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Arts & Life
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- Written by: Editor
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Influenced by BB King, Henry Mancini, Ramsey Lewis, Vince Guaraldi, and the Beatles, Mike Strickland’s musical style embraces popular, blues, boogie woogie, and jazz, but he is best known for his original works.
The famed pianist and composer appears on stage at the Soper Reese Theatre in Lakeport for one performance, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.
Appearing with him are two special guests, Shelly Mascari and Machiko Shimada, local Lake County artists who are well known as talented performers in the community.
Tickets are on sale now. Loge is $15; table seating $18.
All seats are first-come, first-served, within the seating area choice.
Strickland has racked up some impressive achievements as a musician.
In addition to his original music airing for seven seasons on CBS Sports PGA Golf, his music compositions have also been heard on the NBC, FOX, and ABC television networks as well as in several major motion pictures.
In 2009, Strickland's positive message song/animation “Spread Joy” also was featured on ABC Good Morning America.
Reviewers describe Strickland as “a sensational musician; a gifted composer and his engaging narratives from the stage make you feel like a personal friend enjoying an evening of music and stories in the comfort of your living room.”
“Mike is so engaging it’s like he’s speaking and playing just to you,” said one reviewer. Another added, “Mike Strickland wowed our audience with his dazzling performance.”
Living mostly in Oregon but with frequent visits to Mississippi, Strickland performs, teaches, arranges, produces and records, with more than 20 CDs to his credit.
For more information on Strickland, visit www.mikestrickland.com .
Tickets are available online at www.SoperReeseTheatre.com , at the Theatre Box Office, 275 S. Main St., Lakeport on Fridays 10:30 am to 5:30 pm, or by phone at 707-263-0577.
Tickets also are available at The Travel Center, 1265 S. Main, Lakeport, Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sponsor for the concert, the Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing in Upper Lake, has graciously provided accommodations for the artist.
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- Written by: Editor
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The question about which band is better – Beatles or Rolling Stones – has been a spirited debate for half of a century.
These two legendary bands will engage in an on-stage, throw down – a musical “shoot out” if you will – on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m., at the Soper Reese Theatre courtesy of nationally touring tribute bands Abbey Road and Jumping Jack Flash.
All seats are reserved and tickets are $30 plus applicable ticket fees.
Tickets may be purchased by phoning 707-263-0577, online at www.soperreesetheatre.com or at the theater's box office.
“Beatles vs. Stones – A Musical Shoot Out” will pit Rolling Stones tribute band Jumping Jack Flash against rival Brit boys Abbey Road in an all-out musical showdown for rock dominance!
From Mick Jagger’s (Sir Joesph Infante) infamous gyrations to Keith Richards’ (Young Hutchison) sweet Tele licks, Brian Jones Vox Teardrop, and the band’s original wardrobe, Jumping Jack Flash brings all the authenticity of an old Stones show smack into 2014.
“Some of the ‘Keith-isms’ that the big fans just love are the blacked-out-tooth, electrical tape around the snakeskin boots, and the disjointed walk he was famous for,” said Hutchison. “We’ve done everything to present the music per the original album versions, cause that’s what fans have been singing along to for the last 50 years and that’s the way they want to hear it. We’re not even the Stones, but people just go wild!”
Show producers Tom Maher and Andy Nagle auditioned over 200 Beatles hopefuls at a casting call in 2008, many of whom played in their own Beatles tribute bands.
“Most of them came in Beatles gear, Beatles wigs – they were all in character,” Nagle said. “All the Pauls were running around trying to out-Paul each other, the Johns were brooding, the Ringos were off by themselves. It was a room full of guys that all loved Beatles music, it was surreal.”
For their part, the members of touring Beatles tribute band Abbey Road bring the mop top haircuts, harmonies, and boyish charm of everybody’s favorite Liverpudlians to the stage. They also play modern reissues of the exact same instruments and amps used by the Fab Four.
