{"id":41248,"date":"2023-06-08T09:47:58","date_gmt":"2023-06-08T13:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=41248"},"modified":"2023-06-08T09:48:00","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T13:48:00","slug":"on-stage-mary-fahl-records-plays-the-songs-she-cherishes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=41248","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Mary Fahl records, plays the songs she cherishes"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

Mary Fahl<\/p><\/div>\n

We all have songs that we fell in love with a long time ago and still cherish \u2013 songs that played a big part in forming music tastes that last a lifetime.<\/p>\n

Some of us have downloaded them to a current file on our computers. Some of us have created specialized playlists on streaming services. Some, I\u2019m sure, still have the original albums and singles on vinyl.<\/p>\n

Mary Fahl, who will perform on June 9 at the World Caf\u00e9 Live (3025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, www.worldcafelive.com<\/a>), has honored her favorites by making an album of special tunes — a collection of songs that she calls \u201cessential\u201d to her development as an artist.<\/p>\n

The album, which is titled, \u201cCan\u2019t Get It Out of My Head,\u201d was released on July 22, 2022, on her own label, Rimar Records.<\/p>\n

\u201cI made it in Syracuse with my band and my producer Mark Doyle,\u201d said Fahl, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon while returning from a gig in Maine.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe finished it in early 2022. We mixed and mastered it in March 2022 and then released it in July 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n

These are the album\u2019s 10 tracks and the artists who made the original versions — \u201cCan’t Get It Out Of My Head,\u201d ELO; \u201cRuby Tuesday,\u201d Rolling Stones; \u201cTuesday Afternoon,\u201d Moody Blues; \u201cRiver Man,\u201d Nick Drake; \u201cGot A Feeling,\u201d Mamas and Papas; \u201cDon’t Let It Bring You Down,\u201d Neil Young; \u201cComfortably Numb,\u201d Pink Floyd; \u201cSince You’ve Asked,\u201d Judy Collins; \u201cBeware Of Darkness,\u201d George Harrison; and \u201cThe Great Valerio,\u201d Richard and Linda Thompson.<\/p>\n

According to Fahl, \u201cOn top of all the madness that was happening in the world, I was grappling with the loss of my mother and sister this past year and was feeling completely rootless. In an effort to find an anchor, a link to the past, a sense of home, I began to immerse myself in the comfort of music from my youth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese were such essential songs for me\u2026 like old friends\u2026 my musical home in many ways. I fell in love with each of them at the quintessential coming-of-age moment when music goes straight into your heart with no filter and these songs became part of my musical DNA\u2026 I learned to play guitar with several of them \u2013 especially the early Neil Young songs.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of these covers come from the first albums I ever bought using one of those Columbia House \u2018get 12 free albums for a $1\u2019 mail order programs. I played these records endlessly\u2026 and the lyrics on many of these songs still have a powerful resonance for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fahl knew exactly where she was going.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to make a record that was special to me,\u201d said Fahl. \u201cI wanted to live in a place with all the music I grew up with. I learned guitar with Neil Young albums. I learned songwriting with Richard and Linda Thompson songs. Each song on this record has a very special meaning to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost my mother and my older sister in the same year \u2013 lost a link to the past. I chose these songs because I still sing them and love them. They are part of my musical family. They got me out of a funk.\u201d<\/p>\n

The songs provide a comfort level for Fahl and her fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best compliment that I\u2019ve been getting is that it brought people a lot of joy,\u201d said Fahl.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople really like my cover of \u2018Tuesday Afternoon.\u2019 That song gets the best audience response of anything I\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fahl\u00a0performs concerts around the world and, every once in a while, gets to perform in her own neighborhood. Based in the Delaware Valley, the versatile singer with the haunting voice will have a hometown show at the WCL.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve heard\u00a0Fahl\u00a0sing, you have her voice burned permanently into your memory bank. From that point on, if you hear a song by\u00a0Fahl, you immediately know who is singing.<\/p>\n

