Chris Knutson Explained

Chris Knutson
Occupation:Stand-up comedian
Known For:Valley Meadows
Years Active:2006-present

Chris Knutson is an American stand-up comedian from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is known for his work as half of the comedy-rap duo Valley Meadows. Patrick Strait of City Pages said that "Knutson has established himself as one of the most consistently funny performers" in the Midwest.[1]

Knutson has released three albums on Stand Up! Records, most recently 2021's Rewound.

Career

Knutson began performing improv comedy in 2006,[2] [3] and stand-up in 2009.[4] He won Acme Comedy Company's "Funniest Person in the Twin Cities" contest in 2010.[5] [6] [7] His comedy style is sometimes experimental, veering away from traditional first-person stand-up to blend in sketchwork or perform as a character, often one who does not realize he is bad at stand-up.[8] He has toured nationally[9] [10] [11] and performed at comedy festivals including 10,000 Laughs[12] [13] and Gilda's LaughFest.[14] Vincent Terrace, reviewing the series in his book Internet Comedy Television Series, 1997-2015, felt that "the characterizations are a bit rough" but called the series "an interesting idea about two friends just trying to get by."

Knutson formed Valley Meadows in 2008 with Zach Coulter.[12] The duo perform in character as substitute teacher Gary Shinchenshenzenski and MC Tom Johnson,[15] [16] who try to become rap stars in a foolish attempt to earn respect, with songs about unlikely topics such as ice cream, karate, and Paul Reiser.[17] The duo also starred in an online video series, Valley Meadows, in 2014, which Knutson wrote.[18] The syndicated newspaper column In Focus praised the series as "capable of going anywhere".[19] [20] [21] [22] The webseries was nominated for four awards at the 2015 Los Angeles Web Series Festival: Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Lead Actor (for Knutson), and Outstanding Guest Actor (for Dan Susmilch).[23] [24] In 2012, laughspin.com nominated Valley Meadows for its Readers Choice Award for Best Musical Comedy Act.[25] [4] Vincent Terrace, reviewing the series in his book Internet Comedy Television Series, 1997-2015, felt that "the characterizations are a bit rough" but called the series "an interesting idea about two friends just trying to get by."[18]

Knutson was also a founding member of sketch comedy group The Turkeys.[26] [2] [27]

Knutson and his wife had a son in 2014, and fatherhood quickly become a main topic of his comedy.[28] A stop-motion video Knutson made of his son's teddy bear meeting the baby for the first time went viral, receiving more than 2 million views on YouTube[4] and national coverage on ABC News,[29] the Associated Press, and other news media.[30] Another video series, Baby Cop, followed in 2014–15.[31]

Albums

Knutson has released three albums on Stand Up! Records. His solo stand-up album Rewound was recorded at Sisyphus Brewing in Minneapolis in 2015[1] [32] and released in 2021. Valley Meadows released a self-titled album in 2012.[15] Jake Austen of Roctober magazine called it "white-guy rap absurdity [that's] amusing even if the form is flawed."[33] Knutson was also part of the Stand Up!-released group album Nerd Alert!, a compilation of Minnesota comics riffing on science fiction and other geek-friendly topics.[34] Austen called Nerd Alert! "a product of [Minneapolis'] impressive comedy scene [that] is something that town can be very proud of."[33]

