Initially booked under the title “Little Caesar’s Palace,” the series was designed as a local stand-up comedy “open mic” session with free pizza and dozens of Charleston-based comics — both pro and amateur. Things kicked off in 2009 under the guidance of host Jason Groce and Tin Roof staffers Lesley Carroll and Nick Della Penna. They eventually changed the name to “TROM” after threats of legal action from Caesar’s Palace arrived in the mail.

Groce had plenty of previous improv experience at Theatre 99, but his stand-up chops were still developing. Within a few quick months, the open mic series started drawing a slew of zany stand-up comedians and dedicated comedy fans.

On Sunday. Sept. 21, TROM celebrates its fifth anniversary — the “Five Frickin’ Years Edition” — with a roster featuring veteran TROM performers. So far, the lineup includes Bill Davis, Rossi Brown, Andy Rider, Michael Clayton, Moey Conway, Deshawn Mason, Hunter Gardner, Stan Shelby, Vince Fabra, Tim Hoeckel, and Mike Brocki. There are more to come.

Metronome Charleston caught up with Jason Groce this week:

Metronome Charleston: Take us back five years to first TROM. Whose idea was it, and who was involved with organizing the first few TROM events at the Tin Roof?

Jason Groce: It was a random Sunday after I had gotten off work at 6 p.m. bartending, and my tradition had become to go to Tin Roof and hang out with Nick and Lesley [both currently of Jack of Cups on Folly Beach] when they were there. There was never anyone there, as on this particular Sunday, and stand-up was kind of taking off amongst my Theatre 99 friends, and I said, “You know I could maybe bring some people here on a Sunday night.”

Jason Groce: “Don’t stop!” (photo by Ballard Lesemann)

Nick asked if I would host, and though I had considered stand up before, I had never done it, so, since no one was there, he turned on the sound equipment and I got on stage and did the worst comedy I could think of, just to entertain us. It was silly fun, but we decided it could work. We set a date two Sundays from that one, and I wrote a ton of horrible jokes to tell and host an open mic!

Metronome Charleston: We remember the series gradually taking off and quickly gaining momentum, with more and more comedians signing up to perform and more people in attendance. Why did TROM click and catch on whereas some other open mic comedy nights around town have had a tough time?

Jason Groce: I don’t know. I think a lot of it had to do with location and time, both venue and part of town… there was nothing else in West Ashley, and a couple have come and gone, so I think it is still the only open mic in West Ashley. Tin Roof is a perfect venue: a stage, the perfect size for focusing on a comedian, a bar that runs the length and you can lean on and watch the show, there aren’t windows, and a small TV is the only distraction. Tin Roof is always open to alternative programming; they’ve had and hope to continue bringing in top-flight national comics, too. And if a comedian is annoying you or you just need to get away, you can escape to the huge patio.

Doing it once a month is important, too. I couldn’t do it weekly. I can’t commit to buying a whole head of lettuce. Not sure why, but we have an audience. Sounds funny to say that, but some open mics are only comedians. TROM feels more like a “show.” Always has. I try to keep it early on a Sunday night, when free entertainment options are few. Free pizza helps, too.

Metronome Charleston: It was called “Little Caesar’s Palace” during the early days? We were there when you read that cease-and-desist letter from Las Vegas. Looking back, what was the funniest thing that strikes you about that controversy with the name?

Jason Groce: By far the funniest thing was that it was a hybrid name, a portmanteau, of Little Caesar’s, which is served for free still [at TROM] and Caesar’s Palace. But Caesar’s Palace sent the cease and desist. Apparently, Little Caesar’s didn’t give a crap. I would have loved to have had the Caesar’s Palace lawyer come to a show, look around, and go, “Oh, this is nothing to worry about.” It was the farthest thing from the glitz and glamour of a Vegas casino. The notoriety was awesome, though.

Jason Groce on stage at the Tin Roof (photo by Ballard Lesemann)

Metronome Charleston: What is it about the Tin Roof that enhances and works well for these open mic comedy events?

Jason Groce: A long, thin room, a laid-back atmosphere, and an open mind. Tin Roof draws such a varied crowd anyway, and a lot of newcomers walk in and really like it and, some say, “I didn’t know this was here,” or “I’ve seen this place but never stopped in.” Also, as I stated, I really think being able to wait on the patio while Bill Davis shoves a microphone in his mouth can’t be overstated.

Metronome Charleston: Does the size, set-up, or atmosphere of the venue present a challenge for the comedians who perform?

Jason Groce: I think it is very conducive to performance. We once had some people trying to play the pinball machine during a show, until we unplugged it after their game was over. I think the atmosphere can be very intimidating for the very reason I stated before: the audience. You’re not just cutting up with your friends; there are people here, strangers, who want you to be funny. We once had a group of 20 show up who all sat up front, aged anywhere from 25 to 55, and they were very skeptical of every comedian. Stand-up comedy is tough to do on its own.

Metronome Charleston: What are some of the funniest memories you have about TROM shows, and what are some of the most embarrassing or uncomfortable?

Jason Groce: We have had people fighting over their tab once during a show. We have hecklers. Note to hecklers: you’re not funny, and you may run into a comic who will make you look like even more of an idiot. Charleston is a polite city, so we don’t boo; if we don’t enjoy your set, we just start talking louder. I have had shows where I am constantly shushing the crowd. We once had a lady get upset during one comic’s set, then blow up at a different comic and walk out. We had one older guy at the bar, the only successful heckler I’ve seen, who yelled three things at a comic who was really struggling for way too long, and each of those three statements, peppered throughout the comic’s set, brought the room down.

Metronome Charleston: Have you ever had to get a heavy with some of the more obnoxious or unruly (or unknown) comics who sign up for these open mics? As the emcee, you’re also kind of the main cop and babysitter, too, right?

Local comic Mark Szlachetka at TROM (photo by Ballard Lesemann)

Jason Groce: Right, I have had to do some of that. Tin Roof regulars and staff are good at curbing 99 percent of that. We’ve had to have some pretty serious confrontations over that, but maybe two in five years? We now leave the mic on after the show is over so that anyone can go up and do some time, if they missed the sign-up or whatever. It is actually extremely gratifying when some obnoxious dude who has scoffed at every comic going up there and completely bombs. It isn’t easy at all, even if you are the funniest person in your group of friends. The audience is already against these kinds of people from the start, so they really have no chance.

