KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – On Saturday, Sept. 15, the Coffee House Concert Series will present an evening of unique guitar performances by three musicians.

Presented by the Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County, the concert will be held at Fore Family Winery Tasting Room at 3920 Main St. in Kelseyville.

The concert begins at 7 p.m.

Seating is limited. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at Watershed Books in Lakeport, online at www.uuclc.org, at the tasting room, and at the door.

Singer/songwriter Jack Williams plays country, rock and R&B on electric and steel-guitar.

Williams is currently touring the US, playing major music festivals and venues. Music legends Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul, & Mary) and Tom Paxton have lauded Williams as “the best guitar player I’ve ever heard” and “one of my all-time favorite pickers.”

Williams is known for his entertaining and high energy performances. He often concludes his shows with a unique finale – a medley of songs and stories that span the varied styles and voices of his musical past, keeping audiences enthralled from start to finish.

Local guitar and bass duo Harry Lyons and Rick McCann have been performing together for over thirty years. They deliver jazz standards peppered with lyrics of international flavor and local interest.

Lyons, the singing oceanographer, taught at Mendocino College, Yuba College, the University of British Columbia and Seattle University.

He has performed traditional jazz at American and European festivals, gin mills and tasting rooms.

McCann has taught music in Saratoga and San Jose; later, he taught at the local community colleges and headed the Orchestral String Program for the Lake County Office of Education.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The 1970 western, “Little Big Man,” starring Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway and Chief Dan George, screens at the Soper Reese Theatre on Tuesday Sept. 11, at 1 and 6 p.m.

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"Lie down with dogs and you get up with fleas."

Well, lots of dog lovers willingly accept that risk.

Tami Haaland served as Montana's fifth poet laureate and she teaches at Montana State at Billings.

The following poem is from her book, “What Does Not Return,” from Lost Horse Press.

Sleeping With the Chihuahua

In the evening she comes to me
like a child ready for bed.
She slips under covers, curls
into my curves or stretches against
my spine. Some have said they fear
I might crush her, but we're a tender
pair, each aware of the warmth
and the other.

I knew a woman once who kept
an orphaned antelope, let it
roam her kitchen, sleep in her bed,
musky scent and hooves.

This dog looks like a small deer,
poised and silent in the lawn,
but at night, she is a dark body, lean
and long against the lavender cotton
of my summer sleeping. We are bone
and bone, muscle and muscle,
and underneath each surface
a quiet and insistent pulse.


American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2018 by Tami Haaland, "Sleeping With the Chihuahua," from What Does Not Return, (Lost Horse Press, 2018). Poem reprinted by permission of Tami Haaland and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2018 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.

THE MEG (Rated PG-13)

Scientists believe that the giant prehistoric shark known as the Megalodon existing millions of years ago is an extinct species even if conspiracy theorists like to claim that the predator still roams our oceans.

The fascination with sharks that dates back over four decades to Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws,” where thrills thrived in the hunt for the deadly great white shark, had to lead one day to something bigger, and that’s where “The Meg” fills the cinematic void.

The combination of menace from a giant predator and the presence of Jason Statham enticed out of retirement for a rescue mission at the depths of the China Seas makes the essential ingredients for the mindless fun of the popcorn entertainment of “The Meg.”

Statham’s Jonas Taylor was part of a deep-sea rescue attempt years before that had gone wrong, resulting in him becoming an alcoholic slacker on a fishing boat in Thailand because no one believed that he escaped death in a brush with the prehistoric killer.

Some of Jason’s old colleagues are now working for eccentric billionaire Jack Morris (Rainn Wilson) who’s financing an undersea observation program that finds its submersible trapped on the ocean floor. Enter Jonas to save the day.

With people in peril, the formula calls for some melodrama which is offered up when Jonas becomes aware that his ex-wife (Jessica McNamee) is part of the crew trapped miles deep at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

More than anyone, Jonas instinctively knows what the 75-foot prehistoric shark lurking beneath the sea represents in terms of danger even if others may unwisely think they’ve made a great scientific discovery that can be shared with the world for their own aggrandizement.

Any familiarity with the tropes of a thriller that pits man vs. beast is surely the path to knowing how this story plays out. “The Meg” borrows from the likes of “Jaws” and “Godzilla,” and maybe even the “Sharknado” films, albeit without the outlandish silliness.

