Nashville-born comic Tim Northern isn’t afraid to open his shows with a spot of sincerity. The moment he takes the stage he tells everyone in the room that he loves them. His exact words are, “I love y’all.” You might be tempted to laugh at such a line. After all, don’t most comedians harbor a secret contempt for their audiences? Not Northern. He means what he says and he says what he means.

Northern, who will be at CS3’s Tiger Room Friday, May 18 for an 8 p.m. show, is known for opening for heavy weight Rodney Carrington and names as influential as Richard Pryor, George Carlin and Steven Wright. He’s appeared in countless comedy shows and festivals, including the Chicago Comedy Festival, Fresh Mugs Showcase and the Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, and he was recently named a finalist in CBS’ Star Search reboot. He even launched his own festival in the spring of last year in Louisville.

The joke was that Tim Northern did not perform at the inaugural Tim Northern Comedy Festival. His role was to support other comics and to give the Louisville comedy scene a little shot in the arm.

Northern is known for courageous, cerebral humor, the kind sure to make fans not only laugh but think. He’s an unabashed fan of puns and is often praised for engaging with his audience rather than hurling jokes at them.

“That’s what I’m striving for,” he said in his Facebook bio. “I provide you with two-thirds of the joke, and you provide the other third. It’s like ‘do-it-yourself’ comedy.”