In 2011,\u00a0Fahl\u00a0recorded her own version of one of rock\u2019s all-time classics \u2014 Pink Floyd\u2019s \u201cDark Side of the Moon.\u201d\u00a0Fahl\u00a0re-interpreted the songs on an album she titled \u201cFrom the Dark Side of the Moon.<\/p>\n

Fahl, who was a member of the October Project 20 years ago, went solo in 2001. Prior to this year, her recorded output as a solo artist has been slim \u2014\u00a0\u201cLenses of Contact\u201d EP in 2001, \u201cThe Other Side of Time\u201d album in 2003, \u201cClassics for a New Century\u201d in\u00a02003 and \u201cFrom the Dark Side of the Moon\u201d in 2011.<\/p>\n

Fahl\u2019s solo releases include \u201cLove and Gravity,\u201d \u201cFour Songs,\u201d \u201cWinter Songs and Carols,\u201d and \u201cMary\u00a0Fahl: Live from Mauch Chunk Opera House,\u201d which is a project that included a live album, a performance DVD and a PBS special.<\/p>\n

Many of\u00a0Fahl\u2019s fans have been with her ever since her time with October Project which lasted from 1993-1996.<\/p>\n

For many artists, the task of re-inventing songs from an album as iconic as \u201cDark Side of the Moon\u201d could have been too much of a challenge. Not so for\u00a0Fahl\u00a0who crafted a disc that honored its roots but established an identity all its own.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter making the Sony classical album (\u201cClassics for a New Century\u201d), I wanted to do something that was fun,\u201d said\u00a0Fahl. \u201cAn independent filmmaker I knew wanted to use me in a performance piece. I wanted to do something that I didn\u2019t have the ability to write.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when I decided to do the \u2018Dark Side\u2019 recording. It\u2019s like a classical piece of music. I did not intend to make a cover record. It\u2019s my version and it doesn\u2019t sound at all like Pink Floyd\u2019s version. But a lot of die-hard Pink Floyd fans have responded well. They like the album \u2014 and my live versions of the songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fahl\u00a0has written and performed songs for several major motion pictures, including the lead song (\u201cGoing Home\u201d) for the Civil War epic \u201cGods and Generals.\u201d Her music can also be found on the original soundtrack of the 2003 movie \u201cThe Guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fahl\u00a0is a singer, a guitarist and a songwriter. More than anything,\u00a0she\u00a0is a performer.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerforming is my primary form of self-expression,\u201d said\u00a0Fahl. \u201cWhen I do a show, I want to take you on a complete journey. I want to transform you.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will probably be the last concert of the album support tour which started last fall. The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live will have all the songs from the new album, some songs from October Project and some older songs from my solo work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Mary Fahl \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/8AOaV5Af2ZM?list=OLAK5uy_lhTOW8-IiA3wOw4iwXFbd5OVj46vjfNEw<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the World Caf\u00e9 Live on June 9 will start at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Tickets are $30 and $35.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at the World Caf\u00e9 Live are STRUT! A Harlem Renaissance Cabaret on June 9, Re-Mus and Friends: Album Release Show on June 10, Catie Turner on June 13 and Larry & Joe on June 14.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Dar\u00a0Williams<\/p><\/div>\n

Dar\u00a0Williams, who will be sharing the bill with Bruce Cockburn on June 8 at the Colonial Theatre (227 Bridge Street. Phoenixville, thecolonialtheatre.com<\/a>) recently has been out on a support tour \u2013 but not a tour in support of a new album.<\/p>\n

Williams has been touring in support of a newly released book,\u00a0\u201cHow To Write A Song That Matters,\u201d which was released on September 9 via Hachette Books.<\/p>\n

But she also has been out on the road playing her music at venues around the East Coast.<\/p>\n

