{"id":56262,"date":"2025-12-19T10:39:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T15:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=56262"},"modified":"2025-12-27T09:58:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T14:58:48","slug":"on-stage-hypnosis-meets-improve-at-the-colonial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/?p=56262","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Hypnosis meets improv at The Colonial"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n
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HYPROV<\/p><\/div>\n

The last time Colin Mochrie and Asad Mecci performed in this area was at Xcite Center at Parx Casino with a new show called \u201cHYPROV: Improv under Hypnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Now, they are coming back with the same show in a new version — the highly successful, \u201cYes, It\u2019s Real\u201d Tour.<\/div>\n
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With new dates announced and fresh from visiting over 60 North American cities since October 2024, the show is consistently stunning audiences, making them ask, \u201cIs this real?\u201d<\/div>\n
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The tour will touch down locally with a show at the Colonial Theatre (227 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, thecolonialtheatre.com\/events<\/a>).<\/div>\n

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Scottish-born Mochrie is one of the most prolific improvisers on both sides of the pond today. He found his first line of work as a member of the Vancouver TheatreSports League where he met fellow improviser Ryan Stiles.<\/div>\n
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He toured with The Second City comedy troupe until Stiles recommended that he audition for a brand-new British TV show, \u201cWhose Line Is It Anyway?\u201d<\/div>\n
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After failing in his first attempt to get on the show, Mochrie spent eight years as a regular until it ended in 1998. He then joined the U.S. version on ABC, appearing in every episode, and continues with the current revival on the CW Network.<\/div>\n
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Asad Mecci\u2019s jaw dropping performances have captivated audiences worldwide. He has performed in front of more than 1.5 million people on stage and millions more through mass media. Mecci\u2019s resume includes performances on Entertainment Tonight, MTV, Maxim Online, HGTV, and YTV.<\/div>\n
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When he is not performing on stage, Mecci uses hypnosis to help people lose weight, reduce stress and achieve peak performance. From a consulting perspective, Mecci has collaborated with legendary figure skating coach Brian Orser to produce a visualization figure skating app, which would eventually help Yuzuru Hanyu win the gold medal in the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics.<\/div>\n
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\u201cHYPROV\u201d (pronounced hip-rawv) isn\u2019t just a show \u2014 it\u2019s part mind experiment, part comedy lab, and 100 percent entertainment.<\/div>\n
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Twenty audience volunteers take the stage \u2014 completely voluntarily.<\/div>\n
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Within minutes, Mecci guides them into a state of fearless creativity.<\/div>\n
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The most receptive \u201cHyprovisors\u201d then join Mochrie to perform a completely improvised comedy show \u2014 while hypnotized.<\/div>\n
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There is no script and no safety net — just raw imagination and real laughter unfolding live.<\/div>\n
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With improvised music driving the rhythm, every performance is a one-of-a-kind high-wire act of comedy, chaos, and connection.<\/div>\n
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\u201cHYPROV\u201d isn\u2019t just a show \u2014 it\u2019s part mind experiment, part comedy lab, and 100 percent entertainment.<\/div>\n
\u201cWe get 20 volunteers who get hypnotized on stage by Asad,\u201d said Mochrie, during a recent phone interview from his home in Toronto, Ontario.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThen, we narrow it to 10 and then narrow it down again to five of the best. These five, while still hypnotized, do improv scenes with me.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The act had a strange beginning,<\/div>\n