Metronome Charleston: It’s safe to say that events like the TROM nights at the Tin Roof are extremely valuable and important to the local comedy scene; they provide a solid and unique opportunity for independent/underground performers to regularly do their thing. How do you think TROM has most enhanced and supported the local comedy scene?

Jason Groce: By building some camaraderie, I think. In the first three years, we were collaborating and talking about jokes we were going to tell. I tried to foster that by occasionally doing some crazy, experimental set, so that no matter what other comics did, it wouldn’t be as strange as my bit. Including myself, a lot of comics have performed for the very first time on Tin Roof’s stage. I’m proud of that, but I am more proud for the comic who is sincere about doing it, that I might have helped foster a dream in some way. Plus, like I said, it’s the only thing going in West Ashley right now. I think it’s important to expose every area of town to our scene and having a consistent place to, even if you’re not sure it will be funny all the time, is at least a place to have a good experience and remember that aspect of it.

Metronome Charleston: Can hosting TROM be a pain in the ass. If so, why?

Jason Groce: Because I’m slack. I only promote and invite the shows via Facebook. Facebook is a pain to invite a thousand people to a show. You have to click on them individually to invite people. Sorry to all those I invited who didn’t want to be. It becomes a clicking blur. On the other hand, it is amazing that one tool can be used to bring all these people together. Open mics are tough, because some nights are amazing, some are “eh,” and some are god-awful. Comics are notoriously selfish, and some act like a five-minute spot on a Sunday night at Tin Roof is going to make or break their comedy careers. It won’t, because it can’t, so the tension of “Can I get a spot, please?” wears on me. The randomness of who is going up and how it’s going to go is a pain in a different way.

I take hosting personally because I take everything personally, so if it’s not a good show, I obsess about what I did wrong. I have my own personal limit to the amount of “show” I can take, so a few years ago I came up with having a house team. It was originally 10 people of totally different comedic styles who pretty much all showed up every month and I knew the crowd enjoyed hearing. Then I added on five or six sign ups and went with that. 23 people signing up didn’t make for a fun show. People kind of stop caring after an hour or so, no matter how good it is. I got the sage advice from the Tin Roof staff, “It’s your show. Do whatever you want.” Oh yeah… there is that…

Metronome Charleston: Back in the day, did you ever think TROM would still be going on at the Tin Roof every month?

Jason Groce: No way. It was my very first time doing stand-up, and I thought it’d be fun for a few shows. I had no idea it would or could go on for a few years — much less five! It’s unbelievable. We missed a couple months here and there, and I haven’t hosted all of them, but I remember a particular Easter Sunday maybe three years ago where we had about 12 people show and about seven of the comics had back out and I thought, “Welp, this is it. We’re done here.” But nope!

Metronome Charleston: When are you going to release a live album like Dusty Slay’s [Makin’ That Fudge]?

Jason Groce: Soon. I wanted to do one back in August but couldn’t work out the timing. I really have been planning it. Just want to get a date and some good recording equipment to borrow and see what happens. It’s my five-year anniversary too, so I’d like to record what I have and then expand from there.

Metronome Charleston: What are some of the special events and extras planned for the fifth anniversary show on Sunday night?

Jason Groce: Surprises, mayhem, and loose collaborations, I imagine. I just want it to be fun. I asked several comics to be on board, and I don’t know what they are going to do. As with our other TROMs, they can do whatever they want. I’m probably going to reflect on some moments on stage for the show. But who knows what we’ll do?

TROM presents the “Five Frickin’ Years Edition” at the Tin Roof at 8 p.m. on Sun. Sept. 21. Admission is free. Visit reverbnation.com/venue/tinroofwashley and Tin Roof’s Facebook page for more.

There’s a little bit of all-of-the-above with the comedic foursome of the Road Trip Comedy Tour — a stand-up comedy team comprised of current and former Charlestonian funnymen. Hosted by New York-based comedian Evan Berke, the troupe features Derek Humphrey (currently based in N.Y.C.), Vince Fabra (solidly based in Charleston), and Dusty Slay (newly established in Nashville). They describe themselves as “four creative, intelligent humans with humorous insights exploring the Southeast and their comedic dreams.”

Metronome Charleston recently caught up with Humphrey. He enjoyed a long run in Charleston as a stand-up comic and improvisor before relocating to New York City in the summer of 2012.

Metronome: Why did you leave Charleston for New York City two years ago?

Derek Humphrey: I got out of the US Navy in 2005 and was going to move to Chicago to study at iO or Second City; however, my little brothers lived with my parents in Charleston. They were six years old at the time, and I’d spent the previous five years being overseas. I really wanted to hang around them because I knew I’d never have that opportunity to be near them in their formative years. By the time I left, they were in high school and couldn’t care about their big dumb brother anymore. I learned a lot about comedy at this point through the stand-up scene we helped build in addition to all the time I spent working with Theatre 99, and I felt it was time for me to move on and grow.

Metronome: Did you hook up artistically — or otherwise — with any other former Charlestonians up in the Big Apple?

Derek Humphrey: When I got to New York, I had the luxury of having some friends like Tahlia Robinson, John Brennan, and their siblings or significant others to hook up with. They’re my T99 family and were very helpful in getting me acclimated to N.Y.C. I have some former work colleagues and friends that I see from time to time, and now many other Theatre 99 and Charleston alumni are headed up. It’s an exciting time for me and hopefully us.

Metronome: As a performer shooting for a serious career in comedy, what were some of the toughest challenges for you during your first year up in New York?

Derek Humphrey: My biggest challenges came from the fact that I was old when I tried to get further into serious comedic work. Most people who do something like give up a career and pursue their goals like that tend to be under 25. I was already 34. You get set in your ways as you get older, and it was tough for me to look at things from a new perspective. It took some major adjustments on my behalf, swallowing a lot of humble pie, but I finally feel as if I am more open minded to what life and this career has to offer. I’m a better person for doing it … I hope.

Metronome: What were some of the pleasant/unexpected surprises when you landed and settled in New York City?