\u201cMostly just touring,\u201d said Williams, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from her home in New York\u2019s Hudson Valley.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been home a lot. I\u2019ve been involved in community issues because of a book I wrote \u2013 trying to harmonize things in the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a really busy fall. I was all over the country. I put out my latest book in September and then did a book tour all fall. I did concerts because it\u2019s a book about songwriting. A big theme of the book is that we all have a song we could write. I did three-hour workshops in four or five cities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams\u2019 normal schedule was thrown off by the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of musicians had a very different time during COVID because we\u2019re travelers,\u201d said Williams. \u201cI\u2019m a traveler by trade.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last time I was in the studio was 2020 and I put the album out in 2021. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll be going back in the studio for a while. I don\u2019t have an album yet. But I\u2019m always courting inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams, who has recorded more than 20 albums, released her most recent album, \u201cI\u2019ll Meet You Here,\u201d in October 2021 on BMG\u2019s recently launched Renew label. Her most recent album prior to this was \u201cEmerald,\u201d which came out in 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a gap between albums because I did a book,\u201d said Williams, a well-respected speaker\/author\/singer-songwriter.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter I released \u2018Emerald\u2019 in 2015, I stopped writing songs for a while. I didn\u2019t start writing songs again until 2017. Then, I recorded \u2018I\u2019ll Meet You Here\u2019 in 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was going to release it in 2020. But because of the pandemic, I moved the entire release up a year. It was just a year off and now it\u2019s really full out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded the album in North Jersey at a studio near Weehawken with producer\u00a0Stewart Lerman. The core of the recording was done in a couple weeks in November 2019. Then, I did an intensive week in January 2020 with Stuart Smith, who plays with the Eagles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sent a scratch track of the title song to Larry Campbell in Woodstock. I wanted to do it as a duet with bassist\u00a0Gail Ann Dorsey\u00a0and\u00a0Larry Campbell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campbell produced the track and played\u00a0guitars, pedal steel and twangy baritone guitar. Later, they had to postpone a mid-March mixing date because Campbell said he wasn\u2019t feeling well anyway which turned into a serious case of COVID-19.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a schedule conflict, so we had to postpone the mixing date with Larry for day,\u201d said Williams. \u201cHe was getting really sick and then found out he had COVID. He got very sick with COVID. We were very lucky because if we had done the mixing session, a lot of people could have contracted the disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite encountering some speed bumps along the way, Williams was finally able to put the album out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album officially came out on October 1,\u201d said Williams. \u201cWe had a few singles that came out prior to the album release and that helped.\u201d<\/p>\n

The album has 10 songs including nine originals.<\/p>\n

Even when Williams isn\u2019t focusing on music, she still stays very busy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m working on a novel,\u201d said Williams, who also handles the duty of being a mother to a young child. \u201cI\u2019ve also been writing songs. They\u2019re not all written. I try to be disciplined and not go into the studio until I reach 80 per cent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just taught a college course at Wesleyan University. Teaching at a university was great. I\u2019ve also done some songwriting retreats and that\u2019s been great too. I like to have different avenues rather than just recording and touring.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of those avenues has been writing books. Williams published two young-adult novels with Scholastic in the mid-2000s, along with a green blog for Huffpost, before she tackled her urban-planning study, published in 2017 \u2013 \u201cWhat I Found in a Thousand Towns: A Traveling Musician\u2019s Guide to Rebuilding America\u2019s Communities \u2014 One Coffee Shop, Dog Run & Open-Mike Night at a Time.\u201d<\/p>\n

In that book, Williams muses on why some towns flourish while others fail, examining elements from the significance of history and nature to the uniting power of public spaces and food. Drawing on her own travels and the work of urban theorists, Williams offers real solutions to rebuild declining communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I Found in a Thousand Towns\u201d is more than a love letter to America\u2019s small towns, it\u2019s a deeply personal and hopeful message about the potential of America\u2019s lively and resilient communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a memoir,\u201d said Williams. \u201cIt\u2019s what I had seen from tours in my travels at towns that had found a way to be resilient \u2013 hometown pride and a world welcome. I followed that thread and tried to figure out what it was.<\/p>\n