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\u201cAsad was taking improv classes at Second City,\u201d said Mochrie \u201cHe realized the similarities in both hypnotism and improv.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Mecci said, \u201cI reached out to Colin via e-mail and talked about mixing hypnotism with improv on stage. We put on a show at Second City and it worked.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe really started to work on it at Second City\u2019s John Candy Theater. From there, we took it on the road in 2016. Now, we\u2019ve done 200 cities in North America, Off-Broadway, Las Vegas and a television special.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Before taking it to the stage, they were unsure whether it would actually work in that environment.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI didn\u2019t meet Asad until he reached out to my agent,\u201d said Mochrie. \u201cAsad is an amazing hypnotist who has worked with Canadian Olympic teams.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhen we were putting this show together, I thought \u2013 this is scary. But the part I like about improv is to be out of the comfort zone.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Any doubts they had were soon erased.<\/div>\n
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Mecci said, \u201cIn the beginning, it was very raw. Now, one segment features a radio detective with the hypnotist playing all the characters \u2013including the chief of police and a femme fatale.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The show changes every night.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt was nerve-wracking the first time we did it,\u201d said Mochrie. \u201cWe did it and it worked amazingly well.<\/div>\n
\u201cWe have sort of a game list, but it can change on the fly. One segment is a 1940s radio show with all wrong sound effects.<\/div>\n
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\u201cOur show is a fast-paced show with no intermission. It\u2019s 75 minutes straight of funny improv.\u201d<\/div>\n
Mecci said, \u201cWe learned a lot about staging, mic control and lighting.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe show progresses based in the information the hypnotized give us. That\u2019s what I love about it. The people are truly living what they say.<\/div>\n
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\u201cOne night, I called the chief of police a thief and told him he was the primary suspect \u2013 a real red herring suspect.\u201d<\/div>\n
Mochrie said, \u201cWith this show, it\u2019s different in that the hypnotized give full eye contact the whole time \u2013 totally unblinking. And they immediately say whatever is on their mind.\u201d<\/div>\n
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So, if you like improv acts, hypnotist performers, spontaneity or just plain humor, this is a show that you\u2019ll definitely like \u2013 and you\u2019re not alone.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe just announced an Australian tour,\u201d said Mecci. \u201cThis show has taken on a life of its own and we\u2019re really excited about that.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Video link for Colin Mochrie and Asad Mecci — \u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/NDwSTUKjiZ8<\/a><\/u><\/div>\n
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The show at the Colonial Theatre\u2019s 1903 Theatre will start at 8 p.m. on December 19.<\/div>\n
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Ticket prices start at $39.50.<\/div>\n
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Other upcoming shows at the venue are \u201cJoe DeRosa: Home for the Holidays\u201d in the 1903 Theatre on December 20, and \u201cA Charlie Brown Christmas with the Eric Mintel Quartet\u201d in the White Rabbit Theatre on December 20.<\/div>\n
On December 24, it will be time for \u201cFesta dei sette pesci\u201d \u2013 the Italian Christmas Eve dinner known as the \u201cFeast of Seven Fishes.\u201d<\/div>\n
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On December 19, the focus will be on just one fish \u2013 not seven.<\/div>\n
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Samantha Fish<\/p><\/div>\n

On that date, Samantha Fish will perform at the Keswick Theater (291 North Keswick Avenue, Glenside, www.keswicktheatre.com<\/a><\/u>) as part of the \u201cShake \u2018Em On Down Tour\u201d with Cedric Burnside and Jon Spencer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Fish\u00a0is a veteran musician, a talented singer and an adept songwriter. She\u2019s a guitarist with roots in rock, blues and Americana.<\/div>\n
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But, more than anything, she rocks loud and hard and gets audiences off their seats and shakin\u2019 their asses.<\/div>\n
One of the most formidable guitarists of her generation, Fish deals in her own unmatched brand of bravado, bringing both mind-blowing power and extraordinary emotionality to everything she creates.<\/div>\n
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Since first introducing the world to her larger-than-life talent, the multi-award-winning festival headliner has built a triumphant career whose latest milestones include earning a Grammy nomination for\u00a0\u201cDeath Wish Blues\u201d\u00a0(her 2023 collaboration with rocker Jesse Dayton) and opening for The Rolling Stones on their final 2024 U.S. tour date.<\/div>\n
Fish\u00a0is touring in support of her latest album, \u201cPaper Doll,\u201d which was released on April 25, 2025 via Rounder Records.<\/div>\n
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On \u201cPaper Doll,\u201d Fish delivers nine powerhouse songs that hit with an unstoppable force, each delivered with an exquisite dose of illuminating insight, soul-soothing empathy, and\u2014above all\u2014newly heightened clarity of vision.<\/div>\n
