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Chris Fox doesn't tell jokes based on current events.

He also steers clear of the typical comedy fodder of drugs, drinking and sex.

Instead, the soft-voiced local comedian finds his muse in sign language, geometry and Ouija boards.

Offering a sample of his material during a telephone interview, Fox says, "I don't have a cell phone, but I do have unlimited text messaging on my Ouija board."

Such an offbeat sense of humor would be a poor fit in many traditional comedy clubs, but that has no bearing on Fox whatsoever. He and a group of like-minded humorists struck away from the clubs, opting to blaze new trails in venues such as coffee shops and even people's houses that usually host punk rock shows.

Combining stand-up with performances by local bands, they manage to get laughs and, more importantly, broaden the horizon of Greensboro's burgeoning comedy scene.

Fox and a group of comedians and musicians will perform Saturday at the Green Bean and again July 18 at The Flat Iron.

Before Fox was a comedian, he was the bassist for Greensboro horror punk band Crimson Spectre for seven years. He was always interested in comedy, and when he heard of an open mike night at a club in Chapel Hill, a friend dared him to perform.

Fox says it took him about a month to prepare his material for the set.

"Then I went on stage after about five PBRs in a row and was able to take the microphone and tell those jokes," Fox says. "And because people laughed at some of them, I stayed at it.

"If I had gotten a horrible reaction, I probably would have never done it again and probably would have sought shelter in the band."

The first years of Fox's stand-up career were difficult ones. There were no open mikes at the time in Greensboro, and few people seemed interested in performing stand-up comedy. But when the Comedy Zone began to host an open mike night in 2006, Fox found both a blessing and a boon. The open mike attracted would-be comedians from neighboring counties, introducing Fox to many of his current peers. However, any amateur who wished to perform at the Comedy Zone had to buy a ticket and bring five friends or pay $30 to perform four-minute sets.

"It sort of shocked and offended me how little comics were thought of and still are thought of," he said.

"It's probably one of the least respected art forms that there (is), and one of the reasons is that so many comics consent to that."

To remedy the problem, Fox and the other comedians began to host their own comedy shows. Then Fox got the idea of collaborating with bands to attract local music audiences who might not typically attend comedy shows.

"It's a way of bringing people's attention here that our comedy scene is just as diverse and experimental and radical as the music scene," Fox says. "Some people don't go into comedy clubs, so the idea is to bring the comedy to where people are with bands that they are already familiar with."

These shows have attracted near-capacity audiences at the Green Bean, but Fox is having trouble persuading other local venue owners that his shows would be a good fit.

"If you are a venue or bar owner in town, anything you can do that raises your visibility and puts its name on a flyer that people can see -- that's a good thing," Fox says. "So, I think it would be equally as lucrative as putting bands on."

Contact Joe Scott at movieshowjoe@gmail.com