\u201cI call it \u2018positive proximity\u2019 \u2013 a state of being in a town where people know that living side-by-side is beneficial\u2026that the more they follow that proximity, the better life can be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wrote about how to build positive proximity, how to maintain the benefits of positive proximity and how to sustain positive proximity.\u201d<\/p>\n

In her book, Williams looks at two area towns \u2013 Phoenixville and Wilmington.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Phoenixville chapter is about what happens when a town digs into its history and builds on that,\u201d said Williams. \u201cIt is a town that has become a vibrant place because of that. The Wilmington chapter is about waterfronts \u2013 about how towns can come back to life by developing their waterfront areas with parks, restaurants and public spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams headed in an entirely different direction on her new book,\u00a0\u201cHow To Write A Song That Matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to write a book that was written by a performing songwriter,\u201d said Williams. \u201cThere is a broad and magical way that songs live in the world. Songs bring people back to times in their lives with new eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams is now in a multi-date tour with Canadian singer\/songwriter Bruce Cockburn, who is touring in support of his new album, \u201cO Sun O Moon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first time I\u2019ve toured with Bruce,\u201d said Williams. \u201cIt\u2019s been a dream. It\u2019s like a master class. His new album is amazing, and the audiences are going nuts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for\u00a0Dar\u00a0Williams \u2013\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/4-0tPKPbypk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Colonial Theatre on June 8, which has Bruce Cockburn as the headliner, will start at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

Ticket prices start at $39.50.<\/p>\n

Debra Devi is a modern-day Renaissance woman. She fronts a blues\/rock band, is an author and has composed music for film and television.<\/p>\n

On June 10, Devi will make her venue debut at Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985,www.jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The concert is sure to be a pleasurable experience for both the band and the audience.<\/p>\n

Jamey\u2019s is one of the premier music clubs in the Philadelphia suburbs and Devi is one of the most talented young blues\/rock guitarists on the East Coast.<\/p>\n

Devi\u00a0plays powerful blues-rockers and blistering psychedelic jams flavored with her soulful voice and expressive guitar playing.<\/p>\n

Devi\u2019s new live EP,\u00a0\u201cJamification Station Vol. 1<\/a>,\u201d captures her Jersey City band at full throttle. The EP reached #5 on the\u00a0Relix\/Jambands.com<\/a>\u00a0Top 30 Radio Chart and then stayed on the chart for three months.<\/p>\n

Devi, who has lived all over the country, has called Jersey City home for the last six years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was born in Florida — in Jacksonville– and then grew up in Milwaukee,\u201d said Devi, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon from her home in North Jersey. \u201cGrowing up in Milwaukee, I was exposed to a lot of Chicago blues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went to high school in Milwaukee and then got a degree in economics at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always wanted to be a writer, but my parents wanted me to choose a more practical career. I had a journalism minor at the University of Wisconsin and then got into Columbia University for grad school where I majored in journalism.<\/p>\n

\u201cI put it to good use. When I first was living in New York, I was a little punk rocker in the East Village. I also played in different kinds of bands. I had been playing electric guitar for about six months.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always loved the blues, so I started writing and singing my own songs. It was more 70s blues\/rock than punk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Devi\u2019s self-produced debut,\u00a0\u201cGet Free\u201d\u00a0(True Nature Records\/Redeye), received raves from\u00a0Vintage Guitar,\u00a0Jambase,\u00a0Marie Claire\u00a0(Italy) and Guitar International.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy guitar playing is very influenced by Chicago blues,\u201d said Devi. \u201cThe first show I saw was Son Seals and Koko Taylor at the Metropole. I try to do what Son does \u2013 not play a lot of notes but just play the right note.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlues has been a guidepost ever since. Blues taught me what I know about music.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy band and I play blues\/rock with improvisation \u2013 with jamming. We love to improvise. People love that spontaneity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is exciting today is the jam band scene. They\u2019re taking flight from improvisation. I\u2019m one of the few females in the jam band scene.\u201d<\/p>\n