\u201cI worked on the album last summer,\u201d said Fish, during a phone interview last week from her home in New Orleans. \u201cI started recording and finished by November.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI had done the \u2018Death Wish Blues\u2019 album with Jesse in 2023. Then, I went on tour last year. It was the first time I went on the road without an album to promote.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI recorded a lot of \u2018Paper Doll\u2019 when I was on tour. I did some recording at The Orb (Orb Recording Studio in Austin, Texas) and some at Savannah Studios in Los Angeles. I went back and forth.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Now, Fish is touring with her band and a new album to promote.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI definitely want to focus on the new record,\u201d said Fish, a native of Kansas City and a devout Chiefs\u2019 fan (who must be in mourning after her team was eliminated from NFL playoff contention last weekend.)<\/div>\n
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\u201cI recorded the album with my band which has Micky Finn on Keyboards. We also have bassist Ron Johnson who joined right after COVID, and drummer Jamie Douglas, who joined in April 2023.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI started writing in March 2024 and then wrote from March to August. The songs on the album were all new except for two old ones \u2013 \u2018Off in the Blue\u2019 and \u2018I\u2019m Done Running.\u2019<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe recorded 13 songs and used nine on the record. I just released a \u2018Deluxe Edition\u2019 with two additional songs \u2013 \u2018Dead Armadillo\u2019 and \u2018Don\u2019t Let It Bring You Down.\u2019<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe way I approach songs is identifying a clear hook and building a song around it. They\u2019re based on personal experiences.<\/div>\n
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\u201cAs far as the content, it\u2019s really about telling a story. I co-wrote a lot of songs with Bobby Harlow, who produced the album. I also wrote songs with Katie Pearlman, Jim McCormick and Anders Osborne.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Fish\u2019s album prior to \u201cDeath Wish Blues\u201d was \u201cFaster,\u201d which was released on September 10, 2021.<\/div>\n
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\u201cFaster\u201d is the sixth album by Fish and her sophomore release for Rounder Records. Her Rounder debut was 2019\u2019s\u00a0\u201cKill\u00a0or Be Kind.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cFaster\u201d\u00a0debuted in the Billboard Blues Charts at Number 1. It also debuted at Number 2 in the Folk Americana Charts and Number 10 in the Rock Albums Charts.<\/div>\n
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Guitar World named\u00a0Fish\u00a0as \u201cOne of the 30 best guitarists in the world.\u201d\u00a0She came in at Number 7 behind Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Joe Bonamassa.<\/div>\n
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\u201c\u2018Faster\u2019 is a pandemic album,\u201d said\u00a0Fish.\u00a0\u201cI started working on it during the pandemic. I told myself \u2013 go inside yourself and be creative.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cFaster\u201d was produced by Martin Kierszenbaum.<\/div>\n
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\u201cMartin reached out in 2020,\u201d said\u00a0Fish. \u201cWe had a Kansas City connection.\u00a0We met and meshed really well.<\/div>\n
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\u201cMartin had a different approach to production. He played all the keyboards, and I did all the guitar work. The album has a heartbeat. It\u2019s very human. I recorded most of the songs live \u2013 meat and potatoes.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m always into exploring. Every record I make is different from the last. You\u2019ve got to be open to change to grow. You have to listen to your heart.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Fish\u00a0has music in her DNA.<\/div>\n
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\u201cMy dad played, and my mom sang in church,\u201d said\u00a0Fish. \u201cMy dad\u2019s friends all played music. They\u2019d come over to our house and play.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt was a social thing. My uncles played metal with heavy guitar. My dad\u2019s friends played country-and-western and blues.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI started with drums and did that for a couple years. I\u2019m glad I did because it gave me the rhythmic foundation.<\/div>\n
\u201cWhen I picked up guitar \u2013 that\u2019s when I started singing. Not long after, I started writing songs.<\/div>\n
