SIBLING REVELRY

impulse is often to be gracious and gentle. But we’re all very comfortable together, so sometimes we’ll give each other a hard time and people in the comments will think there’s serious tension.”

That family dynamic will be in full fidelity for Front Range comedy fans when McElroy and his brothers return for a live taping of My Brother, My Brother and Me at the Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre inside the Denver Performing Arts Center on Saturday, April 29. But the brothers’ path to performing their oddball brand of improv comedy in big-time spaces like the Buell — ranked among the country’s highest-grossing theaters with fewer than 5,000 seats — wasn’t without its hurdles. Initially acting as their own booking agent, the siblings had to carve their path to such hallowed stages at a time when a live model for podcasting didn’t really exist.

Travis McElroy never thought shooting the shit with his two brothers would be a major part of his full-time job. But since the sibling trio launched their beloved My Brother, My Brother and Me comedy advice podcast more than a decade ago, the 38-year-old West Virginia native has made a career doing just that.

“The beginning of the show was us moving away from each other across the country. We weren’t even hanging out in person anymore,” McElroy says of the podcast’s early days in 2010. “So the thought never even crossed my mind. But there were milestones along the way, when it started to feel like a thing.”

Major among those milestones was signing to the Maximum Fun network a year after the show’s launch. The media platform founded by podcasting trailblazer and NPR host Jesse Thorn

(Bullseye, Jordan Jesse GO!, Judge John Hodgman) helped McElroy and his brothers make inroads with a bigger audience and expand the possibilities of what My Brother, My Brother and Me could be.

“People started wanting to schedule meetings with us about what a live show would look like. Then we signed with an agent, and I quit my job [as technical director at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company] in 2014,” McElroy says. “That’s when it really clicked for me. It was like, ‘Well, I’m going to throw my hat over the fence. This is what I’m doing full time.’”

Now regularly staking out prime real estate in top podcast rankings, the brothers’ funny and foul-mouthed, Dear Abby-style comedy hour — dubbed “an advice show for the modern era” — has since developed a deep and devoted fan base. When the show was adapted as a live-action TV series through NBCUniversal’s shortlived comedy streaming channel Seeso in 2016, it premiered as the No. 1 television show for sale on iTunes.

Family Matters

But the McElroy family affair doesn’t end with brotherly advice. Travis and his siblings Griffin and Justin also host The Adventure Zone fantasy-adventure podcast with their dad, Clint, built around elaborate family-run campaigns of the tabletop roleplaying board game Dungeons & Dragons. In addition to that runaway hit, whose graphic novel adaptation landed at the top of the New York Times bestseller list in 2018, Travis also hosts the polite-society send-up Schmanners with his wife Teresa. But the closeness of this rollicking family enterprise is most clearly expressed in the signature sign-off ending each episode of the brothers’ flagship show: “Kiss your dad square on the lips.”

“When you think about family bands or whatever, you always think they secretly hated each other,” McElroy says. “But for us, I think it’s sometimes the other way around. Our

“In the beginning, it was absolutely thrilling — but also, looking back, we did it so wrong,” McElroy recalls. “One time we rented a sort of barnslash-theater in Austin, and when we showed up, a lady just handed us the keys and was like, ‘Lock up when you’re done!’ There was no one there to do anything, so our friends ran lights and our wives took tickets.”

For McElroy, the upcoming Denver show is an extension of the long arc that took My Brother, My Brother and Me from a low-stakes family goofaround to one of the most successful comedy podcasts in the history of the medium. Mostly, though, it’s a chance to do what the trio does best: craft live improv comedy around listener questions and quandaries, and bring more folks into the fold.

“I think people have fun at our shows. And it’s not like there’s a lot of lore. There’s not a lot of inside jokes, because we never remember them,” he says with a laugh. “You don’t need to know anything about us to have a good time.”

ON THE BILL: My Brother, My Brother and Me. 7 p.m. Saturday, April 29, Buell Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1350 Curtis St. $43

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COMFY COUCH PERFORMANCE CIRCLE

6-8:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, Longmont Public Media, 457 Fourth Ave., Longmont. Free

Cozy up at Longmont Public Media on Friday for an evening of acoustic music and storytelling. This free BYOB event at the public-access studios takes place in the round, so artists can take turns sharing the spotlight. Watch onsite (registration required) or online at longmontpublicmedia.org

27-29

UNDERGROUND COMEDY SHOWCASE

6-7 p.m. Friday, April 28, License No. 1, 2115 13th St., Boulder. $25

Need a good laugh? Drop by the Underground Comedy Showcase at License No. 1 for a hilarious long weekend of stand-up. Bust a gut with a drink in your hand during rip-roaring sets by local comedians — including Joshua Emerson, profiled in last week’s issue of Boulder Weekly. Read the story at bit.ly/ EmersonBW before the show.