Derek Humphrey: One of the surprises that I encountered when I got here was learning that simply because you live in a famous zip code, it doesn’t equate to you being necessarily a better person or performer. People in the North always want to shit on people from the South and vice-versa; however, there are hicks and jerks everywhere. If you think uneducated, backwards-thinking people only reside in the South, then you’ve never been to the Jersey Shore.

As far as performing, just because you live in New York doesn’t mean you’re automatically great. Some people’s only credit is that they live there. The bell curve is the same everywhere. Some of my favorite comics like Jason Groce or Tim Hoeckel still live in Charleston. Talent remains the same. I knew leaving for New York would make me work harder and focus more — not increase my talent level.

Metronome: What is funniest “New York” thing you’ve eaten and drank during your stint up there so far?

Derek Humphrey: My girlfriend and I went to get a “Dim-Sum brunch” in Korea Town in Queens. I entered into the idea thinking I was going to get some kind of interesting egg-infused Asian cuisine. In this place, people come by with carts of food and you just pick out what you want. They stamp a ticket, and you pay per diem at the end. After a couple carts rolled through, I quickly learned I was basically just eating General Tso’s for breakfast.

Derek Humphrey on the mic, well-oiled (provided)

Metronome: What were some of the best comedy gigs during your early months in NYC — and what are some of you regular haunts these days?

Derek Humphrey: Part of the learning process for me is finding my voice and my peers. I was lucky enough to get some great opportunities within my first year, but some of them turned out to be things I don’t care to do again. I auditioned for TV at a major New York club, and the booker for it, before the show sat down next to me and started name-dropping being at James Gandolfini’s funeral and some of the people he created opportunities for who also happened to be there. It was as if he was saying, “Stick with me and I’ll make sure you’re at all the good funerals.” It was a huge turn-off.

I seldom hang at the clubs anymore, unless I get a spot on a show or get in for free. Right now, I just try and support the people at my level and their shows which center on the most important aspect of why I came here: comedy. I go to Kabin on the Lower East Side on Thursday nights and get to see some comics I know from their open mics sharing the same stage as Hannibal Burress or Louis CK. I’m as happy for them as I am to see the big names. I go to all the free, comedy community shows that I can along with the best open mics I can find.

My favorite one, Monday night at Freddy’s in Park Slope/Brooklyn, was ran so well by the very funny Christian Polanco that you’d see as many as 50 comics in a night. It was tough for him; however, it was cool to see people working on their tight five as well as people working on stuff for their Comedy Central specials. I met so many great comics there. [The series was recently canceled].

Metronome: Did you have to adjust, expand, or rework any of your material or some your style and delivery when you got rolling in the stand-up scene up there?

Derek Humphrey: When I left Charleston, I felt as if I had 45 minutes of material. When I got to New York I realized I had 10. The stereotype is true: New Yorkers are a tough crowd. I had to develop a more personalized style — which is why I moved. I’m more honest with who I am on stage which helps me to relate to people better than my old one-liners and puns. Some of my favorite guys are one-liner guys: Stephen Wright, Mitch Hedberg. But that’s not me. I try to tell a story when I’m not interacting with the crowd.

Metronome: A poster for this current Road Trip Comedy Tour describes you and your colleagues as “creative and Intelligent” with “humorous insight.” Is that true? If so, who is the most creative and who is the most insightful?

Derek Humphrey: It’s definitely true of three fourths of us. And then there’s Dusty. Oof. But we all bring something to the table. I’m the oldest and most traveled, but Evan bring his perspective of being young and fresh faced, full of currently unjaded perspective. That’ll change, though.

Metronome: All four of you are old pals and seasoned veterans, but we’re sure that some bickering, frustration, or annoyance has inevitably popped up on this tour — just like it does for any gang or artists/musicians on the road together. What are the pettiest or silliest complaints you might have about traveling and performing with Vince, Evan, and Dusty?

Derek Humphrey: I get real sick of Vince Fabra’s positivity and cheeriness. He’s a “touchy feely” guy, and that ain’t me. All that happiness? Ugh. No wonder people love him.

Metronome: What are some weird new things you’ve learned about each other during this trip?

Derek Humphrey: The most surprising thing I’ve learned about Vince is that I’m not invited to his wedding. I guess I have to return all those jewels I bought his fiancee back to Tiffany’s in New York. Fortunately, we haven’t spent a lot of time in the car so I don’t have to listen to too many of Dusty’s opinions. But I’ve known these guys forever. So in all honesty, I’m surprised by how much they can still make me laugh.

Metronome: What are your comedy plans for the rest of 2014?

Derek Humphrey: I have one show on the books when I get back home, maybe an audition or two. I kept things open for the fall because I really want to get into the open mics to refine my current material and generate more. I’m also going to get back involved with the Upright Citizens Brigade. I took a break to focus exclusively on stand-up, but I love sketch and improv, too. I want to get back into it because that community is really cool. Additionally, Evan and I are in the process of getting our own live show off the ground in Brooklyn. We’re pretty stoked.

Metronome: What might attendees expect at the Road Trip Comedy show at Theatre 99 on July 12?

Derek Humphrey: People can expect a great show. Despite our disparate locations we all have a solid comedy background and we wanted to end the run where it all began. We’re all humbled and grateful to have so many friends and followers to give us these opportunities to perform for them.

The Road Trip Comedy Tour — featuring Derek Humphrey (N.Y.C.), Evan Berke (N.Y.C.), Vince Fabra (Charleston), and Dusty Slay (Nashville) — lands in Charleston on Sat. July 12. Show time at Theatre 99 is 10 p.m. Admission is $10.

Visit theatre99.com for info and see facebook.com/derek.o.humphrey for more.

 Top photo by Justin Commodore.

A veteran stand-up and sketch comedy performer, Ansari is perhaps best known these days as a cast member of the NBC series Parks and Recreation in which he’s played the sarcastic, overly-confident “Tom Haverford” since 2009.

Hardcore stand-up fans revere his aggressive, quick-paced style and contemporary observations on stage.

Advance tickets for Ansari’s late-night March 13 set ate sale for $39 via Etix.com.

Visit charlestonmusichall.com and azizisbored.tumblr.com for more.

This winter and spring, stand-up comedy will continue playing a large role on the Hall’s impressive roster. Nationally known comics like Aziz Ansari, Mike Birbiglia, and Anthony Jeselnik are prominently featured in the upcoming schedule.