Devi has opened for Joan Osborne, Jesse Malin, Ana Popovic, Sarah Shook and the Disarmers, Uprooted (Michael Glialiki) and Marshall Crenshaw. In 2023, she co-headlined the Haverford Music Festival with Joe Louis Walker and The Bongos, and the East Pete Blues Festival with Greg Sover.<\/p>\n

Gov’t Mule bassist Jorgen Carlsson joined Devi on her previous EP, \u201cA Zillion Stars Overhead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI released that album in April 2020 \u2013 not a good time to do that with the pandemic just starting,\u201d said Devi. \u201cMy most recent album is \u2018Jamification Station Vol. 1<\/a>.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJamification Station Vol. 1\u201d is a live EP culled from Devi\u2019s livestream show, \u201cJamification Station,\u201d hosted by American Blues Scene. Four tracks capture Devi and her band at full throttle, from catchy \u201cHome Again\u201d to a blistering rendition of Jimi Hendrix\u2019s \u201cCrosstown Traffic.\u201d Also featured is a soulful blues-rocker, \u201cGet Free\u201d and uplifting Southern-rock tune \u201cThe River.\u201d<\/p>\n

The EP was released on June 20, 2022. Musicians on the recording were: Debra Devi – vocal, guitar; Kevin Jones – bass, background vocal; John Roccesano – drums, background vocal; and Martin Schmid – keys, background vocal.<\/p>\n

All songs recorded live by Roccesano at Silver Horse Sound in Hoboken, New Jersey except \u201cThe River,\u201d which was recorded live by Corey Zack at The Cocoon in Jersey City. It was produced by Devi and Roccesano, mixed by Roccesano and mastered by Fred Kevorkian.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did 27 Livestream concerts during the pandemic,\u201d said Devi. \u201cRight now, we\u2019re mixing \u2018Jamification Station Vol. 2\u2019.<\/p>\n

Devi is the author of the popular book,\u00a0\u201cThe Language of the Blues\u201d\u00a0(foreword by Dr. John) which won the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award.\u00a0The book is blurbed by Bonnie Raitt, Joe Bonamassa, Hal Willner, Ministry singer Al Jourgensen, Ed Sanders, Bob Margolin and Jimmy Vivino.<\/p>\n

Devi composes and performs songs for film and television, including \u201cTenderness\u201d (Laura Dern, Russell Crowe), \u201cGetting Off\u201d (Christine Harnos, Brooke Smith), \u201cDriven-Tim McGraw\u201d (VH-1), \u201cFight LIke a Girl\u201d (Maureen Shea, Kimberly Tomes).<\/p>\n

Her screenplay \u201cThe South Bronx Entrepreneurship Club\u201d is a Big Apple Film Festival semi-finalist, adapted from the book \u201cGoodbye Homeboy: How My Students Drove Me Crazy\u201d and \u201cInspired a Movement,\u201d which she co-authored with former special education teacher and Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship founder Steve Mariotti.<\/p>\n

Devi is truly a modern-day Renaissance woman.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Debra Devi — https:\/\/youtu.be\/4SEXuRamheQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Jamey\u2019s on June 10 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 online advance and $25 at the door.<\/p>\n

On June 9, Jamey\u2019s will host Trudy Lynn.<\/p>\n

Lynn is an American\u00a0electric blues\u00a0and\u00a0soul blues\u00a0singer and songwriter, whose\u00a0recorded\u00a0work has been released on 12 studio albums, one live album, and four compilation albums. Her professional singing career began in the mid-1960s, when she sang with the guitarist\u00a0Albert Collins\u00a0and then later, Clarence Green.<\/p>\n

