Sam Morril is a comedy Class Act
October 22, 2015 Will Fortune Albums, Features, Television
Those familiar with stand-up know that New York City exports a distinct style of comedy. Perhaps it’s the looming city landscape or comedic tradition of the city, but comedian’s who come up in The Big Apple tend to be self-referential, dark, and remarkably honest. Rising comic Sam Morril captures the essence of the cities storied tradition of humor with a unique voice that is sure to have a broad national appeal. His stand-up frequently takes listeners to dark places without coming off as distasteful. Incorporating elements of self-depreciation and personal experience, he maintains a style of comedy that is honest and enlightening. As one of the hardest working comedians in the business, he is beginning to gain national attention. His debut album and special come out this weekend. Keeping with The Laugh Button’s tradition of highlighting new talent, let’s check out the career of Sam Morril thus far.
As mentioned before, Morril is very diligent, performing throughout New York City on a nightly basis. He frequently appears at The Comedy Cellar. In 2011, he won The Laughing Skull Comedy Festival in Atlanta and was named one of Comedy Central’s “Comics to Watch.” He has brought his act to television two times with spots on Conan. Outside of performing stand-up, he’s a regular on Red Eye and has appeared on Last Comic Standing, @midnight, and Inside Amy Schumer. Now, let’s take a look at his new releases.
Morril’s debut Comedy Central album, Class Act, will be released this Friday. It was recorded at The Village Underground in New York City. For those unfamiliar with the comedian, he incorporates a set up, punch line structure in a way that is fresh not hackneyed. Typical of Morril, Class Act touches on sensitive issues, but any controversial jokes are rooted in irony. There are also a lot of self-depreciating witticisms that are proof of how honest an artform stand-up can be. He explores topics like the application process for Al-Qaeda and ponders the possibility of God being gay. He even finds some hilarious similarities between comedians and terrorists. Some jokes are oddly relatable such as one bit where he states that he would rather lose a loved one than his phone. Morril reckons with his past with jokes like:
“I look exactly like my biological father so I showed my friend a picture, and he said, ‘wow, it’s like you guys were separated at birth.’ I said, ‘we were.'”
The album is sure to make a significant splash, so be sure to check it out on Spotify, iTunes, and Amazon this Friday. His episode of The Half Hour premieres on Comedy Central the next day and is likely to be just as funny.
