The gang at Loser City has been covering Austin’s Moontower Comedy Festival since before Loser City even existed. So of course we’re excited to be back this year and while the festival technically started yesterday with Ron White’s Texas Toasted event, the festival in full begins today and we’re here to help you pick what to see. We’ve made 8 selections, and understandably you’re probably wondering “Why 8?!” Well, we already know you’re going to see Maria Bamford and Patton Oswalt, the two chief headliners this year outside of Ron White, so we’ve focused on the 8 remaining holes in your schedule with a look at some legends, some reigning favorites and some newcomers.

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Dr. Katz Live

Before Marc Maron was working out psychological issues through his podcast guests, Comedy Central had Dr Katz: Professional Therapist, a brilliantly simple animated show that had the titular Katz speaking to a number of guest comedians, all brought to glorious life by its “squigglevision” animation. It looked cheap as shit, but that was part of the charm, allowing the show to look as loose as its conversations felt. The gimmick of the therapist couch allowed the comedians to riff on their own neuroses and obsessions, making their “acts” more personal than a traditional stand up routine. Though it’s maybe not as big of a “get” as last year’s Kids in the Hall reunion, Moontower presenting Dr. Katz Live is nonetheless one of the prime “don’t miss” events at the festival, particularly since Katz will be analyzing a great line-up of comedians including Maria Bamford, Emo Philips, Dom Irrera and more.

Dr. Katz Live takes place Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Paramount and Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Stateside

Emo Philips

Pioneering anti-comedy star Emo Philips is going to be at a number of Moontower events this year, but if we had to pick only one, we’d suggest you catch his Thursday Stars in Bars set at Speakeasy, which will be hosted by the Sklar Brothers and also feature SNL’s Sasheer Zamata. Philips’ style is utterly singular, with the comedian contorting himself into odd posture positions as he also contorts his language, resulting in paraprosdokian phrases like “I like going to the park and watching the children run around because they don’t know I’m using blanks.” Philips’ best asset, though, might be his lilting voice, which moves around from a low rumble to a falsetto in time to the beats of his jokes, each word overly enunciated. There aren’t very many comedians left out there that can match Philips’ weirdness, and while he’s not for everyone, those who get him know he is without peer.

Emo Phillips’ Stars in Bars set is on Thursday at Speakeasy at 10:30 but check his Moontower page for his other performances.

Todd Barry

As one of those comedians who tends to pop up in a lot of places in small parts, Todd Barry tends to go underappreciated. Known for his dry wit and laid back charm, it’s actually Barry’s capacity for crowd work that makes him one of the easiest recommendations at Moontower, in my opinion. Barry isn’t a comedian who simply performs the same set in an identical format at every show (which you’ll swiftly realize is a major issue with some comedians the more Moontower showcases you go to), he has a knack for bringing the crowd in on his sets, finding the humor in real life absurdities, like the band name and show experience of the audience member he tortures in the clip above. Who knows, maybe you’ll even end up with a guest appearance in the next Todd Barry documentary this year.

Todd Barry performs on Thursday at 8:15 at the Parish and on Saturday at 11:30 at the Stateside

Four Eyes with Judah Friedlander

One of the most oddly assembled showcases at Moontower each year are the “Four Eyes” events, which simply bring together comedians wearing glasses. Though there’s no real reason for these showcases to gel, they’re usually one of the better Moontower series, with past years featuring excellent sets by the likes of Moshe Kasher. This year, 30 Rock alum Judah Friedlander is hosting, and he’s brought along returning vet Andy Kindler, @midnight regular Blaine Capatch, local boy Matt Bearden and more. We’re especially excited for Emily Heller, though, who made a splash last year and has continued to get better since then, as her appearance on Conan and its bit about cat sex tapes proves.

Four Eyes with Judah Friedlander is Friday at 8:30 pm at Vulcan Gas Company.

TJ Miller and Pete Holmes

Friday’s midnight headliner set is an impressive combo of Silicon Valley’s TJ Miller and Pete Holmes. Miller’s shows are about what you’d expect, loud and rambunctious and frenzied. But Holmes is the real star of this double headliner, an artist of stand-up with impeccable timing and a master of rubbery facial expressions that push his punchlines over the edge. Pete Holmes’ tv show might be off the air now, but the stage has always been his real home. His Conan clip above offers a preview of the way he uses his body to bring out the jokes as much as his actual words, but even that pales in comparison to seeing the “lesbian Val Kilmer,” as he calls himself, in the flesh.

TJ Miller and Pete Holmes perform on Friday at midnight at the Paramount.

John Mulaney

A returning Moontower star, John Mulaney comes back to Austin as a much bigger deal than the first time I saw him. Back then, Mulaney was a well-regarded SNL writer, but now he’s got another stand up special under his belt and a sitcom, albeit a sitcom that got cancelled earlier this year. Still, the times I’ve seen Mulaney live have been memorably off the cuff, with his first Moontower appearance featuring him going off script to talk about the Friday Night Lights tour he gave himself the instant he got to Texas and ranting about our local grackles trying to steal his Torchy’s tacos. I couldn’t make it through a single episode of Mulaney, but I’ve never regretted seeing Mulaney perform live.

John Mulaney performs on Saturday at 7:00 pm at the Paramount and again at 9:30.

Supershow!

Saturday’s Supershow! line-up at the Google Fiber Stage is a fantastic one for catching up and comers in comedy, ranging from Austinites Brendon Walsh and Chris Cubas, who is fresh off a hit @midnight appearance, to the Daily Show’s Jena Friedman. Cubas is undoubtedly going to be a comedian to watch at Moontower this year as he’s riding high on the attention his @midnight spot earned him, but Friedman might be a stealthier Moontower breakout, as her stand-up skews significantly darker than what you might expect from the Daily Show. Just hit play on the clip above and hear her thoughts on how easy it is to kidnap toddlers whose names are on their backpacks to see what we mean.

Supershow! is on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. at the Google Fiber Stage

Bridget Everett

Last year, I didn’t know what the fuck to think of Bridget Everett. As much performance art as comedy, Everett uses every inch of her body in her set, combining a fearless take on brassy sexuality with musical numbers and buckets of sweat. I went into her performance last year knowing nothing about her or what to expect, so it might be hard for Everett to top that this year, but her show has lingered with me ever since and that’s almost certainly exactly what she’s hoping for. Regardless of any confusion over what you’re meant to laugh at during Everett’s shows, what is certain is that it’s impossible not to be entertained, and she might just be the most unique performer at Moontower now that Puddles the Clown is MIA.

The Bridget Everett show is Saturday at 10:30 p.m. at the Google Fiber Stage.

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Morgan Davis sells bootleg queso on the streets of Austin in order to fund Loser City. When he isn’t doing that, he plays drums for Denise and gets complimented and/or threatened by Austin’s musical community for stuff he writes at Ovrld, which he is the Managing Editor of.