Joe Sib

After years of dealing with rowdy audiences as the frontman with a punk rock band, Joe Sib had the ideal training for his second career as a standup comic, knowing all too well what to do when hecklers give him a hard time. A native Californian, Joe Sib (born Joseph Subbiondo) grew up ransacking his parents' record collection, which exposed him to plenty of classic rock as well as the standup work of George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Steve Martin. After discovering the Ramones, the Clash, and the Sex Pistols, Sib became a passionate punk rock fan, and formed his first band of note, Front Line, in the mid-'80s. In 1991, Sib became the lead singer with the group Wax, who scored a major-label deal with Interscope Records, releasing the album 13 Unlucky Numbers in 1995. The album spawned the single "California," which earned Wax MTV airplay for the song's striking music video, directed by Spike Jonze. As Wax were supporting their major-label debut, Sib and his friend Bill Armstrong showed their support for smaller labels by launching Side One Dummy Records, an independent imprint devoted to up and coming bands. By 1996, Wax had broken up, and Sib almost immediately formed a new band, 22 Jacks, with guitarist Steve Soto of the Adolescents, Legal Weapon, and Agent Orange. 22 Jacks recorded and toured until 2001, and then reunited in 2007. In 2010, combining his interest in punk rock and comedy, Sib put together one-man "broken word" show, California Calling, in which he shared stories from his experiences as part of the California punk rock scene. The show earned enthusiastic reviews, and after taking the California Calling show around the country, Sib decided to become a comic. In 2015, Sib released a comedy album, Don't Call Me Dude, Bro, and a second album, Nowhere Near the Top, followed in 2017.
© Mark Deming /TiVo