Spring Break
Bearded jokesters offer relief from woes
KATIE ANDREW
Issue date: 6/12/09 Section: Variety
Mark Twain once wrote, "The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter." A bearded foursome will come together this Sunday to glean laughs from a crowd at Melting Point in the face of hard times.
"The most basic need is to laugh," said Joe Zimmerman, one of the four Beards of Comedy members. "People need to laugh and forget their day."
Andy Sandford, Beard member from Atlanta, goes on to say that comedy is especially important during times of struggle - in this case the economic crisis that has devastated millions of families across the country.
June 14
Where: The Melting Point
Cost: $8 in advance, $10 at the door
"You hear a lot of comedians complain about the economy going bad," he said. "Comedy doesn't always come from a happy place. People need to laugh more when things are rough."
The foursome came together about a year ago after fostering a friendship on the stand-up scene.
"We are a stand-up comedy tour of four guys who happen to have beards," Zimmerman said. This integrated troupe adds a dash of drama to their performance by splicing in sketch comedy.
"It's really just funny," said Zimmerman, an Asheville, N.C., native. "We try to do stuff that's a little more experimental."
Sandford explained that, in accordance to the timeline of modern comedy, the Beards of Comedy are a little ahead of the curve.
"Comedy got really huge in the late '80s. It was a good thing in a bad thing - it brought a lot of attention to comedy, but through that a lot of 'hack comedy' came through."
'Hack comedy,' as Sandford puts it, refers to the stereotypical jokes you could hear in a comedy club. "'What's the deal with airline food?' and stuff like that," he said.
"Comedy got really bad in the early '90s. It kind of died ... People just weren't doing anything original."
Sandford said sthe Beards were riding the wave of comedic enlightenment, as seen in unique comedies like "The Office."
"I like to the think of every Beards show as people spilling their preconceived notions of what comedy is," he said. "When you think of stand-up comedy, sometimes something cheesy or campy comes to mind. We try to be very original."
According to Sandford, their style is often categorized as 'alternative comedy.'
"Which means they don't know what else to name it. It's just comedy - not the traditional two-drink minimum comedy club named ChuckleBucket or something."
"The most basic need is to laugh," said Joe Zimmerman, one of the four Beards of Comedy members. "People need to laugh and forget their day."
Andy Sandford, Beard member from Atlanta, goes on to say that comedy is especially important during times of struggle - in this case the economic crisis that has devastated millions of families across the country.
BEARDS OF COMEDY
When: 8:30 p.m. SundayJune 14
Where: The Melting Point
Cost: $8 in advance, $10 at the door
"You hear a lot of comedians complain about the economy going bad," he said. "Comedy doesn't always come from a happy place. People need to laugh more when things are rough."
The foursome came together about a year ago after fostering a friendship on the stand-up scene.
"We are a stand-up comedy tour of four guys who happen to have beards," Zimmerman said. This integrated troupe adds a dash of drama to their performance by splicing in sketch comedy.
"It's really just funny," said Zimmerman, an Asheville, N.C., native. "We try to do stuff that's a little more experimental."
Sandford explained that, in accordance to the timeline of modern comedy, the Beards of Comedy are a little ahead of the curve.
"Comedy got really huge in the late '80s. It was a good thing in a bad thing - it brought a lot of attention to comedy, but through that a lot of 'hack comedy' came through."
'Hack comedy,' as Sandford puts it, refers to the stereotypical jokes you could hear in a comedy club. "'What's the deal with airline food?' and stuff like that," he said.
"Comedy got really bad in the early '90s. It kind of died ... People just weren't doing anything original."
Sandford said sthe Beards were riding the wave of comedic enlightenment, as seen in unique comedies like "The Office."
"I like to the think of every Beards show as people spilling their preconceived notions of what comedy is," he said. "When you think of stand-up comedy, sometimes something cheesy or campy comes to mind. We try to be very original."
According to Sandford, their style is often categorized as 'alternative comedy.'
"Which means they don't know what else to name it. It's just comedy - not the traditional two-drink minimum comedy club named ChuckleBucket or something."
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