{"id":19387,"date":"2019-09-21T09:33:30","date_gmt":"2019-09-21T13:33:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=19387"},"modified":"2019-09-21T09:33:37","modified_gmt":"2019-09-21T13:33:37","slug":"on-stage-james-plays-it-big-in-love-for-three-oranges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=19387","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: James plays it ‘big’ in Love For Three Oranges"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

Zachary James<\/p><\/div>\n

Zachary James is a Broadway and screen actor and an international opera singer who has performed in venues all around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, James call Philadelphia home and is performing with Opera Philadelphia.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the next two weekends, James will play a major role in Opera Philadelphia\u2019s company premiere of \u201cThe Love for Three Oranges.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Love for Three Oranges\u201d features music by Sergei Prokofiev and a libretto by Prokofiev and Vera Janacopoulos. It is based on Vsevolod Meyerhold\u2019s adaptation of the play by Carlo Gozzi and is performed in English with English supertitles.<\/span><\/p>\n

The opera is part of Opera Philadelphia\u2019s Festival O19, which is running now through September 29 at the Academy of Music (240 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, www.operaphila.org<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Love for Three Oranges,\u201d which is billed as a \u201czesty love story,\u201d is a\u00a0pithy\u00a0fairytale\u00a0about a sweet\u00a0young prince, cursed by a\u00a0sour\u00a0witch and forced to voyage into distant lands in search of three oranges,\u00a0each of which\u00a0contains\u00a0a princess.<\/span><\/p>\n

100 years after\u00a0composer Sergei\u00a0Prokofiev wrote this\u00a0endlessly inventive\u00a0opera,\u00a0best known for its famous \u201cMarch,\u201d\u00a0the time is ripe for\u00a0\u201cThe Love for Three Oranges\u201d\u00a0to finally\u00a0make its Opera Philadelphia debut.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2016, I performed in \u2018<\/span>Breaking The Waves\u2019 for Opera Philadelphia,\u201d said James, during a recent phone interview from his home in Philadelphia. \u201cIt was a world premiere \u2013 and my first time with Opera Philadelphia. It was a great experience. I did two years of workshops to get ready.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith \u2018The Love for Three Oranges,\u2019 I was approached by Opera Philadelphia. I told them I was living in Philly now \u2013 that I was a local artist. We started rehearsals not long after that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Love for Three Oranges, Op. 33,\u201d a satirical<\/a> opera by Prokofiev, is also known by its French language title \u201cL’amour des trois oranges\u201d and its Russian title \u201c\u041b\u044e\u0431\u043e\u0432\u044c \u043a \u0442\u0440\u0451\u043c \u0430\u043f\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0441\u0438\u043d\u0430\u043c.\u201d Its French libretto was based on the Italian play \u201cL’amore delle tre melarance\u201d by Gozzi. The opera premiered at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, Illinois in December 1921.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not an opera that is done too often,\u201d said James, who is making his Metropolitan Opera debut in \u201cAhknaten,\u201d which plays at the Met from November 8-December 7 and will be broadcast live around the world in November 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not that familiar with it and have never seen it performed live. It is most known for its famous overture. It\u2019s kind of a fantastical story. It\u2019s like \u2018Alice in Wonderland.\u2019 It\u2019s kind of a strange story in a way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

James, who grew up in New Port Richey, Florida, is no stranger to strange stories having played Lurch in the original Broadway company of \u201cThe Addams Family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a family-friendly show of standard length \u2013 a little over two hours,\u201d said James.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI play The Cook. He\u2019s both a giant (6 foot, 6 inches) and also a female. It\u2019s my first drag role. It\u2019s especially strange because of my bass voice, It adds to the comic element.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy role is like the witch in \u2018Hansel and Gretel.\u2019 The Cook wants to eat them. It\u2019s a bit of a twist.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The opera is appealing to audiences for many ways other than just the comedic element.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnother special thing is that we\u2019re performing in English,\u201d said James. \u201cIt\u2019s usually performed in Russian or French.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Other Festival O19 productions during the upcoming week will be \u201cSemele\u201d at the Perelman Theater, \u201cDenis & Katya\u201d at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, \u201cLet Me Die\u201d World Premiere at Fringe Arts, \u201cCurtis in Concert\u201d at Field Concert Hall, and the \u201cFestival O19 Celebration\u201d on September 21 at the Academy of Music.<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Opera Philadelphia — https:\/\/youtu.be\/Vej4khmFzZ0?list=PLpbhbGwbWvNLBtVrdKVXJv1RT1ECo439D<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The production at the Academy of Music will be performed at 8 p.m. on Fridays and 2 p.m. on Sundays.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ticket prices range from $29-$229.<\/span><\/p>\n

