Carla Ulbrich

Carla Ulbrich is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, author, and self-described "professional smart aleck" from Clemson, South Carolina.

Career
Humorous songwriter Carla Ulbrich started out at age 9 as a classical guitarist, inspired by her aunt, Pat Brothwell, who was pursuing a degree in classical guitar at the time. Ulbrich started writing songs in college (when she was supposed to be practicing "real" music).

Despite the distractions, Ulbrich received an AFA in music from Brevard College and a BA in Music from UNC-Greensboro. Having many parody or novelty songs in her repertoire (such as "Duet with a Klingon" based on "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off", with a Klingon taking the male lead), she has regularly been on the Dr. Demento Radio Show and SiriusXM Comedy radio, and has also appeared on USA, WGN, WVIA and PAX TV, the BBC, and NPR's Weekend Edition.

She has won numerous songwriting awards, including "Novelty Song of the Year" in 2006 from the Just Plain Folks awards for her piece "What If Your Butt was Gone?", a rewrite of her earlier song "What If Your Girlfriend was Gone?"

Many of her pieces are of a humorous nature, reflecting on human life. She has written songs about unappreciated elements, such as "The Guy Who Changes the Lightbulbs (Changes Everything)", "Nothing to Say", "Prednisone", and "The Wedgie".

Her 2004 album Sick Humor deals with Ulbrich's real-life recovery from multiple strokes and kidney failure she suffered in 2002. This collection of songs has led to appearances at The Alaska Palliative Care conference, Medicaid, the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor, the Society for Arts in Healthcare, and other medical gatherings.

Her song "If I Had the Copyright" was featured in the 2006 documentary Fuck, directed by Steve Anderson.

Since 1999, Ulbrich has performed in England, Canada, and much of the US (including Alaska). She has appeared at the Bluebird Cafe, Eddie's Attic, the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Florida Folk Festival, South Florida Folk Festival, Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, Avalon Nude Folk Festival, DragonCon, MarsCon, FenCon (and numerous other science fiction and/or filk conventions), various colleges, a few comedy clubs, private and corporate parties, nursing, patient and caregiver conventions, a few weddings, and the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society Convention.

Ulbrich has taught guitar at 3 colleges, 3 music stores, and her own private teaching studio, as well as Hummingbird Music Camp and the National Guitar Summer Workshop. Her music instruction book Notespeller was published by Alfred Knopf in 2001. She has a number of instructional guitar videos on YouTube.

Ulbrich also wrote a book of humorous essays on recovering health after a catastrophic illness titled How Can You *Not* Laugh at a Time Like This?. The book was released by Tell Me Press on February 1, 2011.

Discography
Twang, 2022
Inside Jokes: Songs from Quarantine, 2020
The Loud Album, 2020
Live at FuMPFest, 2019
Totally Average Woman, 2015
Live From Outer Space, 2009
Leftovers, 2009
Sick Humor, 2004
Professional Smart Aleck, 2003
 If I Had the Copyright (The F Word Song), single, 2002
Her Fabulous Debut, 2000

References

External links
Carla U – official site for Carla Ulbrich
Carla Ulbrich channel on YouTube
Carla Ulbrich on Amazon

American comedy musicians
American women singer-songwriters
Living people
Comedians from South Carolina
21st-century American comedians
21st-century American women