Dusty Slay at the Charleston Music Hall (photo by Jessica Mickey)

There are more than a few spots for local talent, too. This week, the Charleston Music Hall and Metronome Charleston will present the second show in the 2014 Stand Up Comedy Series — a string of live showcases featuring talent from the Lowcountry and South Carolina.

The Stand Up Comedy Series kicked off on Jan. 31 with a great crowd and four featured acts including Columbia’s Wayne Cousins and three Charlestonians — Dusty Slay, Jason Groce, and host Tim Hoeckel.

On Wednesday, Feb. 26, Slay will return to the stage as the host and emcee with comedians Jenn Snyder (from Columbia), Neil Bansil, and Jeremy McLellan. Slay has worked with the Charleston Music Hall to book all of the Stand Up Comedy Series events.

Born and raised in Columbia, Snyder is already a veteran of stand-up comedy and entertainment. Fans describe her observational stand-up as a “one-two punch style of comedy,” which will surely tickle audiences at the Music Hall this week.

Jenn Snyder (provided)

Performing on the mic is only one of Snyder’s regular comedic tasks these days. “I’m part of one of the greatest comedy families in the Southeast,” she says. “We have a venue called the Red Door Tavern, and we’re working to make it the best comedy venue in Columbia. We’re starting our own web show called Cocktails with Comics. I’m the host, and we’ll be interviewing traveling comics, as well as local musicians.”

Snyder has stayed particularly busy over the last year performing local and regional gigs. “In March, I will be traveling to Knoxville to host the Pink Comedy Tour show on a riverboat,” she says. “And in April I will open up for the great Doug Stanhope.”

Snyder looks forward to stretching out on the spacious stage this week. “As far a theater or a comedy venue, I’m comfortable at both,” she says. “I am overjoyed to be playing Charleston and will handle that crowd like every crowd I play; loud, crazy, and a little weird.”

Charleston’s bespectacled Jeremy McLellan already has some valuable experience on the Charleston Music Hall stage, as he co-hosted local musical collective Cord and Pedal’s zany Holiday Extravaganza on Dec. 17 with cohort Tim Hoeckel. Both hosts did some of their own material and collaborated on various skits and asides.

Jeremy McLellan (provided)

McLellan has hit the stages at Theatre 99, Big Gun, the Tin Roof, and other local hotspots as well. While he’s totally at ease on the mic in front of a talkative/tipsy bar crowd, he appreciates the opportunity to perform for a more focused and attentive audience.

“A seated theater show gives me an opportunity to do my best material: longer stories and bits that flow together well,” McLellan says. “Material like that works best if people are relaxed and paying attention.”

McLellan’s meticulous delivery and philosophic style fits his academic demeanor. He’s a thinking comic’s comic. “I’m in my head analyzing stuff all the time, so in a way, I’m constantly writing,” he says. “It just comes naturally. That doesn’t make me a funnier person. It just means that I have a lot of material. It’s just how I think.”

What might fans and newcomers expect from McLellan this week? “My material on Wednesday will focus on my work with the mentally disabled, and stories about me in awkward situations,” he says. “Also, I will not mention religion or politics, which is probably a first for me.”

A realtor by day and comedian by night, local performer Neil Bansil will round out the bill at this week’s Stand Up Comedy Series event. A well-seasoned comedian with plenty of road work under his belt, Bansil has established himself as a producer in recent years behind his worldly comedy show The Most RACES Show on Earth!, which amusingly dives into ethnic stereotypes, cultural phenomenons, and not-so-politically-correct racial clichés.

The 2014 Stand Up Comedy Series continues at the Charleston Music Hall on Wed. Feb. 26. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are available for $10. Visit charlestonmusichall.com for more.

Top photos and poster below designed by Bennett Jones.

The 2014 Stand Up Comedy Series kicks off on Friday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. with performances by Columbia’s Wayne Cousins and three of Charleston’s most diligent comics — Dusty Slay, Jason Groce, and Tim Hoeckel. The next show in the series is set for Wednesday, Feb. 26, with events in March, April, and May to follow.

A veteran event organizer and a longtime colleague of the Charleston Music Hall team, Slay booked this kick-off event with Hoeckel in mind as the host. Slay plans to host the upcoming shows in the Stand Up Comedy Series.

“There wasn’t a real theme involved,” Slay says. “I knew that I didn’t want to host the first one because I end up hosting every show I put together, but I know how important the role of a host is to comedy. I knew I needed a good one. Tim is a great host.

“I also knew I wanted someone from out of town, and I’ve worked with Wayne in Columbia,” he adds. “He’s been to my open mic at Big Gun, and the dude is really funny. And Jason is doing some really funny new things, and it needs to be seen.”

To give local comedy a better idea of who’ll be on stage at this week’s Stand Up Comedy Series, Metronome Charleston compiled the vital statistics on each of the four performers.

Dusty Slay

Dusty Slay (photo by Marshall Bowles)

A.K.A.: Around 2004, I got really drunk at an open mic that Bill Davis was hosting at Lite Affair [where Big Gun now stands], back when Jessica Mickey was still regularly doing stand-up. I got heckled, and I got real mad on stage—like a drunk mad person—and after that, Bill started calling me the “Alabama Slamma.” But I think [local stand-up and improviser] Mark Szlachetka is the only person that calls me that now.

Titles Held: 2011 and 2012 Charleston Comedy Festival Stand-Up Competition Winner, 2013 Best Local Comic

Height: 5’8”, unless I’m trying to take you on a date—then I’m 5’10”.

Weight: About 172 … that is until we get a fried chicken buffet downtown.

Eyes: Hazel.

Hair: Looks great these days.

Hometown: Opelika, Alabama: home of the Golden Cherry Motel.

Current Residence: Downtown Charleston, S.C.

Rookie Year: Late 2003 at the Music Farm.

Stage Demeanor: I, like, just standing there, telling jokes.

Career Highlights: I get a new highlight every time a new joke works.

Regularly Performs At: Theatre 99, Big Gun Burger, and the Charleston Music Hall.

Number of Full Shows Performed: I’ve been going strong since 2008, I have no way of knowing

Laugh Average: I won the most laughs-per-minute portion of a competition in Charlotte.

Finishing move: I have a cell phone Breathalyzer joke that my friend [and local stand-up] Vince Fabra advised me to close with, and I tried it, and he was right. It’s been my closer since.

