Tews for the road Funnyman who went to CSU will return to Cleveland for pair of Hilarities gigs

Comedian Jim Tews is working hard to scrub the internet clean of something embarrassing he did when he was young and needed money.

Figuratively speaking, the nude incident — in which Tews bared his young comedy mind — is technically his first album release, recorded years ago over a four-night stretch at Hilarities 4th Street Theatre in Cleveland.

However, looking back, well, it’s not the calling card he wants to promote his stand-up career.

“I plan to get it off the internet,” said Tews, calling from his New York City home. “I’m sure it’s, like, floating around somewhere, but I took it off all of the stores and Pandora. When I look back, it’s like, fine, with passable jokes, but we’re at that point now where like if somebody hears about you and they Google you, you want the best things to kind of pop up. “Sometimes the thing

that’s the oldest is the thing that jumps to the top of the algorithm or whatever. So I want to start with (2017 comedy album) ‘I Was in Band’ and continue to catalog from there.”

A Cleveland State University graduate with a degree in film, Tews — who is from Allentown, Pennsylvania, and spent a decade in Northeast Ohio before moving in 2011 to New York City — is back with his latest comedy album, “Oatmeal.”

The project was recorded in the fall in San Francisco. To celebrate, he’s booked his album-release show for Feb. 28 at Hilarities Frolic Cabaret.

“There’s a lot of stuff about feelings, my age, a couple of cat jokes and a handful of relationship jokes” Tews said. “There’s a solid story about me being on mushrooms, which is actually a joke about my feelings disguised as a story about love. You have to trick people, you know.” Not only has Tews booked that show, he’s coming into town a couple of days earlier for a one-off headlining gig Feb. 26 at Hilarities 4th Street Theatre.

Considering his self-deprecating nature, the notion of being successful but not too successful — a CD release show in the smaller room along with a weekday headlining gig — at Hilarities fits into his mindset.

“Yeah, that’s true,” Tews said. “I wish I could be like, ‘No, I need the big room or I’ll go elsewhere,’ but truthfully I don’t have the draw to get the weekend in the big room.

“But my thing is I like making albums and doing stand-up, so this is just one more on the path to the next one, where there will hopefully be more development as a comic.”

As far as naming the new album “Oatmeal,” Tews maybe hadn’t thought the reference all the way through. Just as Jim Gaffigan will always be known for his Hot Pockets material, there’s a chance that Tews will forever be associated with a hot, healthy and sensible breakfast food.

“I wanted to do something silly for the album release, some weird merch, so I tried to find some place that would custom print little brown packets of oatmeal, but I couldn’t find blank ones,” Tews said. “So I just have buttons I’ll be selling. And if anyone wants to bring packets of oatmeal, they’re more than welcome.

“I won’t turn it down. I might not eat it. I’ll probably donate it. I guess if you’re thinking about bringing oatmeal, just take it to a food bank instead, but I will totally sign the package if you want.”

SUBMITTED Jim Tews has a new comedy album, “Oatmeal.”

SUBMITTED Jim Tews spent about a decade living in Cleveland.