Laugh It Up
Moontower Comedy Fest releases 2014 lineup, including Aziz Ansari and Hannibal Buress
Every festival no doubt suffers growing pains in its early years, but two years in, the Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival seems to have avoided any major pitfalls. Early indications suggest that it's ready to claim its place an important comedy fest, both locally and internationally, and start throwing its weight around
For 2014, organizers have released the initial lineup of talent on tap to take the stage at the Paramount Theatre and other venues across downtown Austin. Tickets and badges are also now on sale for the festival, which takes place April 23 – 26.
Headlining the fest will be a slew of veteran talent, as well as names still on their way to gaining household recognition. Hannibal Buress is one such stand-up comic whose stock has been rising steadily in recent years; he earned Comedy Central’s 2012 award for Best Club Comic, as well as being a former staff writer for Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. Joining Buress on the opening night slate will be musical comedian Demetri Martin.
Other headliners for the weekend of laughs include SNL alum and talk show host Dennis Miller, comedian and writer Mike Birbiglia and a returning Maria Bamford, who left quite an impression from last year’s fest by virtue of her off-the-wall live interview for Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast.
Also coming to town will be the cast of the beloved cast of the Canadian sketch comedy troupe, The Kids in the Hall, signifying Moontower’s first international booking. But even the headliners can’t overshadow the rest of the weekend’s lineup, with notable names including J.B. Smoove, Andy Kindler, Colin Quinn, Jackie Kashian, James Adomian, Mac Blake, Michael Che, Ron Funches and many more.
2014 will also be the first year that Moontower will expand its footprint from beyond the festival weekend. The week before, on April 18, Moontower will present the return of Aziz Ansari to Austin with a performance the University of Texas Performing Arts Center; badge buyers will have access to premium seating. YouTube sensation Miranda Sings will also perform separate from the festival at Stateside at the Paramount on April 27.
Badges are available to the public online, at the Paramount Theatre box office or by calling (512) 474-1221, with prices ranging from $129 to $599. Single-performance tickets for shows at the Paramount will be available on presale February 11 and to the general public on February 13.
With several months still to go before the fest even gets here, stay tuned for any more updates and further coverage on the third year of Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival.