Collin Moulton's loose conversational style and natural likeability makes his one of the funniest shows available, and Friday and Saturday, July 18-19, Moulton will headline four shows at the Funny Barn starting tonight.

The Monterey, Calif. native brings new observations and ideas to every topic at a relentless pace. And just when you think it's "Adios," he whips out his guitar and hammers out some originals, like "Gay Gunfighter" and "Scared of the

Vacuum."

Less than two years after getting started, Collin won his first comedy competition (the 2001 Rocky Mountain Laff-Off), and later that year found himself featured on Comedy Central's "Best of the Improv." 2003 proved to be another successful year for the up-and-comer, as he was a "Best in Fest" feature at the renowned Montreal Comedy Festival.

Flash back eight years ago to LA's Laugh Factory -- an aspiring stand-up comic, Moulton waits in line 10 hours for the chance to take the stage for three minutes on his first open mic night. Now fast-forward to June 24, 2007. Collin's still waiting around a comedy venue, but this time he'll get considerably more than three minutes of stage time, opening for the infamous Lewis Black after winning the 4th Annual Northwest Comedy Competition.

Moulton takes the stage for approximately 250 shows a year around the country, including performances at comedy shrines like Caroline's (New York), the Improv (Los Angeles), the Laugh Factory (LA and NY), the Comedy Store (LA), the Punchline (San Francisco), and Ridley's Comedy Castle (Detroit, Mich.).

When not working the country's glitziest rooms on the coasts, Collin leaves no comedy club stone unturned in the nation's heartland, including this week's stop at the Funny Barn in Spirit Lake. One week you might find him working a stretch of one-nighters across Texas and Oklahoma; the next week he could be on a four-night stand in Ohio. Or he could be emceeing (for the third time), Whitey's annual redneck dragqueen show in Burlington.

Moulton has shared the stage with the aforementioned Lewis Black, as well as Jeff Garlin, Robin Williams, Jimmy Schubert, Billy Gardell, Marc Ryan, Dan Naturman, and Auggie Smith

He receives regular airplay on XM's satellite comedy station XM150 and Sirius Satellite radio Raw Dog; and appears every Monday on many radio stations across the country as "Bjorn The Super Lutheran" -- a good hearted Midwestern character based on some of the funny people Collin grew up around.

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Collin Moulton, from Monterey, Calif., will be headlining Friday and Saturday this week at The Funny Barn with show times at 8 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. Mike Brody from Minneapolis, Minn., will open the show for Moulton. The Funny Barn is located at 1605 Hill Avenue in Spirit Lake. For show times, information or reservations call (712) 336-4888.