Mike DeStefano, a light of compassion in a dark world, passed away on March 6, 2011. And just like he predicted in an interview on Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast last December, it wasn’t drugs, disease, or his own hand. He had a heart attack and, just like that, we lost a friend.

Two of the stories Mike shared in that groundbreaking interview really capture his spirit. The first was about caring for his wife as she died. He said that taking care of her in those years was the best thing he ever did: it proved to him that he wasn’t a piece of shit, that he was capable of deep love and commitment. He said, “Maybe I am afraid of commitment,” because, “I know what it means. I’m going to be there until I bury you.” We’ll let you listen to the rest of the “Harley story” on your own (http://wtfpod.libsyn.com/webpage/episode-130-mike-de-stefano).

A second story arc was about his own (previously private) experience living with HIV and how it brought him, in a roundabout way, to comedy, to Buddhist thought, and to a courageous peace. “I don’t have to tell anyone about my HIV, but if I don’t do it, who will?” he asked Marc Maron. “There’s something cool about having the worst disease. You got hepatitis? Get a real disease!” It turns out, Mike was diagnosed over 20 years ago, but never took meds for it and the HIV never progressed to full-blown AIDS. He’s a medical mystery (not like we didn’t know that already!). And he hadn’t gone public about being positive until that interview. But he had worked as an HIV public health educator, and it was that work—and a fortuitous run-in with a Tibetan lama on an airplane—that led him to the stage in the wake of both his wife and his father’s deaths. “Instead of killing myself, I became a stand-up comic.” The truth-purveyor went on, “I want to make people laugh, but I want people to know they’re not alone with suffering. They can survive anything… Your pain is the same as mine.” Mike was open to duka (the universal experience of suffering); he was able to say, the pain that is in you is in me. He could greet it with peace, with compassion. “Namaste.”

When Mike was in the twin cities last, he performed at Acme Comedy Company and worked with us on recording his next record. He even got a tattoo (not the one we set up for the photoshoot for the CD cover, but still…). Of all the things we could have done, we walked around the Mall of America talking shop, and Mike got himself a chair massage. When he walked out of that place, he was radiating. Mike, happy in the moment, full of warmth, open to the world in all its darkness and light. That’s how we’ll remember him.

The Sklar Brothers "Hendersons and Daughters" CD

Randy and Jason Sklar seek new fans for their stand-up CD, “Hendersons and Daughters,” recorded live in Denver, CO. Applicants must be old enough to question necrophilia and poor rhyming in fairy tales and enjoy the bawdier versions of jokes originally written for toddlers (example: What do you call a quilt that’s slept with 20,000 people? Quilt Chamberlain!). Must be confounded both by the presence of twins in sexual fantasy and the sovereignty of the fleshy area that connects actual conjoined twins. Must be unable to keep up with the Kardashians, but understand the early warning signs of hoarding episodes of Hoarders on the DVR. Must fully internalize the shame of finding that Scarlett Johanssen, ScarJo herself, has “Pizza Hutted” you with a Jeff Buckley cover song. And above all, must understand that Margaret Cho would be the only acceptable substitution for Mr. Miagi should we need to create another Karate Kid remake. So long as, of course, the kid gets a safe word.

The fast-paced but even quicker-witted banter between the Sklar Brothers soars to new, more ridiculous heights with their latest release, “Hendersons and Daughters,” as the duo’s riffs jump blithely from racist haberdashers to Google’s confounding auto-fill to Chico’s marketing strategies to whether bad rapping insults smoothies. And in the end, maybe the lesson is that we can all find joy in life by complaining about the little things or at least in listening to the Sklar Brothers do it for us.

Jamie Kilstein "Libel, Slander & Sedition" CD

One of the more profound parts of any put-upon teenager’s life is the moment when he transitions into adulthood, looks around, and realizes that his parents weren’t jerks. When they yelled at you to stop trying to murder your brother, turn down your music, be surreptitious if you’re gonna smoke pot in their house, and get a diploma or maybe a back-up plan for your stand-up comedy dreams (at least one that doesn’t rely on maudlin poetry and/or an acoustic guitar), it turns out, they might have just been decent people. When Jamie Kilstein had that revelation, he’d already gone one step further than just accepting the humanity of his dad, he’d started to extend that open-mindedness to the rest of the world.