The show at Jamey\u2019s on June 9 will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 online advance and $35 at the door.<\/p>\n

Jamey\u2019s House of Music is a prime destination to hear folk, jazz and blues music every Thursday through Sunday.<\/p>\n

The \u201cJazz at Jamey\u2019s\u201d on Thursdays and the \u201cSunday Blues Brunch & Jam\u201d are regular features on Jamey\u2019s calendar while Friday and Saturday night shows feature national and regional acts.<\/p>\n

On June 8, \u201cJazz at Jamey\u2019s\u201d will feature a performance by Suzie Telep.<\/p>\n

Fans of comedy throughout the Brandywine Valley will tell you that \u201cBetter Than Bacon\u201d is a top-flight improvisational comedy act.<\/p>\n

For the last 12 years, Better Than Bacon has been generating laughter at its performances and has become a local favorite with its frequent shows at Kennett Flash and Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center.<\/p>\n

On June 9, Better Than Bacon will make a return visit to the Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center with a show at 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Better Than Bacon Improv\u00a0is a short form improv comedy troupe based in West Chester. BTB performs short skits and games based on audience suggestions, often inviting audience members on stage.<\/p>\n

Improv comedy is a one-time only performance without scripts or nets. What audiences experience in one show will never be seen again. The spontaneity of improv makes improvisational comedy one of the most challenging forms of comedy.<\/p>\n

BTB\u2019s current troupe members hail from all over the Philly suburbs including Malvern, Exton, West Chester, Kennett Square, and Phoenixville. The troupe\u2019s artistic backgrounds include improv, acting, stand-up comedy, and music.<\/p>\n

The cast includes comedians Lauren Henry, Bob Curran, Jack Dibeler, Brett Heller, Lauren Burawski, Sarah Hennessey, Susan Price, Greg Faber, Dan Freed, David James and Kevin O\u2019Connell.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been together professionally since 2011,\u201d said Henry, during a phone interview from her home in West Chester.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all live in Chester County except for a few in Swarthmore and Wilmington.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started with a bunch of us meeting at Chester County Night School in West Chester. We got to be friends, took classes and picked up more people. We decided to start our own troupe and found a director. The committed people stayed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had our first gig at Kennett Flash in June 2011. We have regular dates at Uptown, Kennett Flash and Media Arts Council. We play mostly in Chester County and northern and central Delaware. We don\u2019t play Philly because of territorial turf wars.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a fashion similar to the TV show \u201cWhose Line Is It Anyway?,\u201d the members of the troupe make up every single word and perform every single action completely on-the-spot\u2026and it\u2019s all driven by audience suggestions. Every show is a brand-new experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have 15-16 games in a show,\u201d said Henry, who graduated from York College with a degree in radio and television communication. \u201cIt\u2019s like \u2018Whose Line Is It?\u201d We call one of the sketches \u2018the guessing game.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though the shows are improv shows, BTB still spends a lot of time and effort rehearsing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still rehearse after all these years,\u201d said Henry. \u201cWe get together every week for about two hours. Uptown allows us to practice at their place.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything we do in our shows is spontaneous. It\u2019s a very interactive show. Everything we do is based on audience suggestion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Better Than Bacon \u2013\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/Y5sem4ZDsl4<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at the Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center on June 9 will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and $30.<\/p>\n

On June 10, Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center will present a show by SHARP Dance Company.<\/p>\n

Since 2005, SHARP Dance Company has been touring nationally and internationally and has performed in more than 30 cities in the US. They were selected as one of 11 artists worldwide to attend the BAU Institute in Italy as artists-in-residence. They were also invited to Paros, Greece for a two- week artist residency, and have performed in Bedford, England as part of the BedFringe Festival. This performance will be the Company\u2019s Uptown premiere.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s theory of \u201cmeaning behind movement\u201d is prominent throughout their work. SHARP feels that dance should be more than a performance, it should be an experience. SHARP blends classic dance technique with intriguing stories that speak to the human experience — creating an artistic experience that is relatable to all.<\/p>\n