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\u201cSongwriting is something you have to work on if you want to learn how to write good songs. I still play songs today that I wrote when I was 20. My songs are rock, country and soul \u2013 all bluesy even though I\u2019ve never written a standard blues song.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Musical diversity has always been crucial for\u00a0Fish\u00a0\u2013 listening and playing.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI listened to a lot of soul music \u2014 people like Otis Redding and Ray Charles,\u201d said\u00a0Fish. \u201cI was also influenced by blues acts \u2014 especially North Mississippi blues \u2014 people like R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough.\u201d<\/div>\n
The \u201cShake \u2018Em On Down Tour\u201d also features Cedric Burnside and Jon Spencer.<\/div>\n
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Burnside is an American\u00a0electric blues\u00a0guitarist, drummer, singer and songwriter. He is the son of blues drummer\u00a0Calvin Jackson\u00a0and grandson of blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist\u00a0R. L. Burnside.<\/div>\n
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Burnside has played drums, either live or on record, with R. L. Burnside,\u00a0Jimmy Buffett,\u00a0T-Model Ford,\u00a0Widespread Panic,\u00a0Jessie Mae Hemphill and the\u00a0Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.<\/div>\n
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Jon Spencer attended\u00a0Brown University\u00a0 where he was part of the noise rock band Shithaus, with Tod Ashley (Cop Shoot Cop,\u00a0Firewater). Spencer moved to\u00a0Washington, D.C.\u00a0in 1985, where he formed the band\u00a0Pussy Galore\u00a0with\u00a0Julia Cafritz.<\/div>\n
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The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion\u00a0is an American three-piece<\/a><\/u>\u00a0rock\u00a0band from\u00a0New York City, formed in 1991.\u00a0The group\u2019s musical style is largely rooted in\u00a0rock and roll.<\/div>\n
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Video link for Samantha Fish — https:\/\/youtu.be\/3rhUFAdfEjA<\/a><\/u>.<\/div>\n
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The \u201cShake \u2018Em On Down Tour\u201d at the Keswick Theater will start at 8 p.m.<\/div>\n
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Tickets are $48.41.<\/div>\n
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Another upcoming show at the Keswick Theater this weekend is \u201cAn American Celtic Christmas\u201d on December 20.<\/div>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t Get It Out of My Head\u201d is the latest album by Mary Fahl.<\/div>\n
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It is also the description of what happens after someone hears her voice in song.<\/div>\n
Mary\u00a0Fahl\u00a0has a very distinctive voice.<\/div>\n
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If you\u2019ve ever heard her\u00a0sing, you have her voice etched permanently into your memory bank.<\/div>\n
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From that point on, if you hear a song by\u00a0Fahl, you immediately know who is singing.<\/div>\n
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If you want to hear holiday music with a difference, head to Upper Bucks County this weekend.<\/div>\n
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When\u00a0Fahl\u00a0performs her annual Christmas shows, which she has been doing for more than a decade, those in the audience hear holiday music in a whole new way.<\/div>\n
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On December 21,\u00a0Fahl\u00a0is returning to the Sellersville Theater (24 West Temple Avenue, Sellersville, 215-257-5808, www.st94.com<\/a><\/u>) with \u201cMary\u00a0Fahl: Wintersongs.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cNothing much has changed in the last year,\u201d said\u00a0Fahl, during a phone interview from her home in Upper Bucks County. \u201cThere is nothing new coming down the pike.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThere is the Christmas show. It\u2019s a spectacular show.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s my annual holiday show. I do a lot of Christmas shows every year.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The Christmas show focuses mainly of her holiday album \u201cWinter Songs and Carols,\u201d which was released in 2019.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe Christmas record \u2013 I didn\u2019t want to do it,\u201d said\u00a0Fahl. \u201cMy husband made me do it. Now, it\u2019s become my favorite album.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI made a Christmas record for people who don\u2019t like Christmas with songs like Joni Mitchell\u2019s \u2018Urge for Going\u2019 and a song by Sandy Denny.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Some of the album\u2019s other songs are \u2018In the Bleak Mountains,\u201d \u201cAve Maria,\u201d \u201cWexford Carol,\u201d \u201cWhat Child Is This,\u201d \u201cWalking in the Air\u201d and \u201cOh Holy Night\/Silent Night.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Fahl\u00a0has 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.<\/div>\n
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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.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI made it in Syracuse with my band and my producer Mark Doyle,\u201d said\u00a0Fahl, during a phone interview Tuesday afternoon while returning from a gig in Maine.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe finished it in early 2022. We mixed and mastered it in March 2022 and then released it in July 2022.\u201d<\/div>\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.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThese were such essential songs for me\u2026 like old friends\u2026 my musical home in many ways,\u201d said\u00a0Fahl.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI 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.<\/div>\n
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\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<\/div>\n
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Fahl\u00a0knew exactly where she was going.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI wanted to make a record that was special to me,\u201d said\u00a0Fahl. \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.<\/div>\n
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\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<\/div>\n
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The songs provide a comfort level for\u00a0Fahl\u00a0and her fans.<\/div>\n
\u201cThe best compliment that I\u2019ve been getting is that it brought people a lot of joy,\u201d said\u00a0Fahl.<\/div>\n
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\u201cPeople really like my cover of \u2018Tuesday Afternoon.\u2019 That song gets the best audience response of anything I\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/div>\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.<\/div>\n
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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.<\/div>\n
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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.<\/div>\n
Many of\u00a0Fahl\u2019s fans have been with her ever since her time with October Project which lasted from 1993-1996.<\/div>\n
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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.<\/div>\n
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\u201cAfter making the Sony classical album (\u201cClassics for a New Century\u201d), I wanted to do something that was fun,\u201d said\u00a0Fahl.<\/div>\n
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\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.<\/div>\n
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\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<\/div>\n
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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<\/div>\n
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Fahl\u00a0is a singer, a guitarist and a songwriter. More than anything,\u00a0she\u00a0is a performer.<\/div>\n
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\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.<\/div>\n
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Video link for Mary\u00a0Fahl\u00a0\u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/8AOaV5Af2ZM?list=OLAK5uy_lhTOW8-IiA3wOw4iwXFbd5OVj46vjfNEw<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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The show at the Sellersville Theater on December 21 will start at 8 p.m.<\/div>\n
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Ticket prices range from $35-$66.50.<\/div>\n
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Other upcoming shows at the Sellersville Theater are Gary Puckett on December 19, \u201c\u2019Tis The Season with The Tisburys and Stella Ruze\u201d on December 20, and \u201cA Charlie Brown Christmas with the Eric Mintel Quartet\u201d on December 23.<\/div>\n
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A big day in the life of the\u00a0Humbleman\u00a0Band was November 1 when the band performed a \u201cRecord Release Show\u201d at the Black Squirrel Club in Philadelphia.<\/div>\n
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The band marked the official release of \u201cLooking Up,\u201d an album that was several years in the making.<\/div>\n
Now, the band is ready to offer fans another dose of the new music in live form.<\/div>\n
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On December 20, the\u00a0Humbleman\u00a0Band will headline a show at the Mermaid Inn (7654 Winston Road, Philadelphia, themermaidinn.net<\/a><\/u>).<\/div>\n
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There is a special attraction with Saturday\u2019s show which is billed as a \u201cNight of Two Kims.\u201d.<\/div>\n
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The band\u2019s old pal and former bandmate Kim Empson will be joining Kim Alexander and the band for the night.<\/div>\n
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Humbleman\u00a0Band is one of the Philadelphia area\u2019s longest-running rock bands — and a band which has been involved in projects all over the country.<\/div>\n
