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Comedy set for Saturday at Murphy’s

 

Murphy’s Back Alley Comedy returns this Saturday, Feb. 23, with headliner Alex Koll. He will be joined by openers Kenny Thomas and Nate Follen for two shows, one at 6 p.m. and another at 9 p.m.

  Koll’s credits include a set on Comedy Central and a recent feature in Esquire magazine. He has performed at the prestigious Montreal Just For Laughs Festival, garnering a "Best of New Faces" nod, as well as at the South by Southwest festival, ComedyFest Vancouver, the Bridgetown Comedy Festival and SF SketchFest. As a comedic filmmaker, Koll has created award-winning videos for IFC.com, SuperDeluxe.com, Rooftop Comedy and Revision3.

  “As you might expect, given his bizarre online trail, his standup is influenced by the non-sequitur-laden absurdism of Mitch Hedberg and Zach Galifianakis. But what makes Koll's act special is how he bridges the gulf between askew alt-comedy and grounded, observational humor. It's a rare quality in the alternative-comedy community, where many are intent on out-quirking one another. Whether going on obscure tangents or offering up more straightforward observations, Koll’s comic voice is his own,” SF Weekly printed about Koll.

  Thomas, a native of New Orleans, now lives in Fresno. He started comedy at the age of 16, and got his big break by touring with acts such as Chris Spencer from the Jamie Foxx Show. After taking a five-year break from the stage, he found his voice, balancing his conversational style with better control, delivering well written joke after joke.

  Due to sheer boredom and unacknowledged alcoholism, Follen has been performing dry jokes in California to growing audiences over the last year.  He has been seen all over the state as well as the Madhouse in San Diego and the Hollywood Improv.

  Tickets are $20 can be purchased at brownpapertickets.com/event/315139.

  Both the 6 and 9 p.m. shows will be preceded by an hour of live music by Robert Goddu.