Discography

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Strait . Patrick . September 23, 2015 . Standup Chris Knutson records debut album at Sisyphus Brewing this Saturday . . . 2021-04-14 .
  2. Web site: About . Chris Knutson . 2021-04-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140703042844/http://www.chrisknutsoncomedy.com/about.html . 2014-07-03.
  3. Dirty Bomb Shop Episode 3) Chris Knutson . Internet Archive . Corey Adam, Tom Colvin . 2012-08-09 . 2021-04-14 .
  4. News: Mehta . Raghav . March 19, 2015 . Comedians on Comedians: Chris Knutson . . . 2021-04-14 .
  5. News: Zoss . Jeremy. Bizz Buzz: Comedy Corner Underground launches monthly triple feature program . The Journal . . 2021-04-14 .
  6. News: Tenseth . Terese . 2013-10-09 . The Live Feed Presents: The Comedy of Chris Knutson and Isaac Witty . AMPERS (KQAL-FM) . . 2021-04-14 .
  7. News: Tenseth . Terese . 2013-10-09 . The Live Feed Presents: The Comedy of Chris Knutson and Isaac Witty . . . 2021-04-14 .
  8. What’s So Funny? – With Chris Knutson . Mn Artists (Walker Art Center) . Levi Weinhagen . 2015-04-30 . 2021-04-14 .
  9. News: 2016-09-08 . Sioux Falls Nightlife: Shaun Latham & Chris Knutson . . . F12 . 2021-04-14 .
  10. News: 2011-03-24 . Sioux Falls Events: Show with Minnesota Comedians . . . 35 . 2021-04-14 .
  11. News: Miller . Diane . 2014-12-23 . Ultimate New Year's Eve Guide: Courtney's Comedy Club . . . 2021-04-14 .
  12. News: Strait . Patrick . October 20, 2014 . Valley Meadows Takes Over the Twin Cities (Comedy) Rap Scene . . . 2021-04-14 .
  13. News: Carlson Gustafson . Amy . 2016-10-11 . Comedy festival organizer picks 3 shows you’ll die laughing over . . . 2021-04-14 .
  14. News: Schulte . Jordan . 2016-03-15 . LaughFest's 'Best of the Midwest' competition to showcase regional comedians . . 2021-04-14 .
  15. News: Miller . Bryan . August 15, 2012 . Valley Meadows CD-release party . . . 2021-04-14 .
  16. News: Strait . Patrick . July 8, 2015 . Jokes that Rock: Local comedy music gets its moment in the spotlight . The Growler . Minneapolis, Minnesota . 2021-04-14 .
  17. News: Strait . Patrick . October 15, 2014 . 5 Must-See Shows at 10,000 Laughs Comedy Festival . . . 2021-04-14 .
  18. Book: Vincent Terrace. Internet Comedy Television Series, 1997-2015. 25 February 2016. McFarland. 978-1-4766-2393-1. 311–.
  19. News: 2016-01-31 . In Focus: Valley Meadows . . . T37 . 2021-04-14 .
  20. News: 2016-01-31 . In Focus: Valley Meadows . . . V12 . 2021-04-14 .
  21. News: 2016-01-30 . In Focus: Valley Meadows . . . D15 . 2021-04-14 .
  22. News: 2016-01-30 . NetPicks: Valley Meadows . . . Z008 . 2021-04-14 .
  23. Web site: L.A> Webfest 2015 Award nominations . Michael Ajakwe . 2020-10-04 . Facebook. 2021-04-14.
  24. Web site: Valley Meadows award nominations at LAWEBFEST . 2014-12-01 . Joe Filipas . 2021-04-14.
  25. Web site: Laughspin Presents: 2012 Readers’ Choice Comedy Awards . Gadino . Dylan P. . 2012-12-03 . Laughspin . 2021-04-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121210125725/http://www.laughspin.com/2012/12/03/laughspin-presents-2012-readers-choice-comedy-awards/ . 2012-12-10.
  26. News: Strait . Patrick . August 12, 2014 . Flock of Turkeys: How a group of Minnesota comedians is taking flight . The Growler . Minneapolis, Minnesota . 2021-04-14 .
  27. News: Armbruster . Jessica . May 29, 2014 . The Turkeys launch new material on My Damn Channel . . . 2021-04-14 .
  28. News: Strait . Patrick . June 16, 2016 . More than just "Dad Jokes": For Twin Cities comedy dads, fatherhood means learning to take things a little less seriously . The Growler . . 2021-04-14 .
  29. News: Kindelan . Katie . June 25, 2014 . Baby Meets Teddy Bear in Adorable Video . ABC News . 2021-04-14 .
  30. News: 2014-06-22 . Minneapolis comedian makes heartwarming video for newborn son . Bring Me the News . Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota . 2021-04-14 .
  31. News: Carlson Gustafson . Amy . January 31, 2015 . Twin Cities baby stars in online series 'Baby Cop' . . . 2021-04-14 .
  32. News: Armenian . Bert . September 25, 2015 . Chris Knutson and Friends Blowout Celebration Recording Grand Opening Party . Secrets of the City . Minneapolis, Minnesota . 2021-04-14 .
  33. News: Jake. Austen. Roctober. Chicago. The Stand Up! Records Listener's Guide. August 2013.
  34. Web site: Various Artists - Nerd Alert! . Discogs . 2021-04-14.

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