Starkly political, impassioned and engaged, and deeply, deeply funny, Jamie Kilstein is back for his third turn on Stand Up! Records, “Libel, Slander and Sedition.” Kilstein offers a few warnings (like maybe Drone strikes are a bad idea… I mean, we’ve all seen how that turns out in the sci-fi movies), some sound advice (if right-wingers are going to claim homosexuality is ruining straight marriage, well, gay fellas, it’s about time you start turning up for a steamy make-out session when they get to the “I Do’s” at your local straight hitchin’), some choice letters to his friends at the U.S. Army, and even an invitation to join his own new religion, The Church of the Smiling Vagina. And along the way, he asks his listeners to couple compulsion with compassion, question authority, and maybe, just maybe, steal from Wal-Mart.

Oh, and spoiler alert: The answer to “Why I Lit My Radio on Fire and Threw it Out the Window?” In a word: Nickelback.

Various Artists"Nerd Alert" CD

“Nerd Alert!” No longer a taunt, it’s now a warning: we’ve got thirteen certifiable nerds, geeks, and brains–every last one of ‘em a kick-ass comic–on one stage. Even more exotic, three (count ‘em: three!) are actual, real, live lady nerds in their natural habitats and a lovingly crafted, hand drawn cover by the incomparable Zander Cannon (Big Time Attic, Top Ten Comics he has his own Wikipedia entry, ferchrissakes!). Recorded live at The Beat Coffeehouse in Minneapolis, MN, “Nerd Alert!” showcases short sets from Andrew Brynildson, Andy Erikson, Chris Knutson, Brandi Brown, Bryan Miller, Gus Lynch, Amber Preston, Bill Young, Nate Abshire, James Moore, Patrick Ryan Bauer, Pat Susmilch, and Mike Brody.

And while you might expect that a whole line up of dweebs, dorks, and pencil-necks would involve a whole lot of awkward shuffling, instead, we’re proud to say, every last one of these smarties absolutely kills: Brynildson, our emcee, name-drops Star Trek’s Guinan and Andy Erikson sweetly suggests the best possible deli name (“Viet NomNomNom,” for the record), while Chris Knutson admits that he has to dress up as a superhero for his day job… and that’s not even the humiliating part. Brandi Brown reveals her secret past as a would-be beauty queen, Bryan Miller shares his favorite existentialist children’s book and all the nerd porn titles anyone could hope for, respectable Gus Lynch somehow ends up earning the nickname “Anal Shock!” and yes, Amber Preston insists she would drop it if it was hot, because that seems like the safe way to go. Bill Young and Nate Abshire, on the other hand, have gained profound wisdom: nerds did grow up to run things, just maybe not the important ones, and the Bible might be the best fantasy novel ever written. Rounding out the night, James Moore protests the injustice of sports nerds getting to be “cool,” Patrick Ryan Bauer gets real with the color choices of 90s-era Marvel Comics, Pat Susmilch examines the internal logic of Super Mario Brothers, and Mike Brody sends the dirtiest unintentional text message ever created.

With the shared worldview of the once-bullied, now-adored, and ever-elusive North American nerd, but thirteen distinct (and distinctly off-kilter) angles on it, this is one Stand Up! Records release that’s sure to please everybody. That said, get ‘em while the getting’s good: we’ve got 500 CDs and 100 limited edition LPs for all those salivating vinyl nerds.

Dave Waite"Kaboom" CD

“Alpacas and Oates.” “Dicks in the Dirt.” “White Devil.” “Pants Party.” “Wormhole and Delta Airlines.” “Sawdust and Janitor Soul.” No matter what you Google to get there, so long as you find Dave Waite, we’re pretty sure you’re in the right place.

It’s almost hard to know where to start with extolling the virtues of Waite’s new Stand Up! Records disc, “Kaboom.” Like an episode of “The Wire” with way more funny parts (and a lot less examination of entrenched urban inequality and institutionalized racial tension, natch), repetition only reveals newer, deeper layers of entertainment. On listen number one, you’ll get your introduction to Waite’s Master Class in Creepy. Pick-up lines, road trips to topless bars, and time travel for hillbillies, that first listen is silly, surprising, and seductive. You’re gonna want another. By the second time around, you’ll start catching the off-handed call-backs and the way Waite develops his own vocabulary and rhythms, managing to use some sort of alchemy to turn awkward quiet moments into a little titter that winds up into a full-blown, audience-on-board guffaw. And by that third spin? One little aside like “I heard that, for the ‘Sex and the City’ movie they had to put peanut butter on her gums…” and you’re a goner. Waite’s got you right where he wants you: captive, helpless in the face of a good time and a great comedic voice.

