Comedy Works Regular Geoff Tice Releasing Debut Comedy Album

In 2009, a college student named Geoff Tice took his first shaky steps onto the standup stage at Paris on the Platte, a former Denver coffeehouse. Convinced by his buddy, who ended up bailing on him, to try his hand at comedy, Tice signed up for a 9 p.m. time slot, but in typical open-mic fashion, he did not hit the stage until midnight.

The result? Bombs away.

"I don't remember really any of the jokes, but I do remember it didn't really go great," Tice says with a laugh. "But as I was leaving, there was a drunk guy at the bar who leaned back and said, 'Hey, that one joke!' And I don't even remember which one it was, but he says, ‘That was awesome.’ And that was enough to convince me to do this for the rest of my life."

And so Tice struck out on a path toward a vibrant comedy career, culminating now in the release of his debut album, Jokes With a G, on Friday, May 17. Produced by Blonde Medicine, the album is poised to showcase Tice’s signature blend of self-deprecating humor and candid storytelling, covering everything from the quirks of new fatherhood to his dad's drunken dial-ups.

"This definitely is a catalogue of my favorite jokes over the years," says Tice. "A lot of these stories on Jokes With the G are just very fun and goofy. I hope this is a nice introduction to the way I see the world. The themes of this are a little more lighthearted than I think I am as a person, but I wanted that first impression of me to be something that I'm putting together to be more optimistic. I'm not a hot-take comedian. You're not going to get my views on the issues going on today. It's very much like: 'This person said something silly; isn’t that fun?'"

The Denver-based comic, who co-founded the graphic design agency Shadowstep Studios, began his comedy career in earnest over a decade ago. Despite that unremarkable first performance, his enthusiasm for comedy grew. Tice began doing the occasional open mic, but it was not until he moved to Los Angeles in 2012 with his wife that he became seriously interested in standup.

Tice would go to a comedy club ten minutes from their house at night to perform at open mics while his wife studied to be a physician's assistant. Although this practice significantly improved his act, Tice says he was performing "off and on again for a couple of years, but I didn't really feel like a real comedian."

When he and his wife, both Colorado natives, returned to Denver in 2014, he continued honing his craft at local comedy clubs while continuing to work full-time as a graphic designer. Over the years, Tice has become a fixture at Comedy Works; he's known for his upbeat, energetic style and has opened for such comics as Demitri Martin and Nate Bargatze across the country, as well as at major festivals including SF Sketchfest and the High Plains Comedy Festival.

Tice is also a regular host for other comics, including his friend Adam Cayton Holland's Twenty Years in Comedy Show on April 25 and Comedy Central's South Park 25th Anniversary Tailgate in August 2022. He has also appeared on Adult Swim, contributed to UFC Fight Pass's The Nosebleed, and even wrote and illustrated a children's book, The Eleven Evelyns, for his daughter.

"The comedy has been fantastic, but I am also grateful for the relationships I have formed along the way throughout my career," Tice says. "There are a lot of mean jackasses in this industry, so finding people willing to help, like the Sklar Brothers and Josh Blue, is the best."

One of those friends, David Rodriguez, a comedian and owner of the Comedy Fort, was instrumental in Tice's first steps toward recording his debut album. Last November, in their NBA group chat, Tice mentioned that he wanted to record his material to force himself to write new jokes.

"David immediately hit me back and goes, ‘Well, how about this date I have open at the Comedy Fort?'" Tice recalls. "It was a nice nudge. It’s rare for his club to have an open Saturday night, so we did two shows on January 13, both of which sold out, which is a testament to how awesome the club is, because I don't have a huge fan base in Fort Collins; it just shows how great that club is. It was also during that super cold snap; it was negative ten, but everyone still came out."

Shows were recorded by Nick Holmby of Dude, IDK Studios, and Tice will release a video special on YouTube on the same day his album is released. The album offers a window into the comedian's life, with tracks such as "My Favorite Lullaby," "What Is Love?" and "Identifying Venomous Snakes" resonating deeply with anyone navigating the chaos and comedy of everyday life.

As for what Tice hopes will happen following the release of Jokes With a G, he says his "expectations are low," as he is "realistic" about the way the entertainment industry works. He hopes the album will serve as an “awareness campaign” for his comedy, inviting more people to enjoy his take on life’s absurdities. With his daughter now a central part of his world, Tice’s material is evolving, reflecting deeper personal insights and a renewed sense of purpose.

"Am I going to get a Netflix special because of this? No, but hopefully I will get a few more people to come to shows," he says. "I am glad that if someone stumbles upon my work, they get to see the best side of me. It looks beautiful. We invested real time and energy in it. After this album release, I want to go a little bit more personal and autobiographical. Since my daughter was born two years ago, I am a different person, so I'm excited to write new material that is closer to where I am now." 

Jokes With a G, May 17. Learn more at geofftice.com.