Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival

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Moontower Spotlight: Andy Kindler

Posted by Michael Graupmann on March 27, 2013
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One of the primary rules of standup comedy is to never dwell on a joke that doesn’t land.

But for self-effacing meta-comic Andy Kindler, sometimes those mishaps are the richest fields to plant new jokes. He’s turned impromptu self-deprecation into an art form, and it’s honestly a wonder to behold.

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For years now, Kindler has been carving out an impressive niche in the standup world criticizing his own and other comics’ routines and helping audiences learn how to describe what works and doesn’t work in comedy. That’s why he was a perfect choice to be a judge on Last Comic Standing.

He’s also got a regular gig at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, where he provides a comical snapshot of “The State of the Industry.” It’s like a roast, but smarter, less crass and never ever involves Andy Dick.

Without really trying, Kindler is educating audiences on what comedy should look like, and he’s doing so by example. He’s a regular on Letterman, a contributor to The Daily Show, a regular voice on Bob’s Burgers and he appears at festivals like Montreal’s Just for Laughs to stay current on the industry.

Don’t miss your chance to see this brilliant funny man at work, dissecting his own comedy and the comedy of his peers, during the Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival! Just remember: Kindler’s shows will be badge holder access only, so get it while you can.

It’s gonna be so great!

 

Marc Maron to premiere his new TV show at Moontower!

Posted by Michael Graupmann on March 20, 2013
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You already love him for the grouchy, hysterical back-and-forth he does with his expertly chosen guests on the WTF podcast. You love him for his real-talk, open-book stage persona when he does stand up shows around the country. And you know you’d love to hang out with him, eating barbecue, drinking beer and talking shit about celebrities.

So why not let the man who’s seen it all and done even more take over your television set, too? Luckily, IFC television is putting Marc Maron on TV. FINALLY.

WTF on IFC

WTF on IFC

We’re ecstatic to announce that you’ll get a chance to see his new show, Maron, at the Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival in a special advanced badges-only screening at the Stateside at the Paramount theater on April 26th, with Maron himself in attendance.

You already knew he was going to be at the Festival, performing standup on April 24th. Now you get to also watch him watch himself on the big screen at the Stateside on the 26th before he then does a live recording of WTF later that night with a live audience.

Watch or listen (or now SEE) the man doing his thing, and you’ll get what millions of comedy fans across the country have been talking about for years now. He’s a damn genius, and a sober, startling voice of reason in a vapid, broken universe.

So is Marc Maron now going to become the new King of All Media? There is an opening for it, I suppose, after Howard Stern traded that title for a chair at the hosting table on that grating summertime reality show, America’s Got Dancing Ventriloquist Magicians.

Judge for yourself at Maron’s three Moontower shows. Don’t get left out of these special events that everyone will be talking about. Just make sure you get a badge if you want to do so. (Hey, it’s cheaper than subscribing to cable and only maybe getting the IFC channel…)

And if you’re not already a WTF fan, WTF is your problem?

 

The glory of SXSW Comedy and the promise of Moontower!

Posted by Michael Graupmann on March 12, 2013
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Thanks to the wonder of the annual behemoth of entertainment we Austinites call SXSW, this past weekend provided an amazing mash-up of insane comedy talent from all over the U.S. And it’s not done yet!

The creators of JASH

The creators of JASH

Sarah Silverman and Reggie Watts did sets at the IFC Crossroads House opening party, promoting their new online venture JASH. Eddie Pepitone was singing lounge music as the host of the CleftClips stand-up showcase at the North Door. And, yep, that’s the beautiful Ken Marino weirding out on the audience at Esther’s Follies.

Even frickin’ Rachel Maddow showed up for some killer comedy from W. Kamau Bell at the Totally Biased showcase. (It was honestly a SXSW highlight knowing how much that woman was laughing.)

I wish everyone had access to these shows. Literally every show you stumble in to is just jam-packed with stars and promising up-and-comers that know how to deliver a good show. There’s just a cool vibe about these out-of-towners giving up their weekends for a performer badge and a trip out to Austin.

So big ups to the comedians who made their way out to Austin to enjoy our thunderstorms and our food trailers (sometimes at the same time) and to the SXSW organizers and volunteers who wrangled them all together into one spot. Kudos, dudes.

James Adomian

James Adomian

Seeing all this live comedy also gets me really excited about all the shows that are coming up in April. Not everyone can afford a SX badge or get away from work.  So if you missed Watts or Kyle Kinane or James Adomian, don’t even worry about it! You’ll get to see them at Moontower!

What?? Yep, there are some SXSW comedians who are coming back in April to entertain you. That’s because we work together with SXSW to ensure that a number of comics play both festivals, joining up with some other big dogs like Jim Gaffigan, Brian Posehn, Bill Hader, Maria Bamford and Marc Maron! It’s like a big stew that combines all these amazing flavors that taste great together.

The first goal of any fest should be to put the comedians first, of course. But as a festival, we also want to achieve the goal of providing fresh, innovative programming that sets each festival apart, giving you the most comedy possible in your home town! It’s why Austin is building such an awesome reputation as a bonafide destination for comedy!

Plus, you’ll also get to see a whole shit ton of our local standup talent in April, showing off their Austin-honed skills in a big festival setting, alongside their standup peers and heroes. (I’m still waiting for the Reggie Watts/Chris Cubas showdown to take place here in Austin…!) It’s this type of collaborative  relationship that allows the comedy scene to keep growing in Austin and beyond, which is something everyone wants to see happen!

Just as important as the comedians are the beautiful Austin audiences that really know how to appreciate comedy. I’m excited to share all the big names and the rising stars with the good people of Texas who get to experience a festival 100% devoted to effin’ comedy!

