ANNOUNCING JEFF SIMMERMON'S NEW COMEDY ALBUM 'WHY YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY'
OUT MAY 5th ON 800 POUND GORILLA RECORDS
Download image Album art: Jeff Simmermon *Advance album streams available by request* Watch Jeff on the Moth Grand Slam here: https://youtu.be/NOl8WZS3Aoc
On May 5th, 800 Pound Gorilla Records will release Jeff Simmermon's second comedy album Why You Should Be Happy, a collection of stories and jokes from someone who has been where we all are as we make our way through this global crisis. You may have seen Jeff perform on PBS' Stories from the Stage or heard him tell stories on This American Life, The Moth Radio Hour and RISK! For most of America and the world, "normal" life as we knew it changed in a very short period of time, leaving us reeling. Jeff has experienced this twice before. In 2009, he learned he had testicular cancer and that he needed emergency surgery within 24 hours. In 2014, two weeks after his first marriage anniversary, he learned that his marriage was over and was living alone within 6 days. Jeff is in a unique position to give advice on healing trauma, as only he can express it. He also expounds on topics such as his love for southern food, hatred of racism and hypocrisy, body dysmorphia, mixed martial arts, divorce, authenticiy, shame and general mid-life exhaustion. According to Simmermon, “you can’t have love without frustration.” Why You Should Be Happy shows his love and frustration and struggles to cope with a uniquely intimate fury that’s fun, funny and relatable as hell. Jeff on his hopes, dreams and inspirations for Why You Should Be Happy: "We're living in a time where everything around us has been stripped away from us SO fast and now we're just huddled in a corner trying to get back to normal. We're all actively traumatized by this, and even though it's happening to all of us, it makes us feel so alone. Even if we're lucky enough not to be grieving for a loved one, we're grieving for our lives that are gone. I lost a testicle to cancer, and 24 hours after my second opinion I was thrown into a world where I had no idea what my hormones would be like, who I was or what a man was supposed to be like. Two weeks after my first wedding anniversary, my wife announced that she was leaving me and within six days, I lived alone. Both times, I had to take a long look at the rhythms of my life and what I thought was normal - and I realized that what I thought was working for me actually wasn't, and hadn't been for a long time. I was just carried along by a sort of inertia, and what I missed so badly was stuff that hadn't been serving me for a long time. We're discovering that the habits we had are all gone, swept away overnight by this tiny virus - and a lot of the things we did and the ways we did them actually hadn't been working for us for a very long time. What I discovered is that sometimes something comes along and burns everything you think you know away completely, and there's no way to guard against it. Something happens like that, and it can feel like there's nothing left. But whatever is left is who you really are." Also, I love the South and Southern food and I hate hypocrisy and BS so much, and it's fun to just let loose on some stuff I think is ridiculous and be silly. I hope this album is a balance of funny, emotional stories and shorter, more ridiculous jokes. And if this can help some people that are feeling bad feel better for a while, that would make the three years of work I put into every syllable of this record feel very, very good." Why You Should Be Happy track listing 1. Let's Get Into the Prepared Material 2. Faith in Robocop 3. Two Flags 4. 'Tis the Season 5. A Couple Guys from Virginia Letting Off Steam 6. Eat, Pray, Love Testosterone 7. Bringing Shame Back 8. Broccoli Salad is Destroying the Inner City 9. Handsome Biscuit Does Fried Chicken Right 10. Woke Coke 11. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 12. Dead Cat Gosling 13. Why You Should Be Happy 14. Good Job Song Recorded on November 16th, 2019 at The Nest (under Bluebird) in Brooklyn, New York Produced by Jeff Simmermon and Tyler Whitlatch Mixed and mastered by Tyler Whitlatch ABOUT JEFF SIMMERMON:
download high-res photo photo credit: David L. Byrd Jeff Simmermon is a storyteller and standup comic whose stories have appeared on Risk!, This American Life, The Moth's podcast, PBS' "Stories From the Stage" and in written form on The Paris Review Daily. His album And I Am Not Lying was released in June of 2017 and reached #1 on the iTunes comedy charts. It was pressed onto pink vinyl and is distributed by Dischord Records. He's also the producer/performer behind 'And I Am Not Lying,' a variety show that combined stand-up, storytelling, burlesque, sideshow and music for 5 years at UCB Theater in NYC. He taught storytelling to businesses, educational institutions and performers until the collapse. www.jeffsimmermon.com ABOUT 800 POUND GORILLA RECORDS: 800 Pound Gorilla Records was founded in 2016 with a clear vision for helping comedians reach new career levels. The name may have started as a joke, but it’s become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Even amid the current boom, most comedy record labels utilize an outdated approach. We take pride in forward-thinking strategies combining sophisticated digital marketing strategies with traditional PR, satellite and online radio play, multiplatform distribution, and analytic optimization. The result? Quality comedy albums that enjoy the maximum potential exposure, revenue potential, and audience growth. Building a great stand-up set takes time, hard work, and unwavering determination. When comedians put an album into the world, they deserve a label that meets even their most unanticipated needs. A well-executed release doesn’t boil down to sales numbers alone. It converts new fans, increases ticket volume, and expands a performer’s brand far beyond the parameters of a stand-up stage. Standing out from an array of comedy options is only the beginning. The modern media landscape requires cultivating attention across all sectors of the entertainment industry. With unparalleled tools, digital resources, and cutting-edge experience, 800 Pound Gorilla Records ensures albums don’t just make a big impact…they expand the power of comedy as a whole. www.800poundgorillarecords.com www.twitter.com/800lbRecords www.instagram.com/800poundgorillarecords www.facebook.com/800poundgorillarecords For all media requests, please contact Heidi Vanderlee - hv@sharkpartymedia.com