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Humbleman\u00a0Band\u2019s current line-up is Charlie\u00a0Cooper\u00a0– writer, vocals, guitar; Wain Ballard – lead guitar; Kim Alexander \u2013 vocals; Boz Heinly \u2013 bass; and Buck Buchannan \u2013 drums.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019ll be playing all the songs from the new album,\u201d said \u201cCholly\u201d\u00a0Cooper, during a phone interview from his home in Germantown.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThere are 14 songs on the record, and this will be the first time we\u2019ve played some of them live.\u201d<\/div>\n
There will also be an added attraction.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re also going to be playing a new song that was just written and is not on the album,\u201d said Cooper, one of several musicians to come from the Norristown area along with a pair of late jazz greats \u2014 bassist Jaco Pastorius and Hammond legend Jimmy Smith.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe song is called \u2018No Kings\u2019 and was inspired by the recent \u2018No Kings\u2019 events.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The band has been around for more than a quarter-century.<\/div>\n
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\u201cHumbleman\u00a0Band\u00a0was formed in 1999,\u201d said\u00a0Cooper. \u201cWe get along really well musically and as friends. We have a lot of respect for each other.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Humbleman\u00a0Band is not very prolific when it comes to releasing albums.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe seem to have a cycle of putting out an album every five years,\u201d said\u00a0Cooper. \u00a0\u201cWe put out an album a few years ago called \u2018Least Bad of\u00a0Humbleman\u00a01984-2009.\u2019 That album was a 25-year compilation starting with our days in 1984 as a punk band called The Proles.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The band released its albums \u201cLate Bloom\u201d in fall 2014 and \u201cBeautiful Day\u201d in November 2018.<\/div>\n
Humbleman\u00a0Band, a rock band that is socially conscious, features songs that band members have written and arranged \u2013 songs with lyrics inspired by current events.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe just finished wrapping up our next album, which has been two years in the making,\u201d said Cooper. \u201cWe went into the studio a few months ago.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe recorded the rhythm section in a big studio — Rittenhouse Soundworks in Germantown. Then we did the overdubs at our home studio, J-Street Studios.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe last recordings happened in March. Then we sent it to Rittenhouse Sound for mixing and mastering.\u201d<\/div>\n
The LP, which has an up-tempo feel and an uplifting vibe, is the band\u2019s best recording yet.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe title track \u2013 \u201cLooking Up\u201d \u2013 showcases the group\u2019s optimism with lyrics such as, \u201cNot so bad, could be worse, could be surrounded by flowers in the back of some hearse\u201d and \u201cThings are looking more up, my friend, that\u2019s how I\u2019m feelin\u2019 today.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Humbleman\u00a0Band has consistently delivered social commentary and positive messages, often with humor and a light touch, using spoken word lyrics, and generally delivered with dance beat arrangement.<\/div>\n
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Video link for\u00a0Humbleman\u00a0Band \u2014 https:\/\/youtu.be\/01Clk69MaAU<\/a><\/u><\/i>.<\/div>\n
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The show at the Mermaid Inn will start at 8 p.m.<\/div>\n
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Tickets are $10.<\/div>\n
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This year, People\u2019s Light (39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, peopleslight.org<\/a><\/u>) is presenting a production of Charles Dickens\u2019 \u201cA Christmas Carol\u201d now through January 4 on the Leonard C. Haas Stage.<\/div>\n
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But it\u2019s not the Dickens\u2019 \u201cA Christmas Carol\u201d you\u2019ve grown to know and love over the years.<\/div>\n
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With inventive and joyful staging by Producing Director Molly Rosa Houlahan, Producing Artistic Director Zak Berkman brings Dickens\u2019 beloved classic to life through the eyes of a child.<\/div>\n
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In this surprising and whimsical adaptation, audiences follow Ebenezer Scrooge and a gathering of benevolent ghosts on a journey through time showing the redemptive power of kindness, hope, and love.<\/div>\n
This imaginative retelling features traditional English carols woven with a Barrymore-nominated original score by<\/div>\n
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Berkman and arrangements by Mitch Chakour.<\/div>\n
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Berkman brought \u201cA Christmas Carol\u201d to life through the eyes of a child. It is set in the attic of a 10-year-old boy.<\/div>\n