Fun Fact: I was shot in the chest with a pellet gun at five years old. That’s fun, right?

Wayne Cousins

Wayne Cousins (provided)

A.K.A.: Unfortunately, “Wanye” pronounced like Kanye. Also, I hear “The Greatest Ever” a lot.

Titles Held: I’ve held Siddhartha, Child of God … less interesting ones like textbooks, to name a few.

Height: Not bad.

Weight: Pretty good.

Eyes: Two.

Hair: Present.

Hometown: Columbia, S.C., but I grew up in Detroit.

Current Residence: Hulk Hogan’s guesthouse.

Rookie Year: 2011

Stage Demeanor: From ; ) to : 0.

Career Highlight: Jay Leno texted me a recipe once.

Regularly Performs At: The Red Door Tavern—represent.

Number of Full Shows Performed: Is “Full Show” a euphemism for something?

Laugh Average: Bajillion.

Finishing move: Yodeling while levitating.

Fun Fact: I’m thinking of moving out of Hulk Hogan’s guesthouse.

Tim Hoeckel

Tim Hoeckel (provided)

A.K.A.: “The Common Cold” and “The Cure for the Common Cold.”

Titles Held: Judge, Jury.

Height: 6’-ish.

Weight: 180-ish.

Eyes: Blue-ish.

Hair: Red-ish.

Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland / Charleston, S.C.

Current Residence: Any gentrified area.

Rookie Year: 2007.

Stage Demeanor: Heavy Swag Subtle Humility (HSSH).

Career Highlight: Being booed off stage at the Chicken & Waffles Restaurant on Dorchester Road. Seriously.

Regularly Performs At: Theatre 99, the Tin Roof, and other places where Dusty Slay is working hard to put together a show.

Number of Full Shows Performed: 505.

Laugh Average: .435* (* = asterisk)

Finishing move: The Broken Record: If what I say isn’t funny, repeat it until it is genius.

Fun Fact: Once, my sister wrote me a real knee-slapper, a play on words for the Disney movie Cool Runnings. So, I got on the mic with my appropriate amount of swag, and wouldn’t ya’ know it, my sister was the only one who laughed! Maybe because the rest of the audience was a bunch a’ bozos. Clown convention!

Jason Groce

Jason Groce (photo by Ballard Lesemann)

A.K.A.: “Hey,” “Big Guy,” or “Hey, Big Guy”

Titles Held: Best Local Comic 2012, Charleston Comedy Festival Standup Competition Winner 2013.

Height: 6′ 3″.

Weight: 250-270, depending on depression level.

Eyes: Hazel.

Hair: Unkempt.

Hometown: Taylors, S.C.: the “Gateway to Greer.”

Current Residence: North Charleston.

Rookie Year: 2009.

Stage Demeanor: Immovable object.

Career Highlight: Performed at a synagogue on a Friday night.

Regularly Performs At: Theatre 99 and the Tin Roof.

Number of Full Shows Performed: Countless. Or country. Can’t remember which

Laugh Average: .345, groan average: .889.

Finishing move: The Slow Burn.

Fun Fact: Can nap anywhere.

The Stand Up Comedy Series featuring Dusty Slay, Jason Groce, Tim Hoeckel, and Wayne Cousins takes place at the Charleston Music Hall on Fri. Jan. 31. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are available for $10. Visit charlestonmusichall.com for more.

Top photo by Jessica Mickey.

The two often-bespectacled performers formed the musical comedy duo in 2011 after performing improv and sketch comedy at the Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade, and the Magnet Theater. Detouring into their own hip-hop infused funny stuff came naturally for them.

“We both knew that we wanted to do comedy, and we also loved music so much,” Girrbach says. “This became the perfect hybrid. We both felt like we were getting tired of sketch, and we realized that we had much more fun doing musical comedy. It gets the crowd going, and it gets us more excited and more motivated to experiment.”

Tim “Squirm” Girrbach and Rodney “Germ” Umble (provided)

Squirm & Germ make their Charleston debut this weekend during the Charleston Comedy Festival.

“This actually is our first time down in Charleston,” Girrbach says. “We used to tour in a full sketch comedy troupe a few years ago, traveling to festivals as far out as Seattle, Toronto, and D.C. Now, we’re based in New York, working the comedy club scene. We kept hearing from people how hospitable Charleston is to visitors. It was the Reformed Whores who actually suggested performing at the Charleston Comedy Festival to us. They’d said, ‘Oh, they’ll love you down there.’ They’ve always had a great time.”

Working at small venues and special events in New York City and around the Northeast, Girrbach and Umble developed their somewhat geeky hip-hop alter egos and released their 16-song debut album Late Bloomers (Fool’s Gold) in 2011.

Girrbach and Umble were forced to come up with the name Squirm & Germ while recording one their earliest tracks, “Neti Pot,” a hip-hop track about a Neti Pot manufacturer’s website. The studio producers put them on the spot.

“We entered an actual hip-hop studio, and they immediately asked us for our MC names,” Girrbach remembers. “In the back of my brain, I knew I wanted us to have something with a ‘squ-‘ in it. The first thing that came to me was ‘MC Squirm.’ Then Rodney came up with ‘MC Germ.’ It sounded kind of old-school, and we started rapping about silly it was. We stuck with it, and it’s been with us ever since.”

Over the last two years, Squirm & Germ diligently produced new demos and tracks, and they shot and released several ridiculously nerdy music videos along the way, including their latest single, “Pregnant in the Club,” the naughty follow-up to the modern dance-pop track “Maine, MoFo.”

“I don’t know if there was a specific plan when we started out,” Umble says. “Early on, it developed into a more energetic, slightly more angry version of what we started with. We’ve explored different aspects, and most of it ends up pretty positive, actually. There are still elements of old-school rap, and there’s a laid-back style.”

Girrbach and Umble agree that their creative process has always been based on a balanced sense of collaboration. They easily swap lyrical duties and arrangement ideas. And they tend to laugh at the same oddities and silliness.

“We know how to work well together, and there’s no drama or politics involved,” Girrbach says. “It’s just us making good music that’s fun for us and fun for others.”