On September 21, the Annenberg Center (3680 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, https:\/\/annenbergcenter.org\/events<\/a>) will present a special concert featuring Sweet Honey in the Rock.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Sweet Honey in The Rock<\/p><\/div>\n

Sweet Honey in The Rock is a performance ensemble rooted in African American history and culture. It is a Grammy Award-winning female a cappella group \u2013 an African-American ensemble with a musical range that includes spirituals, blues, jazz, gospel, reggae, rap, ancient lullabies, calypso, hip-hop, African chants and freestyle improvisation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ensemble educates, entertains and empowers its audience and community through the dynamic vehicles of a cappella singing and American Sign Language interpretation for the Deaf and hard of hearing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet Honey\u2019s audience and community comes from diverse backgrounds and cultures throughout the United States and around the world, and includes people of all ages, economic\/education\/social backgrounds, political persuasions, religious affiliations, sexual preferences and differing abilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet Honey in the Rock hasn\u2019t been around forever \u2013 it just seems that way. The vocal ensemble was founded in 1973 by Bernice Johnson Reagon and has continued to flourish ever since. The most recent Sweet Honey in the Rock release \u201c#LoveInEvolution\u201d is the group\u2019s 27th album.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet Honey in the Rock was founded in 1973 by Bernice Johnson Reagon, who was teaching a vocal workshop with the Washington, D.C. Black Repertory Company. Reagon retired from the group in 2004. The name of the group was derived from a song, based on Psalm 81:16, which tells of a land so rich that when rocks were cracked open, honey flowed from them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet Honey in the Rock has received several Grammy Award nominations, including one for their children\u2019s album, \u201cStill the Same Me,\u201d which received the Silver Award from the National Association of Parenting Publications. The group won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album for their version of Lead Belly\u2019s \u201cGrey Goose\u201d from the compilation album \u201cFolkways: A Vision Shared.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The group has featured more than 20 vocalists since its creation. Sweet Honey in The Rock now includes six vocalists \u2013 founding members Louise Robinson and Carol Maillard along Aisha Kahlil, Nitanju Bolade Casel, Rochelle Rice, and Christi Dashiell \u2013 plus Romeir Mendez on acoustic bass and electric bass and American Sign Language Interpreter Barbara Hunt.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Maillard, the show at Annenberg is a homecoming event. She grew up in Philadelphia, attended elementary school at Gesu School and graduated from Hallahan High School.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always special for me to come back to Philadelphia,\u201d said Maillard, during a phone interview Tuesday from her home in New York. \u201cI went to grade school and high school there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen, I went to Catholic University in Washington, D.C. I started as a violin performance major at Catholic University and then switched to theater.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Maillard is an accomplished actress and has performed in film, television, and on stage.\u00a0Her theater credits encompass a wide range of styles from musical comedy and revues to drama and experimental.\u00a0She has performed on and off Broadway (\u201cEubie,\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t Get God Started,\u201d \u201cComin\u2019 Uptown,\u201d \u201cHome,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s So Nice To Be Civilized,\u201d \u201cBeehive,\u201d \u201cForever My Darling\u201d); with the Negro Ensemble Company (\u201cHome,\u201d \u201cZooman and the Sign,\u201d \u201cColored Peoples Time,\u201d \u201cThe Great Mac Daddy\u201d); and the New York Shakespeare Festival (\u201cSpunk,\u201d \u201cCaucasian Chalk Circle,\u201d \u201cUnder Fire,\u201d \u201cA Photograph\u2026\u201d).<\/span><\/p>\n

