If one of your resolutions is to laugh more this year, you have plenty of opportunities to hit the ground running in 2014. There's a wide variety of talent on stage, and some variety in prices, too. Here are this week's options to catch a free show or see an established, touring veteran this weekend.
Comedy Clubs
* Hannibal Buress at Tampa Improv. Buress is sharp, witty and casual, using his writing chops honed on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock into a tight stand-up comedy set. He talks about things you think you know, until you realize you've never thought about them quite that way before. The Thursday and late Sunday show will be a comedy hypnosis show with Gary Conrad. Conrad's style is calm but deliberate as he takes audience members and transforms them into the evening's entertainment. Volunteers will be doing and saying things they never planned, with Sunday's R-rated show getting just a little bit more racy.
Showtimes are Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. 1600 E. Eighth Ave., Tampa. Info: improvtampa.com or 813-864-4000.
* Carl LaBove at Side Splitters. LaBove stays in town after his New Year's Eve duties to entertain audiences throughout the weekend. Expect witty story-telling from the comedy vet, whose work and friendship with the late Sam Kinison made him an original member of the "Outlaws of Comedy."
Showtimes are Friday at 8 p.m. and 10:15 p.m., Saturday at 6 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. 12938 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa. Info: sidesplitterscomedy.com or 813-960-1197.
* Travis Howze at Snappers Grill & Comedy Club. How funny is a Marine, or a firefighter or a police officer? Pretty funny, actually: Howze has been all of those things, and brings some of that that career experience to the stage. His unique perspectives might come from a diverse career history, but the delivery and punchlines are all straight-up comedy.
Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. 36657 U.S. Highway 19 N., Palm Harbor. Info: snappersgrill.com or 727-938-2027.
* Steve Baird at Jack's Joint. Baird's wit is apparent from his first joke, as the local comedian uses his 25+ years of stage experience to give sarcastic commentary on everyday life situations. Baird's a skeptic — a thinking skeptic —so there should be plenty of laughs, but no sunshine and rainbows.
Showtime is Saturday at 8:30 p.m. 2950 Gulf To Bay Blvd., Clearwater. Info: tampabaycomedy.com or 727-741-8014.
One-nighters and Independent Shows
* Catherine Maloney at 1933 (free show). Maloney once won a "Biggest Jerk" contest, and the local comedian occasionally lives up to that title on stage. But she's usually interacting with audiences while sharing her skewed views of money, parenting and dating — and not in a family-friendly way.
Showtime is Saturday at 9 p.m. 2245 Nursery Road. Info: 727-532-1972.
This article appears in Jan 1-8, 2014.