Beer Farmers, we hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday. Today, we bring you some “Funk” in a different form – dare we say a “freaky,” kind of form. We recently sat down with Mercy Histrio, a local and international performer of many styles, not limited to, but including: fire-eating, contortionism, burlesque and more. Mercy and the man behind the keys, here on the Farm, had a conversation about all things Ms. Histrio, but most importantly via the lens of her upcoming visit and premiere performance at Wells Park, what it means to “reclaim” and or “redefine,” the term “freak.” Enjoy!
“When I looked at this event I was a little unsure. Having traveled with a sideshow that has showcased several of the world’s best human oddities I have experienced what the attitude towards the word “freak” can be. It was used oppressively and derogatorily for a long time. I loved that instead of show casing people on a visual level we went a totally different way. Think back to the 90’s when a freak in the sheets was all the rave. This is what we are talking about. Getting a little kinky, a little freaky, a little odd all in the best of ways,” said Mercy. We love that she loved the idea, because now, we have a show. We couldn’t be more proud of the people we are here on the Beer Farm; part of being proud of who you are, entails being proud of others being themselves. At the base of it all – we are all human beings, with a little bit of something “different” inside of us – April 18th – we let it all out; together, we will embrace, redefine, reclaim, and honor the “freak” inside of us all!
The lady leading the charge, as both host and star performer of this fun little shin dig, is none other than the aforementioned Mercy Histrio, herself. Who is Mercy? This self-proclaimed third-generation circus runaway, is a well traveled, well-oiled business woman and performer, with experiences that entertain not only on stage, but on the page. When talking about her lineage Mercy describes her background and that of the other females before her, excitedly. “My grandmother ran from Australia with a traveling circus. She traveled throughout the world before coming to America. Essentially it’s what brought my family to the states. My mother then left her home town of Chicago to tour with Ringling Bros. She has extraordinary stories of elephant walking and circus debauchery, which are probably what spurred my desire to join on as a child. Then when I was given the chance I left New Mexico after my college graduation and toured with Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow. My mother still likes to take jabs at me and tell me it wasn’t a real circus because we didn’t have elephants!” No elephants? Well, we can’t fix that before April, but we promise that because of her background, she is bringing a bit of the circus on down to the Beer Farm. There are a bevy of performers lined up, that are sure to twist the mind, imagination, and desires of onlookers, to the point of no return – you will leave wanting more – we can promise you that!
Tractor is always in the business of seeing what kind of business we can drum up. The community around us bares the fruit of such amazing art, entertainment, and experimental events that we just have to dabble. When reaching out to Mercy, we were hopeful – when she said yes, we were super thankful, and when we asked her why she said yes, she simply said, “Who wouldn’t want to work with a team of amazingly talented, creative, and open minded individuals? When the opportunity presented itself there was no way I could turn it down. Tractor not only brings people together over their amazing brews but they have been bringing artist together since day one. When Wells Park opened and they started to have DJs and artist showcases, it was one of the best days for Albuquerque.” Well shucks… we like her attitude, enthusiasm and kind words! We are out to create an amazing experience with this one – one that keeps people coming back for future collaborations. Although it does sound like Mercy will be in higher demand as 2015 rolls along. “I have some pretty big things happening this coming year that I can’t really announce yet but I would certainly love to take my performances overseas. I am also hoping to branch out into less known industries to bring burlesque and sideshow to new audiences. I’m pushing the boundaries between traditional burlesque, traditional stage shows, and circus/sideshow stunts,” said Histrio. She is of course known for being a human dart board, and swallowing fire – hot right? Yeah we know. She is bringing Tractor a bunch of stuff beyond traditional the night of the 18th – without letting too many cats out of the bag, she commented on the show content, “ I don’t want to give away too much but know that the performers who are coming out this night are not afraid to get a little freaky on stage for you. They take the traditional strip tease and throw the rules out the window. If you don’t leave hot, bothered, and a little unsure then we haven’t done our job!” I imagine we will see a job well done by this host, and her cast of friendly performers.
The final task is yours, Beer Farmers. Based on limited space, and what we do believe will be maximum interest in this show, we are asking folks to buy their tickets ahead of time. We strive to bring you many options for entertainment, and continually go outside of the box to bring something original to the Beer Farm – this April we bring you a mature 21+ feel good time, at a very low cost. All the proceeds will go to pay the amazing performers and our host – and you will leave with a smile, and the desire to see more Histrio and Tractor Brewing showcases – we can guarantee it.
Interest peeked? If so, before the show, you can read all about the host – and stay up to date with her day to day. Mercy invites us all to take a look into her world – she kindly said,” You can keep up to date on all my happenings at OhHaveMercy.com which is where I post everything from upcoming shows to my personal blog or can just catch my mini photo blog on Instagram at @OhHaveMercy.” Something tells us that Instagram account is gonna gain some followers… Cheers!