Dave Hill in Cleveland

About Dave Hill

Dave Hill is a comedian and musician from Cleveland who somehow makes it work despite—or because of—the fact that his comedy-rock songs are genuinely awkward. His appeal hinges on commitment to the bit: he'll spend four minutes on a song about how he's a "chick magnet" delivered with such sincere delusion that you're not sure if he's in on the joke. He's also legitimately talented at guitar, which makes the whole thing land differently than if he were just a punchline. Hill has appeared on shows like "Chewed Up" and built a following partly through being the guy who shows up to comedy venues and pulls out an actual instrument. His songs operate in that sweet spot between "this is dumb" and "wait, this is kind of catchy," which seems to be exactly where he wants to be. He doesn't take himself seriously, but he takes the craft of being ridiculous seriously.

His crowds are half-laughing, half-grooving. People don't know whether to clap or laugh at the end of songs. He's self-deprecating enough that the room feels in on it together, which keeps things from feeling mean-spirited. Mostly people leave having heard guitar work they didn't expect from a comedy show.

Known for Chick Magnet, Party Boobies, When My Body Meets Your Body, Craigslist

Dave Hill in Cleveland News

• Things to Do This Weekend In Cleveland: Dec. 25-28 Cleveland Magazine · Dec 24, 2025
• Recapping Dave Hill, Doug Loves Movies, & More From SF Sketchfest 2024 800 Pound Gorilla · Jan 30, 2024
• Dave Hill rocks and rolls across Canada for his new travel book, Parking The Moose The Globe and Mail · Jan 6, 2020
• Dave Hill on Family, His Second Book, and Performing in Antarctica Vulture · May 11, 2016
• Comedian Dave Hill Gets His Act Together WQXR · May 11, 2016

Live Music in Cleveland

Cleveland's got a complicated relationship with comedy and music bleeding together. The city's legacy is all classic rock and garage bands, but there's always been room for weirder stuff lurking in the clubs. Dave Hill's brand of deadpan humor wrapped around actual musicianship fits somewhere in that tradition of artists who don't fit neatly into one lane. It's a crowd that respects people doing their own thing.

Cleveland road trip to see Dave Hill?

Stay in Ohio City, where Victorian brownstones meet serious coffee shops and galleries. Dinner at Fairmount, where chef Jonathon Sawyer sources locally and cooks with real technique—expect seasonal American food that doesn't announce itself. Spend an afternoon at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which is free and genuinely excellent. Walk through the West Side Market before the show, grab something you don't need, and feel the bones of the city. The whole neighborhood has that working-class dignity that makes Cleveland distinct.