Maillard has also performed in Ntozake Shange\u2019s \u201cBetsey Brown\u201d at the American Musical Theatre Festival and also at the Actors Studio (Hunter).\u00a0She can be seen in the feature films \u201cBeloved\u201d and \u201cThirty Years to Life.\u201d On television, Maillard has appeared in \u201cFor Colored Girls Who Have ConsideredSuicide\u201d and \u201cHalleluiah!\u201d (PBS), and \u201cLaw and Order: SVU.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Although she originally attended Catholic University of America on scholarship as a Violin Performance major, Maillard soon began writing music and performing with the Drama Department and eventually changed her major to Theater. This passion for the stage brought her to the\u00a0D.C. Black Repertory Company and the beginnings of the vocal ensemble that was to become Sweet Honey In The Rock.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been over 20 different women in the group since it first started,\u201d said Maillard. \u201cThe group we have now includes two founding members — Louise Robinson, who left and then came back in 2004, and me. I left at the end of the 1970s to pursue other interests and then came back in 1992. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve done Broadway and also national tours. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019d do a national tour again. There are a lot of factors involved. One of my favorite Broadway shows was \u2018Home.\u2019 I got to play a lot of different characters.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love Sweet Honey in the Rock because of life and who I am. I love our culture \u2013 how we were raised \u2013 and living in America. With Sweet Honey, people come up to us and tell us how our music has improved their lives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With a history than spans almost a quarter of a century, Sweet Honey has a lot of material that has become fan favorites \u2013 and group standards. Getting all this into a single concert takes work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really challenging but there are many ways we get it done,\u201d said Maillard. \u201cNew material keeps coming into the group\u2019s repertoire and a lot of older material is still in our repertoire too. We keep making CDs so we always try to fit in songs from whichever in the latest. We keep writing and keep coming up with new ideas. Our show touches on the history of the group and where we are now. We really do try to stay contemporary.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe set list for each show depends on the person who is putting the songs together and how much rehearsal we\u2019ve had. Some things we carry through. Each city is different, and we try to make sure we don\u2019t just repeat what we did there the last time we were in that city. For this weekend\u2019s show in Philly, it\u2019s Nitanju\u2019s turn to make the list.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet Honey in the Rock\u2019s most recent album, release \u201c#LoveInEvolution,\u201d was released in 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no new album yet but we\u2019re talking about it,\u201d said Maillard. \u201cCurrently, things are different in how music is being put out. We\u2019re going to do a single in October.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Sweet Honey in the Rock \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/GBlT7FwWrfI<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at Annenberg Center will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $79.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Penny & Sparrow<\/p><\/div>\n

If you saw a listing for a concert by Penny & Sparrow and you never heard of the act, you might think it was a female R&B duo or maybe a pair of ladies strumming guitars and singing Americana tunes.<\/span><\/p>\n

And, if that\u2019s what you were thinking, you\u2019d be way off the mark.<\/span><\/p>\n

Penny & Sparrow, who are headlining a show on September 21 at The Foundry at Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal Street, Philadelphia, 215-309-0150,www.thefillmorephilly.com<\/a>), are actually a pair if musical dudes from Texas — Andy Baxter and Kyle Jahnke.<\/span><\/p>\n

They met in Austin, Texas when they were students at the University of Texas. Baxter, who is a Dallas native, was a biology major on a pre-med track. Jahnke, who hails from Fort Worth, was a radio\/television\/film major.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were college roommates,\u201d said Baxter, during a phone interview Thursday afternoon from a tour stop in Washington, D.C.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was living in a house with 10 guys in my final semester. Andy and his girlfriend asked if they could move in and everybody in the house was fine with it because it meant less rent for each to pay. The first time I met Andy was when he came there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was in 2009. I was learning guitar at the time and Andy has always been a good singer. I kept learning songs and he\u2019d sing along. Slowly, I started singing harmony on top.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Eventually, they developed into a music act.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe never intended this to be a full-time career,\u201d said Baxter. \u201cAt first, it was just for fun. Our first gigs were playing fundraisers for friends. Going on tour was something we and our wives wanted to do just for a change. I had been working on a grant for a non-profit and that ended. So, we decided to book a summer tour for fun \u2013 for a summer vacation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe had just put out our first EP and our first album. With the world of the internet and iTunes, people were able to find our music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Penny & Sparrow started their band discography with the \u201cCreature\u201d EP in August 2011 and followed with the \u201cTenboom\u201d album in January 2013.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur second album was \u2018Struggle Pretty,\u2019 which came out in 2014,\u201d said Baxter. \u201cNow, we have six albums.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The band\u2019s \u201cLet a Lover Drown You\u201d album was recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama with John Paul White as the producer. Penny and Sparrow followed with the \u201cWendigo\u201d album, which was recorded in the Single Lock Studio in Florence, Alabama and released in August 2017.
\n\u201cEverything was recorded with our old friend Chris Jacobie,\u201d said Baxter. \u201cEverything was D.I.Y. Chris has a studio in his house that we use.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter 2016, we said to each other that we felt that this was our job now. We love it. No matter what the income, we love making music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