So party on, SXSWers! Get your sleep and your food when and where you can. Then we’ll see you at the after party. And then the after after party…

Reggie Watts, ladies and gentlemen

Posted by Michael Graupmann on February 19, 2013
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One more headliner to add to the 2013 Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival: Reggie Watts!

But before you read on, you should probably stop what you’re doing and go buy your tickets for all of this year’s headliner shows that went on sale at 10am this morning. If you’ve got a $129 badge or above, the presale is all about your right now.

With that said…

It’s not often that someone shows up on the comedy stage with a keyboard instead of a set list of jokes. Rarer still is the comedian who turns the act of comedy into fully appreciated performance art. And it’s even more rare that said comedian is instantly hailed as a revolutionary genius and goes on tour with Conan O’Brien.

But then there’s that rare exception like Reggie Watts. He’s a musical genius and he’s funny as hell in person, and he puts his abilities to task every time he steps on to a stage.

When he appeared with “Fuck Shit Stack” on Comedy Central, there was no denying he was going to be a huge deal. He’s actually making postmodernism relevant. How do you DO that these days?

With a giant keyboard, a giant afro and a giant smile on his face, Watts has been impressing sold-out crowds across the country with his improvisational musical skills and his impeccable wit for years now. Using just his voice, his uncanny sense of rhythm and his looping pedals, he inspires this feeling of giddy euphoria and playfulness and you can’ t help but enjoy.

It sounds insane, but it’s truly unlike any comedy event you’ll experience anywhere else this year. You honestly have to see him to believe him.

In the meanwhile, enjoy some of these videos to get you in the mood:

‘The Satanic prince of stand-up’: Anthony Jeselnik

Posted by Michael Graupmann on January 25, 2013
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When scoping out the list of Paramount headliners for this year’s Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival, most of the comedians’ names fall effortlessly across the tongue. Hader. Carvey. Schumer. Even Gaffigan is fun to say.

And then there’s this name: Anthony Jeselnik (@anthonyjeselnik).

anthony_jeselnik_800x600

He’s got one of those last names that can only be pronounced correctly in the backs of heavily-mucused older women’s throats.

Fortunately, this rising star of the standup world has a razor-sharp wit that has made him a sure bet for solid comedy and a recent staple on the Comedy Central Roasts of “celebrities” like Donald Trump, Roseanne Barr and Charlie Sheen.

Jeselnik got his big start on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon during its first season, but he thankfully realized that he had more than enough material and stage presence to make a living out on stage behind the mic.

His first comedy album, Shakespeare, is, for lack of a better word, brilliant. He’s a master of the rhythmic one-two punch that made standup famous in the early days, but he makes it feel somehow fresh and edgy with how effing smart it all is.

He’s been on all of the lists of Young Comedians to watch since his meteoric rise in 2009, standing out from his peers like Aziz Ansari, Matt Braunger, Whitney Cummings and Kumail Nanjiani mostly because of his hair. It’s really impressive hair, y’all.

His latest special, Anthony Jeselnik: Caligula, premiered this month on Comedy Central, and now he’s coming to Austin to take the Paramount stage on April 24 at 9:30 p.m. We guarantee that this is one of the show’s not to miss.

So now you can’t say you don’t know who Anthony Jeselnik is. You probably couldn’t pronounce his name correctly before. And that’s alright, because after Moontower, you’ll always remember his comedy.

Moontower Nominated for ‘Fave Local Festival’ by the Austin Young Chamber of Commerce

Posted by Steve Birmingham on August 13, 2012
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The Moontower Comedy & Oddity Festival is honored by the nomination for a FAVE Award by the Austin Young Chamber of Commerce (AYC) in the “Fave Local Festival” category. We are extremely proud and humbled to be recognized by the AYC after our inaugural year and to be included amongst the Austin City Limits Festival, Austin Film Festival, Fun Fun Fun Fest, South by Southwest, and Texas Hill Country Food & Wine.

An AYC spokesperson has confirmed that the voting period has been extended to September 10, 2012, and that people are encouraged to vote for their favorite Austin ventures and enterprises: VOTE HERE.

Not your father’s chamber of commerce (oh yeah!), the AYC’s mission is to develop and connect young professionals in Austin to create business, community and individual success. The annual FAVE Awards gala will be held at Hilton Austin on October 19 2012. Visit HERE for more info.

View from Moontower: John Mulaney

Posted by Steve Birmingham on April 28, 2012
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John Mulaney, JR Brow & Lucas Molandes photos by Darcie Siiteri

At the moment Comedy Moontower is operating on a dodgy Wi-Fi signal and a rather temperamental WordPress in the Esquire Lounge at the Stephen F. Austin hotel and in the midst of mad dash guest list requests for the forthcoming joy magnet that is tonight’s Steven Wright performance. Wanda Sykes and Marc Maron are chatting at the bar. Patrons are imbibing and buzzing. The Festival has been amazing and a heaping chunk of this… fuck it, I’m using “euphoria” unabashedly is from the abject afterglow of John Mulaney’s set last night and from the anticipation for another at the Parish tonight. As I started that last sentence, festival producer Rich Miller is in a booth exalting Mulaney to casting director Ann Maney. JR Brow and Lucas Molandes delivered command sets and I am hard-pressed to recall the last time I laughed out loud as hard and for as long I did at John Mulaney’s set– which began with approximately 15 minutes of him absolutely slaying by recounting how he and his girlfriend spent the day visiting Friday Night Lights’ locations. Before I could finish that sentence (and I shit thee nay), a VIP just lamented the woe (and embarrassment of Moontower riches) of having to miss Mulaney tonight for the must-see Steven Wright.