Squirm & Germ plan to tour heavily in 2014, and they hope to return to Charleston along the way. They have a new EP tentatively titled Naked on a Horse in the works and ideas for several new music videos are already taking shape.

“We want to keep expanding our audience and touring the country,” Umble says. “I’m excited to record and perform, and I’m excited to try out new things. I still love to do songs that we’ve done a hundred times — it’s never a burden and always fun — but we look forward to even more new experiments.”

Squirm & Germ will share the stage with the Bartenders and the Shock T’s at the Threshold Repertory Theatre at 8 p.m. on Fri. Jan. 17 and at 9 p.m. on Sat, Jan. 18. Admission is $12.50. Visit charlestoncomedyfestival.com and squirmandgerm.com for more.

Participating venues include Theatre 99, the American Theatre, Footlight Players Theatre, Threshold Repertory Theatre, the Lighthouse at Shem Creek, PURE Theatre, Redux, and the Woolfe Street Playhouse.

The stand-out music-based acts on this year’s schedule include Charleston’s own Doppelgänger (an improve rock duo featuring Lee Lewis and Jason Cooper); the twangy, country-fried duo Reformed Whores (Marie Cecile Anderson and Katy Frame); Chicago trio the Shock T’s (singer/guitarist Tyler Paterson and singers Sarah Shockey and Tim Dunn); and two comedic, hip-hop-based acts, L.A.-based rapper/stand-up Zach Sherwin and New York-based goof-rap comedy duo Squirm & Germ (Tim Girrbach and Rodney Umble).

Zach Sherwin (provided)

Metronome Charleston caught up with Sherwin earlier this week as he prepared to travel back to Charleston with his recent tour-mate, stand-up comedian Myq (“Mike”) Kaplan. Sherwin and Kaplan will share the stage at the Footlight Players Theatre on Thurs. Jan. 17 and Fri. Jan. 18. Both performers visited Charleston last summer for a show at the Tin Roof in West Ashley with support from local funnyman Jason Groce (see clip below).

“That was one of the most fun shows on that tour,” Sherwin says of the Roof gig. “I perform pretty widely on the college circuit, which keeps me on the road a lot and is really fun. I’m starting to do a little bit more comedy club work. I’m not a traditional stand-up comedy club act, so it’s not a natural home for me. That tour with Myq was the one of the first club tours either of us had done. We loved it. We just wanted to get out there and break even. We thought it was a good enough experience to want to do it again.”

Sherwin’s first show in Charleston was actually back in 2007 when he was a member of the Boston-based, four-man improv group the Late Night Players. They performed during the Charleston Comedy Festival at the old Charleston Ballet Theatre and the American Theater. They returned that spring for Piccolo Spoleto for a show at the old Buxton East Bay Theatre. Kaplan’s rapping skills played well into their act.

“I was into hip-hop as a kid. I listened to it, I wrote it, and I got really into the whole culture,” Sherwin says. “In college, I hooked up with my friends in the Late Night Players, and we incorporated hip-hop into our sketches. Eventually, it occurred to me to combine the music into stand-up. Comedy songs are like sketches in which there is a premise that gets sustained for a few minutes. Being in a sketch group helped me develop the muscles to recognize things that would make good songs — ideas that could sustain a song idea.”

Currently based in Los Angeles, Sherwin regularly writes and records original songs. He produces hilarious music videos for them, too. His 16-track, 2010 debut album MC Mr. Napkins: The Album (Comedy Central Records) demonstrated his contemporary mix of nerdcore, wannabe gangsta, and spoofed-up styles.

“Working with hip-hop for me has actually always been pretty serious stuff,” Sherwin says. “There’s a lot of room for wordplay. Cleverness, puns, double-meanings, and twists are all part of the tool kit. People sometimes give me a sideways glance when they find out that this is what I do on stage. Part of me enjoys that. I mean, I don’t really look like a ‘rapper,’ although, what does rapper really mean these days? There’s certainly nothing about comedy-rap that’s so inherently tainted that people shouldn’t be doing it. If it’s good it’s good.”

Sherwin doesn’t worry too much about being pegged as simply a musical comedy act. Since going solo, he’s fine-tuned the format of his current stage show, balancing modern soundscapes and beats, quick-fire raps, and sharp stand-up material.

“You know, there can be a stigma associated with being a musical comedy, especially the white-guy rapper phenomenon, which has not always been done the right way,” he says. “I think stand-up comedy is viewed as a very noble calling, and unfortunately, that’s not always the case with musical comedy. Sometimes, there are musical comedy acts who tend to go for a cheap laugh, and that’s the joke. But ideally, you just have to do the thing that excites you the most creatively — as long as you’re not using musical comedy as a crutch and doing it in a way that’s smart.”

Looking ahead, Sherwin is open to new writing and performance opportunities this year, on stages and in studios. He already has three more releases on the way this year as well as several new YouTube videos in the works and a few more road trips.

“I always stay open to different opportunities, like working on scripts and videos that aren’t necessarily intended for YouTube, but for now, it’s been really fun, exciting, and fulfilling to write raps and put stand-up in-between,” Sherwin says. “I want to continue to release more videos and music — better versions of them as time goes by. I’m really privileged to be able to make a living off of stand-up and rapping,. It’s a crazy dream job, so I want to keep doing more of it.”

Zach Sherwin and Myq Kaplan will perform at the Footlight Players Theatre at 9:30 p.m. on Thurs. Jan. 17 and at 8 p.m. on Fri. Jan. 18. Admission is $12.50.

Visit Metronome’s Calendar section for all of the Charleston Comedy Festival events, and visit charlestoncomedyfestival.com for more.

Here at Metronome Charleston, we thought, “What if we take that same idea, but apply it to the comedy community?” We spitballed the notion amongst our friends, and they all responded with a resounding “hell, yeah.” This weekend, that silly little concept will come to life.

BamBOOZEled!: The Greatest Acts of All Time Under One (Tin) Roof will take place this Sunday, Jan. 12 (and has nothing to do with the 20o0  Spike Lee film Bamboozled, sorry).

We’ll be kicking off the festivities at 7 p.m. with Comedy Team Trivia hosted by Ballard Lesemann. Questions will tackle anything having to do with the world of comedy, and prizes will include Theatre 99 tickets, a pair of tickets to A Night of Stand-Up Comedy (which we’ll be co-presenting with the Charleston Music Hall on January 31), and most importantly, Tin Roof bar cash.