Of course, the mission includes a beautiful Chinese scientist single mom, Suyin (Li Bingbing), who overcomes her initial resentment of Jonas’s presence to transition to a flirtatious admiration for his bravery if not just his stunning physique.

The payoff for thrills comes nearer to the climax, where first Jonas and his surviving mates face almost certain death when their trawler is capsized by the brute force of the vengeful Megalodon.

Recalling scenes from “Jaws,” the last stand comes at a crowded beach resort where swimmers frolicking in the ocean are in great peril. As expected, panic and mayhem ensue.

Will Jason Statham save the day again? You know the answer but probably want to see our hero in action anyway.



‘CASTLE ROCK’ ON HULU

Even the most rudimentary knowledge of the prolific work of author Stephen King (which I admit, for me, is rather limited to the basics) will not detract from the off-kilter enjoyment of creepy horror series “Castle Rock” set in his trademark Maine venue.

Running on Hulu, “Castle Rock” could fairly be described as more disturbing psychological occult thriller than true horror, but horrific scenes take place in the fictional hamlet of Castle Rock, which is home to the Shawshank state prison and a decaying town center.

In the first episode, retiring Warden Dale Lacy (Terry O’Quinn) comes to an untimely end, the details of which should not be revealed. There are enough temptations to divulge some spoilers but they must be resisted because “Castle Rock” is layered with mystery and suspense.

Suffice it to say, the catalyst for the central story is the discovery of a prisoner locked away in an abandoned section of Shawshank. The inmate (Bill Skarsgard) has no name or fingerprints, nor does the prison have any records of his existence.

Acting mute for the most part, the prisoner can only utter the name of Henry Deaver, an odd coincidence as that is the name of the town’s only African-American child who mysteriously disappeared in 1991 for eleven days.

The real Henry Deaver (Andre Holland), raised by a white pastor and his wife, feels so alienated from his hometown that his practice of law lands him in Texas as a defense attorney for death penalty cases.

Called back to Maine by a mysterious phone call from the prison, Henry finds little has changed in Castle Rock, though his adoptive mother Ruth Deaver (Sissy Spacek) shows signs of dementia and shares the house with former sheriff Alan Pangborn (Scott Glenn).

Strange characters abound, including just about anybody connected to the prison and Henry’s childhood friend Molly Strand (Melanie Lynskey), troubled by drug addiction and harboring dark secrets.

A telling remark about the atmosphere in Castle Rock is after Molly pitches a gazebo in the town center as a place for contemplation, her friend retorts that the “only thing people contemplate in this town is suicide.”

My educated guess is “Castle Rock” should prove satisfying to the Stephen King fan base.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Art Center invites the public to celebrate life and community Saturday, Aug. 25, from 7 to 10 p.m.

Dance to grooves and beats provided by DJ Nic and spoken word by local rap artist PerePressure.

After all that we that have been through in the past month – and in the past three years – a celebration of Lake County community spirit is in order. So let’s dance!

Cover charge is $10. No host bar onsite offers wine, beer, and champagne as we are also honoring friends with August birthdays. Folks with late Leo and early Virgo birthdays get their first drink free or half off admission (must show ID).

This will be a great community event even for those who don’t dance.

MAC is located at 21456 Highway 175 at the junction of Highway 29 in Middletown.

Visit www.middletownartcenter.org to learn more about MAC and the burgeoning arts scene in South Lake County.

Be sure to catch this energized and fun music and dance event.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Rock and Roll and Blues Hall of Famer Elvin Bishop and his Big Fun Trio will perform as part of the Cache Creek Vineyards Summer Concert Series in Clearlake Oaks on Saturday, Aug. 25.

Bishop and his trio – Bob Welsh on piano and guitar and Willy Jordan on cajón (a hand-played Peruvian drumbox) and vocals – will celebrate the release of their new Alligator Records album, “Something Smells Funky ‘Round Here.”

The music is rootsy, spirited, humorous and soulful, performed by serious musicians hell-bent on having a good time.

Bishop, a natural storyteller, is as slyly good-humored and instantly crowd-pleasing as he was when he was scoring Southern rock-styled hits during the 1970s or cutting award-winning blues albums over the last 30 years.

For five decades, he has never stopped touring or releasing instantly recognizable music featuring his groundbreaking playing, easygoing vocals, and
witty lyrics.

Doors open at 6 p.m. at the winery, 250 New Long Valley Road.

Tickets range from $25 to $80.

For more information call 707-998-1200 or visit www.cachecreekvineyards.com.