Best Comedians of Denton in 2016
A wonderful thing about the DAM awards is the increased recognition of other forms of entertainment besides music. Good comedy is no longer a thing reserved for clubs in Dallas and Fort Worth. Thanks to several upstart organizers and hospitable venues, comedians are enjoying a resurgence in Denton. Every week they’re hitting open mic nights to practice their material in preparation for high profile shows. Here are the five nominees the community picked as the funniest comedians performing in Denton.
Stu Hollowell
Do you remember the funny teachers you had in grade school? Stu Hollowell is that teacher and a bag of chips. Hollowell and Shane Silagi co-founded Language of Laughter (commonly known as LOL for a Cause) to use their comedy skills to raise money benefiting children's education. Hollowell has been performing for three years and makes an effort to be involved with youth writing workshops. He's at ease with telling humorous stories, and his charity organization helps carve out opportunities for stand-up comics to perform.
Taylor Higginbotham
If Taylor Higginbotham gets to know you then you might be on the receiving end of one his impromptu roast sessions. There's more to getting laughs than being a social media troll. With his dwelling at E Third, he used the space to book shows that merged music and comedy. Since building shows DIY style, he launched Convenient Comedy at Midway Craft House and co-organized Joketopia with Joe Coffee. If there's one hallmark of Higginbotham's comedy is that one never knows what he's going to do next. In one open mic session, he eschewed a traditional stand-up in favor of reading a piece of prose he wrote from the perspective of an adult Kroger employee writing diary entries of the life he views as awesome.
Carey Cool Tripp
Like the other nominees, Carey Cool Tripp starves to perform as often as possible. His remarkable work ethic has him bouncing between the trinity of destinations within the Metroplex. He's not too proud to do several open mic nights in one week before hitting the stage at higher profile shows. Tripp was the master of ceremonies for festival magic man Eddie Kautsch's birthday show, and one can expect him playing a larger role in the developing shape of Denton's comedy scene.
Dalton Pruitt
Introduce yourself to "Salty Dalty" as his peers call him. But be ready for a heavy dose of self-loathing and maximum level saltiness. Dalton Pruitt has been performing comedy in 6 years and previously hosted open mic nights during an era when the venue would give him shit for cussing during his set. Pruitt won't leave you with the impression that everything is unicorns and rainbows, but he''ll damn sure make you laugh.
Joe Coffee
Another key contributor to the rise of Denton's comedy scene is Joe Coffee. He wanted to perform during a period where there was minimal booking of comedy shows in Denton. For the past couple of years he's worked his ass off hosting comedy shows including 2 weekly open mic nights at The Bearded Monk and Killer's Tacos. Coffee has an affable nature that makes his act a lot like listening to your best friend tell his best jokes.
Header image designed by Brittany Keeton