28-30

TETHERED: EARTH TO SKY/ HUMAN TO HUMAN

7:30-9 p.m. Fri-Sat, April 28-29 and 2-3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 30, Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder. $24

Join Frequent Flyers aerial dance company for a high-flying afternoon of dazzling movement. This breathtaking show written and performed by Brice Maiurro combines contemporary dance and spoken word with live violin music performed by Robyn Julyan.

28

THE GOAT EXPERIENCE: CHEVRE CHEESE MAKING AND GOAT FARM TOUR

1-3 p.m. The Art of Cheese, 505 Weaver Park Road, Suite E, Longmont. $65

Learn the basic science of how milk becomes cheese and then see how easy it is to make Chevre — the classic soft goat cheese. Taste some delicious samples and then make your own custom-flavored log of cheese to take home. After cheesemaking class, take a tour of the farm and meet the goats who provided the milk for your cheese.

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D A Del Ni O 2023

11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 29, BMoCA, 1750 13th St., Boulder. Free

We love our little ones here in Boulder County. That’s why BMoCA is celebrating all children at Día del Niño (Children’s Day), a family-fun blowout including art-making activities, live dance, musical performances and more. Grab the kiddos and head to the city’s flagship contemporary arts institution for a day that’s all about them.

29-30

BLUEBIRD MUSIC FESTIVAL

2-4 p.m. and 6:30-10 p.m. Sat.-Sun., April 29-30, Macky Auditorium, 1595 Pleasant St., Boulder.

$39-$59

The Bluebird Music Festival is back in the historic Macky Auditorium this weekend, featuring headliners Ben Harper, Watchouse and Shovels & Rope. The festival includes an afternoon Strings & Stories event each day, where performers play a few songs accompanied by storytelling, followed by the main event in the evenings. All-weekend passes are sold out, but you can still snag tickets for afternoon and evening events, both days.

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The Front Range Kids Film Festival

7-9 p.m. Saturday, April 29, The Arts HUB, 420 Courtney Way, Lafayette. $15

The world through a child’s eyes is a beautiful thing. That’s why The Arts HUB welcomes you to check out visual works by both children and adults who “share in this spirit of innocent creativity” at this weekend’s Front Range Kid’s Film Festival — featuring food vendors, activities, photographs, films and more.

29-30

FIREFLY HANDMADE SPRING MARKET

10 a.m.-5 p.m. 1000 block of South Gaylord Street, Wash Park, Denver. Free

Handmade is always better — even if you have to go to Denver to find it. Stop by the Firefly Handmade Spring Market to peruse goods from more than 80 artisans offering a selection of handcrafted wares including ceramics, jewelry, apparel, accessories, home goods, decor and more. Bring the kids and the dogs to shop, grab a bite to eat at one of your favorite restaurants on Gaylord Street, and enjoy music from the Daniella Katzir Band, The Dollhouse Thieves, Many Mountains and Sturz. If you can’t make this market in Denver, never fear: Firefly will host its fall market in Boulder Sept. 22-24 on Pearl Street Mall. 30

POLISH FOLK DANCE GALA

3-5 p.m. Sunday, April 30, Broomfield Auditorium, 3 Community Park Road, Broomfield. $25

Lively and full of joy, Polish folk dance is synonymous with festivity. Lucky for you, Krakowiacy is taking their talents to Broomfield Auditorium on Sunday for a live showcase of this energetic, traditional form of movement.

PLAYBACK THEATRE: WE ARE OUR STORIES

6 p.m. Sunday, April 30, Boulder Jewish Community Center, 6007 Oreg Ave. $25

For 50 years, Playback Theatre has operated with the knowledge that everyone has a story worth sharing. On Sunday, trained actors and musicians want to bring your story to life as audience members share life experiences and performers reenact them on the spot.

1

LES COMMUNITY NIGHTPINBALL & SILENT DISCO

5-8 p.m. Monday, May 1, The Louisville Underground, 640 Main St. $10

Head down to Louisville’s Main Street for a family-friendly evening of fun featuring silent disco with pinball, arcade games and more. Hosted at Tilt Pinball and The Louisville Underground, this is a great opportunity to add a little fun to your Monday night.

JUST DESSERTS: HAZEL MILLER SINGS HER FAVORITE THINGS

2-3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 30, Boulder Public Library - Canyon Theater, 1001 Arapahoe Ave. Free

Ever wonder about the music that inspired Colorado music legend Hazel Miller? She joins Cultural Caravan on Sunday for a performance around the jazz classics that first lit a spark in her — many of which she rarely performs live. You don’t want to miss this one, so register now for this free after-

1LANGUAGE EXCHANGE NIGHT

7-9 p.m. Monday, May 1, Trident Cafe, 940 Pearl St., Boulder. Free

Trident Booksellers and Cafe welcomes you to this once-weekly gathering to polish up on whatever language you’re learning in a warm, comfortable environment. Trident hosts a number of fluent speakers for you to practice with. All proficiency levels are welcome.