On August 2, 2019, Penny & Sparrow\u00a0released their new album, \u201cFinch,\u201d\u00a0via\u00a0Thirty Tigers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded \u2018Finch\u2019 last year and finished it early this year \u2013 in February,\u201d said Baxter, who now lives in Waco, Texas while Jahnke lives in Florence, Alabama.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHalf of it was done at Chris Jacobie\u2019s studio in San Antonio. For the other half, Andy worked on it at his friend\u2019s house in Florence. After we recorded \u2018Let a Lover Drown You\u2019 in Florence, Andy fell in love with the city and moved there with his wife.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we were making \u2018Finch,\u2019 we sent tracks back-and-forth to each other. We had never done it this way before. In the beginning, we didn\u2019t think it would work out, but we still gave it a shot. Luckily, it worked out. I do 75-80 per cent of the music and Andy does 75-80 per cent of the words \u2013 with a little bleed on both sides.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The deeply vulnerable\u00a0and boldly cinematic \u201cFinch\u201d was written during their first major break from the road in years. The album focuses a profound awakening that altered their perceptions of masculinity, sex, religion, divorce, friendship, vanity, purpose, and, perhaps most importantly, self.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Baxter, \u201cWe were both brought up in the conservative South, where you\u2019re instilled with the notion that the straight white Evangelical Christian male perspective is, if not the only, then the most correct view.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t understand how wrong that was until we went out and experienced the world for ourselves. Almost everything changed for us in these last two years. It was a painful experience in a lot of ways, but it was also a joyful one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The result was \u201cFinch\u201d \u2013 an album that succeeds on many levels.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSonically, we\u2019ve started getting a little more rhythmic,\u201d Saud Baxter. \u201cThe most important thing is that it is something that is easy to listen to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Penny & Sparrow — https:\/\/youtu.be\/dvFimLs-TLU<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at The Foundry at Fillmore Philadelphia on September 21, which has Caroline Spence as the opener, will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $17.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at The Foundry are Bars and Melody on September 22, flor on September 24 and Rocket Summer on September 25.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Chris Smither<\/p><\/div>\n

A lot of rock and folk musicians have not been able to live for more than 50 years. Many, many rock and folk musicians have been able to mount careers that have lasted for more than five years.<\/span><\/p>\n

A notable exception has been Chris Smither, who is headlining a show at <\/span>The Locks at Sona (4417 Main Street, Manayunk, 484- 273-0481, sonapub.com<\/a>) on September 21.<\/span><\/p>\n

The veteran singer-songwriter has released more than 25 albums in his long career. His most recent LP is \u201cCall Me Lucky,\u201d which was released on March 2, 2018 on Signature Sounds\/Mighty Albert and distributed by Redeye.<\/span><\/p>\n

