Connor Nutt

We're not sure we've ever met anyone who wanted to be Elvis at the young age of 6, but Connor Nutt launched his musical obsessions at a fairly young age. Listen to him on stage and you'll hear someone who is music obsessed. In 5th grade, Nutt could not get enough of Kiss' "Rock and Roll All Nite". Much to the chagrin (and depleted willpower) of his father who endured countless plays of the band. Nutt's father launched a counter offensive: giving his son AC/DC's 1980 masterpiece, Back in Black.

The tactic worked and soon, Nutt was self-teaching himself guitar, but the obsessive spirit was fully unleashed when dad took the next natural step: taking his son to a concert. Not just any concert, but a 2008 performance at Houston's Toyota Center by Van Halen hailing the return of original frontman David Lee Roth. At this point, Nutt admits, "That's where I became completely obsessed with music." Now that his obsession has made the shift to comedy, he finds that music becomes a vehicle to relating to just about anyone. And if you deconstruct Nutt's relationship to music, the same could be said if you replace music with comedy - making the shift from obsession to constant study to eventual performance, it's easy to see how easy it is to go from a love of music to a love of comedy.

Growing up, Nutt never displayed a penchant for Sex Pistols-style rebellion, instead following the traditional American-style path - good grades in school led to college, then a corporate job. Possibly his closest moment to feeling like a rock star was performing in front of 350 sorority students for his fraternity‘s philanthropic event. Performing "You Shook Me All Night Long" allowed him to mix humor (styled in Angus Young's trademark blazer and short pants set) with music performance (all that guitar practice paid off). It got the audience off its feet, and for Nutt is, "a core memory. No matter where life goes, I have that to hold on to."

Upon graduating with a Public Relations degree he tried finding work close to Houston, his hometown, but instead found himself in Austin working for what turned out to be GoDaddy.com. He performed at an open mic at Hyena's in Fort Worth. And, after reflecting on the experience, Nutt tried his hand at an open mic in Austin. Anecdotally, I've heard several people say of Nutt when I've mentioned I would be interviewing him: "he's such a nice guy." Descriptions like that often come with proof of parental love and support. Exhibit A is dad's gentle redirect of his son's musical tastes. Exhibit B is his mom giving her seal of approval to abandon the corporate world to pursue comedy, saying "you should be doing this if you feel called to do it." Nutt gave his two weeks notice the next day.

A natural progression for any comic is from pure performance to production. Nutt was no exception, he was ready for more. It started with a thought that many comics contemplate: "the best thing to do if you're not getting opportunities you want is to create those opportunities for yourself." The PR degree paid off immediately - he knew the secret in a saturated comedy scene was finding a niche, a new idea, or maybe, just maybe, an old idea brought to new audiences. Taking inspiration from old school Vegas performers (Brat Pack, Elvis, and the like) and modern day comics like Ron White and Steve Byrne, who set themselves apart by the fashion that pairs with their respective talents on stage. Another notable thing about those performers is seeing them perform feels more like an experience.

So begins the origin story behind Dressed to Kill.

Armed with an idea and a navy blue plaid blazer, all that remained was a stage. But first, Nutt wanted a partner with a vision in producing, co-hosting, and growing the show. He found Scott Wharton to be a perfect match (though Wharton needed a little help in building up the "Dressed" part of the show title).

Together, the duo has brought the show to Cap City Comedy Club, venues around the country, and their monthly home base at Rozco's. For special occasions, the duo dons their tuxedos, which we can expect to see for their inaugural Moontower Comedy Festival performance.

If you're reading this thinking "I don't have anything fancy to wear, I'll never feel welcome at this show," Nutt is quick to encourage you to come anyway. Those that don't dress up often compliment the hosts after the show and promise to come back not only dressed up, but with friends the next time. We can't wait to see what Dressed to Kill will pull off at Moontower. True to the original mission, we know it's going to be an unforgettable experience for everyone.