The show at the Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center on June 10 will start at 2 p.m. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door.<\/p>\n

On June 9, Mt. Cuba Center (3120 Barley Mill Road, Hockessin, Delaware, mtcubacenter.org<\/a>) will host The Ladybug Music Festival Garden Crawl.<\/p>\n

The Ladybug Music Festival Garden Crawl brings performers from The Ladybug Festival — Delaware\u2019s celebration of regional female musicians — to Mt. Cuba for a music-filled evening.<\/p>\n

Visitors can enjoy food, drinks, and a variety of live performances as they \u201ccrawl\u201d through the gardens.<\/p>\n

There will be three concert locations with each hosting two sets of live music.<\/p>\n

West Chester native Nicole Zell will headline the show at \u201cPonds\u201d with Phyllis Chapell as the opener.<\/p>\n

The \u201cMain Lawn\u201d will host Madhavi Devi\u00a0and You Do You and the \u201cUpper Lawn\u201d will feature Caroline Hermance and Gretchen Emery Band.<\/p>\n

The event, which runs from 5:30-9:30 p.m., is included with garden admission \u2013 Adults, $15; Children (ages 6-17), $8; Children (ages five and under), free.<\/p>\n

For the last 15 years, Music at Snipes Farm (890 W Bridge St, Morrisville, musicatsnipesfarm.com<\/a>) has hosted a special music event called \u201cIn & Out of the Garden We Go.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s event is scheduled for June 9 and 10.<\/p>\n

Steal Your Face will headline Friday night. The bill will also feature Diamond Eye Jack, Friends of Jerry, Friends of the Devil, Justin Love,<\/p>\n

Saturday co-headliners will be Johnny Lit’s Jury Duty and Jawn of the Dead. Also on the Saturday line-up will be Lovelight, Three Fourteen, Reality Check Experiment, OTC, and Bobby Beetcut.<\/p>\n

Ticket prices start at $55.<\/p>\n

Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295,\u00a0http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) will present Americana jam band\u00a0Sugar Lime Blue\u00a0with special guest\u00a0Nicholas Lurwick on June 9 as part of the Kennett Flash Rooftop Series.<\/p>\n

On June 11, the Legendary Kennett Flash Open Mic\u00a0will be held at the club with Butch Zito as the host.<\/p>\n

Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808,\u00a0www.st94.com<\/a>) will present Mike Farris on June 9, Chazz Palminteri on June 11 and Robert Randolph Band on June 14.<\/p>\n

This is also a good weekend for theater fans as there are two topflight productions running in Philadelphia at the Academy of Music, and Arden, Delaware at the Candlelight Dinner Theatre.<\/p>\n

The Academy of Music will feature \u201cBeetlejuice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeetlejuice\u201d\u00a0is a lot of different things.<\/p>\n

Most obviously, it is a 1988 American\u00a0fantasy\u00a0horror comedy film directed by\u00a0Tim Burton and starring\u00a0Alec Baldwin,\u00a0Geena Davis,\u00a0Jeffrey Jones,\u00a0Catherine O’Hara,\u00a0Winona Ryder, and\u00a0Michael Keaton\u00a0as the titular character.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeetlejuice\u201d was an animated television series that ran for four seasons on CBS and Fox. \u201cBeetlejuice\u201d was also the action hero in a series of video games in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n

Most relevantly, \u201cBeetlejuice\u201d is a Broadway musical that is now out on a National Tour \u2013 a tour that will sit down in Philadelphia now through June 11 at the Academy of Music as part of the Kimmel Cultural Campus\u2019 Broadway Series.<\/p>\n

The plot revolves around a recently deceased couple \u2013 Barbara and Adam Maitland — who, as ghosts haunting their former home, contact Beetlejuice, an obnoxious and devious \u201cbio-exorcist\u201d from the Netherworld, to scare away the house\u2019s new inhabitants.<\/p>\n

