Goulash Comedy ushers in new era of Birmingham comedy

Comedy is a lot like punk rock. At least it is to Chris Ivey, founder of Birmingham comedy group Goulash Comedy. 

“It’s a lot of sleeping on people’s couches, doing shows for eight people in a bar, drinking a ton of PBR, and most importantly saying, ‘Hey, guy I’ve never met before, we do the same thing. Can you help me out?’” Ivey said.

And just like with any good punk rock scene, word about Goulash has traveled fast. Since Ivey started Goulash about a year and a half ago, its shows, mostly hosted at Syndicate Lounge, have been gaining traction. People in Birmingham are taking notice and so are comics from around the country. 

Goulash — the name plays on the hearty German stew Ivey’s mom often made —hosts an average of two shows a week. One is an open mic, where comics, musicians, dancers, spoken-word artists and other performers are invited to perform, and the other is usually a national headliner or a collection of Birmingham area comics. 

Past shows have brought in comedians such as Sasheer Zamata and Brooks Wheelan from “Saturday Night Live” and Barry Rothbart, who acted in the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street” and is set to star in ABC’s new comedy, “Downward Dog.” With headliners like these, mixed in with Birmingham’s best local comics, Ivey said Goulash is beginning to make a name for itself. 

“Now people come through the South and want to hit Birmingham because they’ve had a good experience with us,” Ivey said. 

The 27-year-old California native said when he moved to Birmingham three years ago, the time was ripe for comedy. The music and art scenes were flourishing, and comedy, he said, fit right into that. 

Since he started Goulash, Ivey said the comedy scene has continued to pick up. There’s a comedy show somewhere around town nearly every night of the week, and more places to perform than Ivey could have imagined. Goulash also hosted Alabama’s first comedy festival, Birmingham Comedy Festival, in May. The four-day event featured more than 40 comics at 13 different shows, including a roast of Gov. Robert Bentley featuring 10 local comics. Following the success of the festival, Ivey already has set a date for next year.

“The thing I’m excited about for the festival is that it’s going to keep growing and getting better each year, just like all the things around town do, just like Sidewalk or Secret Stages,” he said. “I want the comedy festival to be something people in the city can be proud of.”

Though Ivey admits to being surprised at how quickly Goulash and the comedy scene in Birmingham have grown, that doesn’t mean he’s slowing down any time soon.

“I would love to make it be huge,” he said. “People need to laugh, especially now that there’s so much anger everywhere. It’s kind of like our jobs as comedians in this city to bring some laughter. I would love to make people laugh all day, all the time.”

For information about upcoming shows, go to Goulash’s Facebook page or goulashcomedy.com.