Between 8:30 and 9 p.m., the show will begin. Each funny person, culled from the local stand-up, improv, or music scene, has picked a comedian to cover, and they will be presenting at least five minutes of material directly from and/or inspired by the comedian of their choosing, hopefully while dressed up and fully embodying their inspiration. It may be glorious, it may be sloppy, but the one thing you can count on is that it will be pretty damn hilarious either way.

The cover is only $5, and the proceeds will be split between helping cover some of Metronome’s quickly building website costs and Camp Happy Days, an amazing program and site that provides a summer camp for kids battling cancer. It’s a really special place and is very close to our hearts.

So, you’re probably wondering who will be performing and as what. To leave an element of surprise, we’ll keep mum on specifics. You’ll just have to come out and see for yourself.

BamBOOZEled!: The Greatest Acts of All Time Under One (Tin) Roof is set for Sun. Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. (the main stage performances start at 8:30 p.m.). Admission is $5. Proceeds benefit Camp Happy Days and Metronome Charleston.

Visit our Facebook event page and reverbnation.com/venue/tinroofwashley for more.

Performers (alphabetically):

Michael Clayton
David Corley
Ryan Firster
Jason Groce
Sam Hendry
Dan Hanf
Tim Hoeckel
Drew Howard
Mollie Howey
Lauren Krass
Andy Livengood
Ballard Lesemann
Jeremy McLellan
Jessica Mickey
Brett Churchill Nash and Magic Camp
Andy Rider
Peter Schwartz
Lily Slay
Kristen Spinney

And the “comics” appearing include:

Doug Benson
Hannibal Buress
Rodney Dangerfield
Jon Dore
Neil Hamburger
Mitch Hedberg
Bill Hicks
Pete Holmes
Kyle Kinane
Sam Kinison
Andy Kaufman
Karen Kilgariff
Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall
Dan Mintz
Henry Phillips
Joan Rivers
Sarah Silverman
Yakov Smirnoff
Carrot Top

Earlier this month, fresh from his hilariously self deprecating late-night television debut on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Stone headed back to the Southeast for a string of shows at clubs, cafes, and lounges — including a show scheduled for Thurs. Dec. 19 at the Tin Roof with support from local fellas Dusty Slay and Jason Groce.

“I love coming back to the South,” Stone says. “It’s so much fun to perform in cities like Atlanta, Athens, and Charleston where there are actual comedy scenes. There are so many shows in random cities where there seem to be no comedians around at all. So it’s refreshing to come into a thriving scene.”

Dave Stone (provided)

An Atlanta native, Stone knows the Southeastern comedy world quite well. Comedy Central utilized Stone’s drawl when they invited him to provide voices for several hickish characters on Adult Swim’s animated series Squidbillies. After starting out as an open mic stand-up, he formed the Beards of Comedy in Atlanta in 2008 with like-minded partners Andy Sandford, Joe Zimmerman, and T.J. Young.

Polite and well-spoken, the foursome specialized in dry-witted commentary on American pop-culture and their own Georgia roots. Their tag-team performance at the Pour House during the 2010 Charleston Comedy Festival was one of the highlights of the that year’s series.

The Beards of Comedy released two albums — Comedy for People for the Rooftop Comedy label in 2009 and Cardio Mix for Comedy Central Records in 2011. Shortly after the last major Beards tour, Stone decided to leave Atlanta for new adventures in California. It was a necessary career move, according to the comedian.

“With indie music, you can pretty much make things happen from anywhere in the country, as long as you’re close enough to a good music scene, and there are plenty of breeding grounds around,” Stone says. “Unfortunately, with stand-up, to really get to that next level, you really have to choose between two cities: New York and Los Angeles.”

The decision wasn’t difficult. Stone figured it would be easier to live inexpensively and comfortably in L.A. than in New York, and the opportunity to perform and network within the comedy scene would be just as great.

The Beards of Comedy (provided)

“As far as New York versus L.A., it really was just a ‘quality of life’ question for me,” Stone says. “I love New York, and I go there several times a year, but with the weather and the crowds of people … I’m a Southern guy, and I need my space and warm weather. In L.A., I’m not crammed into subways on a small island. I can go for a hike up in the mountains or go to the beach. It was kind of a no-brainer.”

With his mild Southern drawl and laid-back personality, Stone communicated easily with some audiences out West, but not everyone got him.

“I can play around with the subtly and the references at shows in the South a lot more than I can in other parts of the country,” Stone says. “Even in L.A., people just don’t get some of the vernacular and slang because they didn’t grow up with it. There’s something warm and inviting about performing in front of people who are from where you’re from.

“Moving to the city itself wasn’t that challenging, but breaking into that scene was whole different story,” he adds. “I hate to analyze my stature when I was living in Atlanta, but I was perhaps one of the more well-known comedy guys. That’s fun for a little while and good for the ego, but it doesn’t really help you in the grand scope of things. I needed to go and be a small fish in the pond as opposed to the opposite. Being around so many fantastic comics out in L.A. is great, and it forces you to step up your game. Doing shows with others who are so much more advanced than I am forces me to really bring it.”

In Los Angeles and on the road, Stone performs at a variety of venues, from dingy taverns and college coffeehouses to large theaters and fancy comedy clubs. He tends to prefer to cozy, casual setting of smaller bars, though — the places where hard-working musicians might hang, drink, and perform.

Dave Stone in action (provided)

“As musicians know, the music world has kind of a cool connotation,” Stone says. “I know there are plenty of lame bands out there, but ‘live music at a cool bar’ is a fun thing that young kids look for,” he says. “I think there’s still a preconceived notion out there about stand-up comedy — one that’s left over from the 1980s and ’90s where it’s just guys like Jerry Seinfeld up there wearing sneakers and blazers and telling airplane jokes. If you take stand-up to the younger, music-loving audience like Patton Oswalt, Mitch Hedberg, and others have done, you tend to find a more open, refreshing atmosphere. At comedy clubs, you have to deal with people eating dinner, ordering cocktails, and wondering out loud where your puppets are.”

Stone rarely changes or adjusts his set according to the venue he’s playing, although he might veer toward his more experimental and edgier material.