\u201cIn this version, the story is really told by a group of spirits who have visited this young boy in his attic,\u201d said Berkman.<\/div>\n
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\u201cInstead of Victorian England, we\u2019re in this boy\u2019s playroom. Through the story, we find out what is the connection between the young boy and the spirits.\u201d<\/div>\n
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People\u2019s Light remains committed to making theatre accessible and welcoming for all.<\/div>\n
Open Captioning will be available during all performances from December 30-January 4, displaying dialogue on an<\/div>\n
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LED screen to support patrons with hearing impairments and English language learners.<\/div>\n
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Video link for People\u2019s Light — https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zICXuBNoPuY<\/a><\/u>.<\/div>\n
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\u201cA Christmas Carol\u201d will run now through January 4 on the Leonard C. Haas Stage at People\u2019s Light.<\/div>\n
Ticket prices start at $35.<\/div>\n
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A great way to get into the holiday spirit is to visit the Candlelight Dinner Theatre (2208 Millers Road, Arden, Delaware, www.candlelighttheatredelaware.org<\/a><\/u><\/i>).<\/div>\n
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The Candlelight\u2019s 2025 holiday show, \u201cChristmas by Candlelight,\u201d is running now through December 21.<\/div>\n
For a month-and-a-half, the Candlelight is treating audiences to its heartwarming celebration of the yuletide season, which is back by popular demand this year.<\/div>\n
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This year\u2019s show features favorite seasonal and sacred tunes, as well as some new surprises, brought to life by some of the theater\u2019s most popular cast and staff.<\/div>\n
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Candlelight\u2019s fans\u2019 favorites in the cast are Jared Calhoun, Maurene Cotellese, Tina Gabriella Delano, Erin Lunde, Tim Moudy, Cody Palmer, Samatha Ricchiuti, Tess Sinatra, Shawn Weaver, Shaun Yates, Tori Healy, Heather Healy, Dan Healy and Anthony Connell, a longtime actor who also has been Props Master for shows this year.<\/div>\n
The songs range from a capella versions of famous songs to comedic numbers, upbeat holiday tunes and classic Christmas songs you may hear sung at church services.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Some of the showcase songs are \u201cJingle Bells,\u201d \u201cSanta Claus Is Coming to Town,\u201d \u201cWe Wish You a Merry Christmas,\u201d \u201cThe Little Drummer Boy,\u201d \u201cDo You Hear What I Hear,\u201d \u201cJoy To The World,\u201d \u201cO Come All Ye Faithful\u201d and, of course, \u201cWhite Christmas.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Tickets, which include dinner and show, are $77.50 for adults and $35 for children (ages 4-12). \u201cShow Only\u201d tickets, which have limited availability, cost $35.<\/div>\n
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Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a><\/u>) is hosting the Lenape Brass Ensemble on December 21.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org<\/a><\/u>) is presenting \u201cCinderella\u201d now through December 28.<\/div>\n
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Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, www.jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a><\/u>) will present Laura Cheadle Band\u2019s \u201cChristmas Show\u201d on December 19, the Roger Girke Band and the Nick Kane Band on December 20 and Steve Shanahan\u2019s Blues Muthas at a noon matinee on December 21.<\/div>\n
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On December 19, the Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com<\/a><\/u>) will present \u201cThe Rock Orchestra Plays the Beatles.\u201d On December 20, the venue will host Green River: Creedence Clearwater Revival Tribute.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times\u00a0 The last time Colin Mochrie and Asad Mecci performed in this area was at Xcite Center at Parx Casino with a new show called \u201cHYPROV: Improv under Hypnosis.\u201d Now, they are coming back with the same show in a new version — the highly successful, \u201cYes, It\u2019s Real\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[287,1],"tags":[16231,16230,7426,16229,10256],"class_list":["post-56262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-uncategorized","tag-asad-mecci","tag-colin-mochrie","tag-featured","tag-hyprov","tag-samantha-fish"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=56262"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56285,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56262\/revisions\/56285"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/56260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=56262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=56262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unionvilletimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=56262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}