makings of an old-fashioned giggle gauntlet. From August 25 through August 27, over 100 of the country’s funniest people will descend upon Denver’s Baker neighborhood to crack wise, tickle fancies and…
As Denverites roast their way through international hot dog month during the high plains heat, opportunities abound to chortle away the evenings in air-conditioned comfort. Fittingly for a month named after an Emperor, July has a legion of comedic delights ready to lay siege to our city’s sweaty audiences — everything…
After twelve debauched years, last call for the legendary open mic at Squire Lounge was June 28. A rogue’s gallery of Squire favorites took the stage that night for a boozy, profane farewell to the “meanest mic in America,” topped off by a performance by Denver comedy supergroup Big City…
As many Coloradans know all too well, law-enforcement agents of this country’s less-enlightened states deliberately and systemically profile Colorado drivers in an attempt to bust them with legal weed. On June 13, beloved Denver comedian Jay Gillespie found himself targeted in Childress, Texas, where a routine traffic stop led to…
Podcasts are in tune with the democratized spirit of the internet; anyone with a microphone and a computer can offer listeners unlimited hours of recordings, usually for free. Limited only by their imaginations, podcasters have a freedom of expression unrestricted by commerce, censorship or geography. Several great podcasts have blossomed…
There’s no better place to spend — or ignore — Father’s Day than in the resin-stained hands of Sexpot Comedy. The team has assembled a real corker of a showcase for the Bug on Sunday, June 19, with comedian, actor, filmmaker and proud father Jay Chandrasekhar occupying the headlining spot…
June has arrived, and Denver’s comedy calendar is full of follies ranging from Saturday Night Live alumni and a comedian supergroup to an improv presidential debate and a comedy festival masterminded by local standups. While the entertainment continues all month long, this June is front-loaded with particularly great comedy shows. Here they…
Uncalled Four is a diabolical comedy game show that blends Mad Libs-style prompts with standup comedians indulging their very worst impulses. While navigating their way through legal snafus, changing staff and venues and releasing a Colorado-themed expansion pack, co-producers and engaged couple Jake Browne and Samantha Sandt have continued to…
Podcasts are in tune with the democratized spirit of Internet media; anyone with a microphone and a computer can offer their listeners unlimited hours of recordings, usually for free. Limited only by their imaginations, podcasters have a freedom of expression unrestricted by commerce, censorship or geography. Several great podcasts have…
Doug Benson, comedy’s stoner laureate, defies the facile stereotype that weed makes you slothful and unmotivated. Despite being a habitual wake and baker, Benson currently runs two live podcasts, spends a healthy percentage of every year working the road, has starred in three documentaries and released an album and live…
As spring begins in earnest and Denverites bask in the long-awaited sunshine, our city’s parks and a variety of outdoor activities tend to outshine cultural pursuits. While little can compare to the allure of the natural beauty blooming us, the comedy calendar this May is pollinated with a series of…
Eddie Pepitone is a hero to a certain stripe of comedy nerd, so his debut in the Mile High City would be newsworthy on its own. But rather than appearing at a club or theater, he’s headlining a local showcase produced by homegrown Denver comics Matt Monroe and Stephen Agyei…
Podcasts are in tune with the democratized spirit of Internet media; anyone with a microphone and a computer can offer their listeners unlimited hours of recordings, usually for free. Limited only by their imaginations, podcasters have a freedom of expression unrestricted by commerce, censorship or geography. Several great podcasts have…
Denverites have no shortage of places where they can drink drink beer and watch local comics, but for the uninitiated there’s little sense of quality control. Denver also has plenty of spaces where the efforts of skilled comedians and passionate venue owners dovetail in giggly harmony, but most shows are…
Since inauspiciously starting out by habitually bombing at Chicago open mics (a developmental stage every comedian must endure in their own city) all the way through to the heights of his current fame, Hannibal Buress’ jokes have had a rhythm and sensibility unlike anyone else in comedy. After gaining a…
Sexpot Comedy is celebrating 4/20 with a standup showcase at the Oriental Theater packed fuller than a gravity bong. Aaron Urist, David Gborie, Billy Wayne Davis, Noah Gardenswartz and Ester Steinberg will join newly-minted Sexpot host David Rodriguez in an embarrassment of comedic riches. And then there are headliners Keith…
Tantalized by a glimpse of spring before our sunny hopes were dashed in snowbound oblivion, soggy and shivering Denverites are in need of a laugh. Fortunately, the entertainment calendar is chockablock with chuckles this April. With comedy legends new and old headlining our clubs and theaters, local shows that celebrate partnerships…
Lewis Black is a thoroughly astute political satirist. Assuaging righteous outrage with laughter is every comedian’s noble goal, but Black rises above the majority of his peers (at least those without their own eponymous television programs) with his keen analysis of social ills. Star and co-creator of Comedy Central’s dearly missed…
The standup comedy album may be overshadowed by the televised special, but there’s no better medium for preserving and celebrating the fine-tuned craft of telling jokes. Stripped of the visual pomp of a live performance, standup albums play out in the theater of listeners’ minds, putting the emphasis on the strength…
David Cross has built his career on the cutting edge of a comedy zeitgeist that is only now beginning to catch up to him. Though the anarchic Mr. Show with Bob and David never developed more than a cult following during its brief run on HBO, its influence on sketch…
As the Ides of March approach, Denverites continue to enjoy a bounty of comedy shows: Classicists, alternative comedy purists and locavores alike will all find entertainment suited to their tastes. Whether you consult a Gregorian or Julian calendar, you’ll find plenty to keep Denver laughing from Nones to Kalends this…