Based on Tim Burton\u2019s dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeetlejuice\u201d has been described as \u201cone of the cheekiest shows on the 2022-23 Broadway season, with a visually spectacular set and over 100 special effects, optical illusions, and pyrotechnics.\u201d<\/p>\n

The National Tour features Justin Collette in the title role.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really liked the script,\u201d said Collette, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Boston. \u201cI was surprised at how fresh and funny it was \u2013 how it was updated. It\u2019s so funny \u2013 and so smart. I don\u2019t think it bends the original story \u2013 it expands it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s focused more on the Maitlands\u2019 story \u2013 and on Lydia. And there is some really good music from the movie. Eddie Perfect\u2019s music is perfect.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Maitlands are strait-laced so it\u2019s more like musical theater. Beetlejuice\u2019s music is all over the place while Lydia\u2019s music is gothic and punk. It\u2019s fascinating how he has pitched the music to the character.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe show is complicated. It\u2019s not just a musical. There are magic tricks. It\u2019s really dense. There is a lot to it. And the fourth wall brings the audience in.<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cBeetlejuice\u201d \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/JJGpcb41Ckw<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show will run now through June 11 at the Academy of Music.<\/p>\n

Ticket prices start at $20.<\/p>\n

Every season, the Candlelight Theatre (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware,\u00a0302- 475-2313,\u00a0www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org<\/a>) presents mostly musicals with just one non-musical in the season\u2019s schedule. That show this season is \u201cThe Musical Comedy Murders of 1940,\u201d\u00a0which is a murder mystery. The action takes place on an estate in Chappaqua, New York in December 1940.<\/p>\n

An eccentric heiress has invited a group of theater people to her home on the pretense of holding a backer\u2019s audition for a new musical. The creative team for this new project was also involved in a recent Broadway flop that closed abruptly when three of its showgirls were mysteriously murdered.<\/p>\n

As the mayhem at the mansion unfolds, murders begin to pile up and everyone\u2019s a suspect. The zany show features a lot of slapstick comedy along with blizzard conditions, secret passageways and musical snippets.<\/p>\n

The play was first performed at the\u00a0Circle Repertory Company\u00a0in New York and later moved to\u00a0Broadway in April 1987 at The\u00a0Longacre Theatre. Both productions were directed by the playwright and shared the same cast. The play is said to have been based on several 1940s mystery movies, including\u00a0The Cat and the Canary, one of\u00a0Bob Hope’s first films.<\/p>\n

Bernice Roth is a perpetually thirsty\u00a0lyricist and alcoholic. She is Roger\u2019s partner. Bernice is very odd and emotional, frequently losing her composure and screaming. When Marjorie fails to respond to the second act opening number of \u201cWhite House Merry-Go-Round,\u201d Bernice is hugely offended, despite the fact that Marjorie was dead at the time. She spends the entire second act attempting to \u201cfix\u201d the play, even when she is held hostage.<\/p>\n

The production at Candlelight features a standout cast of Susan Giddings, Chelsea Paradiso, Susan Wefel, Henry Glejzer, Walter Todd, Chris Fitting, Sarah Mackus, Robert Gene Pellechio, Samantha Ricciuti and Shaun Yates.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Musical Comedy Murders of 1940\u201d is running now through June 25. Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings (doors 6 p.m.\/show, 8 p.m.) and Sunday afternoons (doors, 1 p.m.\/show, 3 p.m.). Tickets, which include dinner and a show, are $71.50 for adults and $33 for children (ages 4-12).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times We all have songs that we fell in love with a long time ago and still cherish \u2013 songs that played a big part in forming music tastes that last a lifetime. Some of us have downloaded them to a current file on our computers. Some of us […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[4959,6518,5631],"class_list":["post-41248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-dar-williams","tag-featured","tag-mary-fahl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41248"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41249,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41248\/revisions\/41249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}