Who the heck is Ace Armstrong?

Ace Armstrong is a comedian, actor, musician, and radio personality based in Michigan. Ace started performing on the radio while still in high school, and continued to perform on-air until 2000 (with occasional guest appearances since). In the early 1990s, he began working as a comedian and actor, which led to directing and writing for the theatre.

Ace began incorporating music into his comedy sets early on. However, not all of the songs he wrote could fit into a stand-up comedy set, and many of his songs were simply not comedy songs; they were mainstream rock/pop/whatever ”serious” songs. As a result, when he released his first album in 2025, it was a double album called Funny/Not Funny. It consists of a collection of comedy songs (on Funny) and more mainstream, non-comedy songs (on Not Funny), cleverly labeled so people can tell which songs are which.

Why do I care who Ace Armstrong is?

You probably don’t. But whatever.

I’m confused. Is Ace Armstrong a comedian, or an actor, or a musician?

Yes.

What types of performances does Ace Armstrong offer?

Currently, his only live performances are stand-up comedy shows.

Can I go see him in concert for his music?

Currently, his only live performances are stand-up comedy shows.

Can I go see him performing as a dancer?

Yes. That is why we already said repeatedly that “currently, his only live performances are stand-up comedy shows.” So clearly, you can see him doing other kinds of art other than stand-up comedy live because words obviously mean nothing to you. (Also: Ace can’t dance. Watching him try is really more sad than funny.)

That’s ridiculous! He recorded two albums! Why isn’t he performing his music live?

Currently, Ace does not have a backing band; he played all of the instruments on his albums, and it would be really difficult for him to play them all at the same time for a live show. He is an independent artist and can not afford to hire a band and teach them all the songs just for a one-off gig or two. Now, if someone wants to pay him enough money to do so, then he would happily explore the idea!

What instruments does he play?

Primarily, Ace is a vocalist and songwriter. His main instruments are keyboards and electric ukulele (including his comedy touring partner “Hatchet”), and he performs using both during his stand-up sets. He also plays bass, a smattering of guitar, and a little bit of drums. And the stereo. He is very good at playing the stereo.

Does Ace perform parody songs, like “Weird Al” Yankovic?

No. Outside of an occasional parody of Christmas songs during live comedy shows, all of Ace’s music is original. (And, as any fan of “Weird Al” Yankovic knows, not everything Al records is a parody. In fact, some of Al’s best songs are his original comedy songs.)

Is Ace going to record a stand-up comedy album or special?

Definitely maybe. There is a very strong possibility that one or both or none of those things will happen in the future. Or not.

How did Ace get to be so handsome and witty and charming?

Now you’re just sucking up. Ace definitely approves.

Who are his musical influences?

There are probably more than he can count, which is honestly probably not a very high number; Ace is terrible at math.

Comedy music influences include “Weird Al” Yankovic, Stan Freberg, Spike Jones, and Steve Martin.

Non-comedy music influences include Barenaked Ladies, Chuck Berry, Huey Lewis, The Sex Pistols, Brian Setzer, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Pearl Jam, The Wallflowers, Matt Catingub, Matchbox 20, Harry Connick, Jr., Muddy Waters, and on and on and on. (And on.)

Who are Ace’s comedy influences?

Ace draws a lot of his comedy influences from the golden age of stand-up comedy in the 1980s: people like David Letterman, Gary Shandling, Bobcat Goldthwait (with whom Ace has had the great fortune to perform), Steve Martin, and Paul Reiser.

Is Ace the same in real life as he is on stage?

No. In real life, he is a short, elderly Asian woman.

What genre is Ace’s music?

His comedy songs include many genres: piano ballads, pop, rock, country, and whatever else seems to fit the humor of the song. His non-comedy songs also fall into a variety of genres, including jazz/swing (“She Blows My Mind“), pop (“Our Souls Conspire“), and ballads (“Miss Tina“), but most of his songs (like “Walking Away from Me“, “