Smither\u2019s career as a musician covers a time period that spans more than a half-century.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been writing songs for 55 years,\u201d said Smither, during a recent phone interview from his home in western Massachusetts. \u201cMy 50th anniversary of performing came in 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, I\u2019m not in the studio. I\u2019m just doing a lot of shows. But I\u2019m only doing about 100 a year. That\u2019s about half of what I did in the past. About three years ago, I realized I didn\u2019t have to work as hard as I had been.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCall Me Lucky\u201d is his first set of brand-new originals\u00a0in seven years. Recorded at the Blue Rock Studio in the Texas foothills, the album features Smither\u00a0trademark songs that offer commentary on the human condition along with a few surprise covers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI never build up songs between albums,\u201d said Smither. \u201cI don\u2019t start writing until I think it\u2019s time to make a record. It had been two years since I made the retrospective album.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy philosophy is that when it\u2019s time to make an album, then it\u2019s time to book the studio and line up musicians. That way, you have a deadline to keep you on track.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCall Me Lucky\u201d features longtime producer and multi-instrumentalist David Goodrich, drummer Billy Conway (Morphine), Matt Lorenz (aka The Suitcase Junket), Mike Meadows, and engineer Keith Gary. They\u00a0went into the session to record10 songs. What they ended up with is a double record. Disc 1 features the eight originals and two covers they started with. Disc 2 catapults some of the very same songs into another dimension \u2014 essentially\u00a0Smither\u00a0covering\u00a0Smither.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI recorded the new album about two years ago,\u201d said Smither. \u201cI spent nine weeks of writing. Every day that I was home, I\u2019d sit down and write. I don\u2019t write in the road much \u2013 maybe just snippets of guitar parts. The lyrics I always do at home \u2013 usually in the morning.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI almost always have the guitar parts when I finish. I do the guitar part and then the melody with scat singing \u2013 just sort of nonsense syllables \u2013 figuring out what the rhymes will be. Then, a line of a phrase will pop out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, I have a line or an idea that will come to me and I write it on a Post-It note. My songwriting is a funny process. It\u2019s very foggy in the beginning. I start writing and then the idea develops. It\u2019s almost like a word game \u2013 but it\u2019s not a puzzle to me. It\u2019s a teasing out of what my subconscious wants.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The writing of a song is just one part of the song\u2019s evolution.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you finish writing a song, you never know how it\u2019s going to go until you play it for people,\u201d said Smither. \u201cSometimes, it\u2019s not until you perform live that you realize a line doesn\u2019t work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded the album in Wimberley, Texas at Blue Rock Studio. It\u2019s in the middle of nowhere so there are no distractions. You get totally immersed. I couldn\u2019t believe how deep we got into it. We worked each song individually and in 10 days the album was done. When we listened back the first time, we were delighted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Smither is deeply appreciative of his longevity as a musician.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to believe I\u2019ve been making music all these years \u2014 but it\u2019s what I do,\u201d said Smither. \u201cI\u2019m still doing a fair amount of live shows.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Smither\u2019s sophomore album \u201cDon\u2019t Drag It On\u201d came out in 1971. He didn\u2019t get into releasing albums regularly again until 1991.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the mid-80s, I quit drinking and got healthy again,\u201d said Smither. \u201cI was lucky. I\u2019m one of the survivors. I was in pretty bad shape \u2014 but nothing irreversible. Quitting was enough to get me back to good health.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was drinking, I stopped doing music full-time. I only did occasional gigs. I was keeping ends together doing carpentry and construction work. One day, this woman I knew asked me \u2014 what do you do? I said \u2014 I\u2019m a carp \u2026\u00a0\u00a0and that was all I could say.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was right then that I realized that I\u2019m a musician \u2014 that\u2019s what I do. I started getting back into music. It was sort of serendipitous \u2014 opportunity meeting the prepared. I ran into people who were interested in representing me. It didn\u2019t take that long to get back. The first year or two \u2014 it was a lot of work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I still had a reputation for being a pretty good singer and guitar player. The first album that came out then was \u2018It Ain\u2019t Easy.\u2019 Actually, I recorded it when I was still drunk. We just wanted to put something out. After that, I started to work steadily. I put out \u2018Another Way to Find You\u2019 in 1991 and \u2018Happier Blue\u2019 in 1993. \u2018Happier Blue\u2019 did really well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Since then, Smither has been releasing albums on a fairly regular basis \u2013 \u201c<\/a>Up on the Lowdown\u201d (1995), \u00a0\u201cSmall Revelations\u201d (1997), \u00a0\u00a0Drive You Home Again\u201d (1999), \u00a0\u201cLive as I’ll Ever Be\u201d (2000), \u00a0\u201cTrain Home\u201d (2003), \u00a0\u201cHoneysuckle Dog\u201d (2005), \u00a0\u201cLeave the Light On\u201d (2006), \u201cTime Stands Still\u201d (2009), \u00a0\u201cLost and Found\u201d (2011), \u201cHundred Dollar Valentine\u201d (2012), \u201cStill on the Levee\u201d (2014), and \u201cCall Me Lucky\u201d (2018).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t really started working on a new album yet,\u201d said Smither. \u201cI just recently started fooling around \u2013 guitar licks, progressions, melody ideas. I can\u2019t even start on the lyrics until all the other stuff is done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Video link for Chris Smither \u2013 <\/span>https:\/\/youtu.be\/finEkGmLs-4<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The show at The Locks at Sona will start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times Zachary James is a Broadway and screen actor and an international opera singer who has performed in venues all around the world. Now, James call Philadelphia home and is performing with Opera Philadelphia. For the next two weekends, James will play a major role in Opera Philadelphia\u2019s company […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19389,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4357],"tags":[2767,3162,8285,8284,8283],"class_list":["post-19387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-chris-smither","tag-featured","tag-penny-sparrow","tag-the-love-for-three-oranges","tag-zachary-james"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19387"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19387\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19388,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19387\/revisions\/19388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}