“I hate to use the word ‘edgy,’ but during a show at a place like the 40 Watt Club [in Athens, Ga.] or the Tin Roof, I might pull out some of my edgier, weirder, more avant garde stuff,” he says.

One of the more peculiar aspects of Stone’s current routine in L.A. is his nomadic (or “hobo-like,” as he puts it) existence as a man living in his customized Ford cargo van. It’s not an elaborate prank or gimmick; Stone actually resides in a mobile domicile fitted with coolers, storage spaces, clothes racks, camping gear, and a small a bed. Life in the van creates plenty of new fodder for his ever-changing sets.

“I have a lot of material based on my experience living in a van, and I try to deliver it in a sincere way where, hopefully, a halfway-intelligent person can tell that I’m not just up there doing a schtick,” Stone says. “But it never fails after every show: ‘Hey, man. Are you really living in a van?’ someone will ask. Yes, I’m not trying to impress you by lying about living in a van.”

Stone’s van situation was the focus of a recent episode of the PBS Digital Studios network’s Modern Comedian, a documentary web series shot, edited and produced by filmmaker Scott Moran (see clip below). In one scene of the short film, Stone says, “Until I get to where I want to be in my career, I don’t want to be too comfortable. I feel that if you get too comfortable, you kind of take your foot off the gas, and I don’t want to do that. The van is definitely a constant reminder of, ‘I’m not where I want to be yet.'”

For now, Stone is looking ahead, eager to write, fine-tune, and deliver his best material. He enjoys the process and the challenge, and he’s glad to have great momentum heading into 2014.

“Like a lot of comedians, I try not to recycle too many old jokes, especially material that’s on an album or TV,” Stone says. “I try not to repeat any of the jokes I’ve done on late-night TV shows or on the two Beards of Comedy albums. I may whip out an old joke every now and then, but whatever I’ve been working on over the last month or so is usually what I’m most excited about.”

Dave Stone will share the stage with Caleb Synan, Jason Groce, and Tim Hoeckel at the Tin Roof on Thurs. Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. Admission is $5. Visit davestonecomedy.com for more.

On Fri. May 31, the Shock T’s — singer/guitarist Tyler Paterson and singers Sarah Shockey and Tim Dunn — return to Theatre 99 for a whopping sixth time with their hilarious satirical ditties, absurd renditions, and overall BFF good vibes. The three became friends while taking classes with the famed Chicago conservatory at The Second City, and while working on a sketch comedy show, they stumbled upon the possibility of pulling together a musical comedy group.

Patterson recalls, “I was just kind of riffing when I told Sarah that most songs in the musical Les Miserables follow the same basic pattern and melody. I started playing the progression, and we started trading lyrics from different songs back and forth.  It was so much fun, we thought, “Hey, let’s do this more often.”
Shockey adds, “And then we both agreed that it’d be great to round it out with Tim, because he’s just real funny.”

The Shock Ts (L to R): Tyler Paterson, Sarah Shockey, and Tim Dunn (provided)

Dunn now amusingly questions his motivation in joining.“I was hoping to gain attention from Second City so I could do a cruise ship, which is something I no longer want,” he laughs. “I think originally the style was a little looser, like ‘a sketch group with a guitar,’ but we just got better at songwriting and decided to start calling ourselves a comedy band.”

Since they were already friends and collaborators, inspirations for songs came (and still come) naturally.

“Our process is almost 100 percent collaborative. Most of our writing sessions start with pitches or general ideas, but it often slips into philosophy or social commentary,” Paterson says. “We ask ‘Why aren’t we talking about these things?,’ or ‘I’m really passionate about this thing,’ or ‘You know what makes me laugh really hard?,’ and then songs start to form from that. Once we find our angle, we’ll try to then choose a style that best reflects our thesis for the song. After that, the structure comes naturally. We might play it on stage a few times, look at what worked, what didn’t, then tighten it up. It’s constant tweaking and learning.”

One look through the Shock T’s’ repertoire over the last four years, and it’s hard not to find a solid handful of songs that resonate with you. Beyond their fun opener, kooky yet creepy version of “Barbie Girl,” and other absurd original tunes, there’s “Matt and Aimee,” a song about a dysfunctional couple that just can’t seem to quit each other. It brings the guffaws, not just because the material is hilarious, but also because everyone seems to know one of these couples. “More Important” fuels even more head-shaking moments, as Dunn gleefully sings as a professional baseball player about his value in the world. “Last Guy,” a song about a man still going to Best Buy to buy a DVD, ends with a perfect, unexpected punchline. Their strongest material is extensions on their everyday experiences, gripes, and observations. Think of it as Onion-esque editorials put to music — because the comedy within the songs could stand on its own, sans Paterson’s skillful strumming.

When asked about the stigma about the addition of music in comedy, Paterson explains, “The main problem I see with other ‘musical comedians’ is that they’re neither. They’re maybe half good at one or the other, but they think that because they’re doing both, they’ll stand out. Musical comedy tackles two mediums, which means you have to work twice as hard to blend the two into one thing. If you only focus on one aspect, the other will lack significantly. There seems to be this school of thought that ‘anything is funny if you sing it!’ I’ve found that this is not typically the case. If your idea isn’t working, putting it to song won’t necessarily save it. I guess what I’m saying is that if you’re using music as a crutch, it’s not for you.”

However, the group believes the addition of music makes their comedy more accessible. Dunn says, “It’s why every Second City show opens with a big music opener — to get everyone on board. The challenge is being critical enough of your own material to know that your music enhances your writing, but doesn’t carry it.”

Of course, according to Paterson, the group’s dynamic certainly helps, too. “The three of us on stage have a unique chemistry, and we often talk to our audiences to make shows feel more intimate. We love what we do, and we want audiences to share in that.”

If you happened to catch the Shock T’s when they were last in town during this year’s Charleston Comedy Festival, don’t worry — they’ve got you covered. “We’ll have tons of new stuff, I think!,” Shockey exclaims, “We just did a whole run of writing all new material, and there’s some songs I’m really excited about. We are really experimenting with different styles.”

The Shock T’s perform at Theatre 99 as part of Piccolo Fringe on Fri. May 31  9:30 p.m., Sat. June 2 at 7 p.m., and Sun. June 2 at 5 p.m. Tickets are available for $16. Visit theatre99.com and shockts.com for more.