Comedy on the Coast Jul 12-13

Joe Larson, the son of a working comedian, started comedy at an early age and has always had a knack for making light of any situation. At 20, he began to seriously pursue stand-up, comedy, acting, and improv as a potential career when he was chosen “College Comedian of the Year” at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival. Then, the Seattle-born comedian decided he didn’t have enough traffic, smog, and pastrami in his life, so he moved to New York City. “I realized that my dream of being the first person on the cover of “O Magazine” other than Oprah wasn’t going to happen on its own.”

Working the comedy circuit on the East Coast, Larson found early success. He was nominated “Best Up-And-Coming Comedian” at the NYC MAC Awards, and was a finalist in both the prestigious Johnny Carson Great American Comedy Festival and the well-respected Boston Comedy Festival. He’s in a serious relationship with his girlfriend … they’re married. “She proposed to me,” he explains, “at a romantic candlelight dinner she looked me in the eye, and said, ‘Joe, I’m pregnant.’”

Parenting has given his comedy a whole new spin. His popular blog, I’m Not a Dad, I’m a Man with A Baby is read and enjoyed by many. His online comedy sketches with the group Grandma’s Favorite are a YouTube favorite. If you haven’t see him killin’ it on stage, you might have heard Joe on the nationally syndicated, The Bob & Tom Show, or seen him on television on The Tonight Show’s Laugh Squad, Laughs on FOX, Gotham Comedy Live, and on the Speed Channel. He’s even had the time to fit in an appearance on the film, Stand-Up 360. His newest album, “Emotional Support” was just released on the 800 Pound Gorilla label and is featured on Laughs USA on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Joe has an irreverent, intelligent style that appeals to, well, everybody. He says it’s because he just doesn’t care; the only things he cares about are his wife, his children, his hometown, his new town, his mother, his father, his audience and most importantly, making people laugh.

Originally from Boston, Rick was a recurring sketch performer on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno whose keen observational humor, quick wit & and improv skills lead him to the finals in the prestigious San Francisco Comedy Competition.

Rick has appeared on other TV shows such as Stand-up-Stand-up (Comedy Central), National Lampoon’s Funny Money (GSN), Comedians Unleashed (AP), Laughs (Fox), Grand Slam Comedy Jam (UPN), West Coast Comedy (Starz/Encore). He’s also entertained our troops for Armed Forces Entertainment (AFE) in Africa, Bahrain, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Korea and Kuwait.

Off-stage, Rick has produced & sold in three stand-up specials for Showtime (SHO): Going Native (9/09), Green Collar Comedy Slam (4/10) and The Godfathers of Comedy (1/11).  In 2006 this “wicked die-hahd” Red Sox aficionado had his first book published:  How to Talk to a Yankee Fan… a tongue-in-cheek look at the rivalry between the Yankees and the rest of America. His 2nd book, Bathroom Bits, a collection of the “world’s greatest jokes” is currently available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and his website.

Rick also directed and co-hosted Half Hour Happy Hour – a late night comedy show on the CW Network from 2008-12 and is currently in post-production with his comedy/doc, 1 Minute Comic (The Rob Sampson Story), featuring some of the biggest names in comedy today including: Bobcat Goldthwait, Bill Burr, Nick Swardson, Gilbert Gottfried, Owen Benjamin, Bobby Lee, and Kevin Pollack, as well as the late Mickey Rooney!

Todd Armstrong is a hilarious stay at home Dad who was a part of the Bridgetown Comedy Festival a couple times, he was featured on VICELAND’s Bong Appetite’, and was a cast member on Season 7 of Portlandia. He also represented Portland, Oregon for Comedy Central’s Comics to Watch. From Maui to Montana, Los Angeles to New York City audiences have enjoyed his unique wit, energetic charm, honest takes and stranger than fiction stories. He has worked with Dave Chapelle, Bill Burr, Marc Maron, Amy Schumer, Iliza Shelsinger, Jay Mohr, Nick Kroll, Dave Attell, Chelsea Peretti, Todd Barry, Jon Lovitz, Tommy Chong and Rob Schneider and just loves to laugh.