David Huntsberger "Humanitis" CD

Don’t talk down to strippers; we all do everything for money. Every single job is for money. Even stand-up comedy. Pull out your wallets friends, and toss a tenner at David Huntsberger. Sure, you can’t see him takin’ it off as you listen to his new CD “Humanitis,” but we promise you’ll be able to imagine it.

While it’s often hard to sum up a comedy record, it’s safe to say “Humanitis” is a metaphysical tour of the cosmos, the earth, the human body, and, of course, the gnomes who control us with their subterranean magnets. Between examining the vanity of mankind (“Fake pretty is better than real ugly.”) and considering the special talents of the highest-paid astronaut (that’d be the one on call to show the alien-hillbillies “who’s boss”), Huntsberger still finds the time to revel in longer form commentaries on the absurdity of modern urbanites’ biggest fears. He assuages pointy-headed anxiety by explaining just why stupid people will never take over (and delivers one of the most effective two-word punchlines - “For reals?” - we’ve ever gotten on tape). He explains the anti-hate-crime that is the “black barbershop stand-off” (you just can’t read the price list forever). And while he’s never crossed that line, David
Huntsberger will shamefully admit: he’s intrigued by littering.

Huntsberger’s been featured on Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend” and NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” has performed alongside luminaries like fellow Stand Up! Records posse-members Maria Bamford and Patton Oswalt, and has earned a degree in civil engineering. With a resume like that, he can’t lose.

Andy Ritchie "King Ding-a-Ling" CD

Whether he’s falcon-hunting or reminiscing about the days when college girls checked him out (instead of keeping an eye on him), Andy Ritchie’s one to watch. With fresh, quick-witted comedy that evokes any number of influential greats, Ritchie’s first stand-up record seems to summon some of the classic silliness of Steve Martin (sans banjo) tempered with the open realism of Louis CK and the deft timing and wordplay of Mitch Hedberg. This is to say, Ritchie’s the real deal (and wouldn’t be on Stand Up! Records’ roster if he wasn’t).

On “King Ding-A-Ling,” the Montreal Just for Laughs festival and “Live at the Gotham” alum delves into history. Revisionist history, to be precise. Ritchie blows the lid off the Jihadi-Texan cabal. He exposes just why Canada’s not regularly bombed by, well, every other country in the world. He reveals that Iceland is actually Greenland, having been renamed by the Vikings in an attempt to elude Hitler. And, most scandalous of all, Ritchie lays bare the sham that was Huey Lewis’s claim against “Ghost Busters.” Plagiarism? Nay! Fortuitously-recorded personal meltdown? Maybe.

Ritchie’s subversive, but approachable, just like so many other secret Canadians, and just his baseball joke which you’re sure to repeat, rehearse, and pass off as your own on at least one future occasion would be worth the price of “King Ding-A-Ling.” It’ll be a fantastic surprise, then, when you notice the other twelve tracks, tripping from early morning water torture to Ludacris’ terrible advice to a little-known Third World hipster cache, are just as top notch.

Lee Camp "Chaos for the Weary" CD

Any comedian would be honored to start his CD with a personal endorsement in which George Carlin’s daughter explains how this particular wit will be Carlin’s torch-bearer. But it’s the simple, sincere list of ways in which Lee Camp is qualified to carry the flame that seals the deal. Kelly Carlin tells us three important things: Camp is a thinking person’s comic, he may just piss us off a bit, and most crucially, he’s really fucking funny. Yup, she needed two of the seven famous “dirty words.”

Speaking of which, on Lee Camp’s latest stand-up disc, it’s not the dirty words that’ll catch your ear (though you will hear a few novel permutations), it’s the sentences you’ll never hear anywhere else. For instance, “I’m for plumber-suggested suicide.” Or, say, “People say abortion is ‘playing God’? No, remote control corn-hole is ‘playing God’.” Or even, “Just a couple of ‘em wake up with a Tickle Me Elmo through the medulla oblongata, and the others would change their tune!” Now, more than ever, we need absurdist realism on stage to help us sort through, get a grip on, and maybe even change the absurdities of reality; we need “Chaos for the Weary.” Lee Camp used to look at all the terrible things on the horizon, and first he blamed Bush and Cheney, and then he blamed the Democrats, and then for a while, he blamed David Hasselhoff. What can we say? It was a weird time in his life.

Perhaps the only man on Stand Up! Records’ roster to have been endorsed by General Wesley Clark (former NATO Supreme Allied Commander), featured on Al Jazeera, and included in Paul Provenza’s loving 2010 portrait ¡Satiristas!: Comedians, Contrarians, Raconteurs, & Vulgarians, Lee Camp’s also the only man we want with his hands on the remote. You’ll get it.

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