Axel Clarke (“Ringo Starr”), a high school and college teacher by day, prepares for his time behind the drum kit by studying old video footage, listening to band interviews, and mimicking Starr’s very specific performance style.
“Ringo's style and physical approach to the drumset were unique,” said Clarke. “He sat very high with his drums low, used big sweeping arm movements, punched at his cymbals more than striking them, bounced his torso in time and kicked his head to the side on big accents — and smiled like a goon at all times. That's Ringo 101 for you!”
Clarke and his bandmates also spend time mining the original Beatles recordings for specific nuances, and unintentional flubs that ended up on the final cut.
“There are subtle mistakes all over the Beatles’ recordings. In “All My Lovin,” Ringo forgets the form of the song and goes into the chorus beat by mistake. He plays that beat for one bar, realizes his error, and switches back to the verse beat. Most people might not notice things like that, but it adds a level of authenticity and would feel weird if it wasn’t there.”
Kicking off the show in signature A Hard Day’s Night-era black suits, the band runs through several costume changes, including mustaches and wigs (a la Sgt. Pepper’s) and full-on Abbey Road attire, before the night is up.
“John and George wore their wives’ fur coats and Ringo wore his wife’s red raincoat on the rooftop of Apple Corp. for their last show,” said Nagle. “My George is 6’4”, I thought I’m never gonna find a fur coat that fits! But even the kids expect it because it’s part of The Beatles: Rock Band, so we went out and bought them for the guys.”
Onstage, the bands alternate mini sets and trade improvised barbs and banter between songs to act out the famous rivalry.
Since 2011, Abbey Road and Jumping Jack Flash have toured the show. The Lakeport show is part of a 110 city tour across the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Whether you’re a mod or a rocker, a John or a Paul supporter – Beatles vs. Stones is your ticket back in time to “Yesterday.”
The Soper Reese Theatre is located at 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport.
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- Written by: Ted Kooser
To celebrate my 75th year, I’ve published a new book of poems, and many of them are about the way in which we come together to help each other through the world.
Here’s just one:
Two
On a parking lot staircase
I met two fine-looking men
descending, both in slacks
and dress shirts, neckties
much alike, one of the men
in his sixties, the other
a good twenty years older,
unsteady on his polished shoes,
a son and his father, I knew
from their looks, the son with his
right hand on the handrail,
the father, left hand on the left,
and in the middle they were
holding hands, and when I neared,
they opened the simple gate
of their interwoven fingers
to let me pass, then reached out
for each other and continued on.
American Life in Poetry 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 2012 by Ted Kooser from his most recent book of poems, Splitting an Order, Copper Canyon Press, 2014. Poem reprinted by permission of Ted Kooser and the publisher. Introduction copyright 2014 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. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.
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- Written by: Editor
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Clive Matson will visit the Lake County Arts Council Gallery on Saturday, Oct. 25, and Sunday, Oct. 26, to present a writing workshop.
This will be the 10th year that Matson has been coming to our area.
People in his workshops succeed in bringing out the stories and poems inside them, the passions that blossom in our everyday lives. Some writers are astonished at the ease and value of the writing that pours out.
His favorite quote of the day is Van Gogh’s “I dreamed my painting and I painted my dream.”
Matson will show how that simple transfer, bringing a dream into concrete reality, works well in writing.
This workshop is for beginners, for developing writers and for professionals who want to expand their horizons.
Saturday will be for getting acquainted and starting to write. On Sunday there will be time for more writing, reading, compassionate criticism and summary.
Clive Matson writes poetry, short stories, essays and plays. He has led writing workshops for 35 years, holds an MFA in poetry from Columbia University and teaches at the University of California Extension in Berkeley.
The workshop will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, at the Main Street Gallery, 325 N. Main Street, Lakeport.
The workshop fee is $55 per person.
To register, call the Main Street Gallery at 707-263-6658.
For more information about the workshop, call Clive Matson at 510-654-6495 or go to his Web site, www.matsonpoet.com .
This event is supported by Poets & Writers, Inc. through a grant it has received from The James Irvine Foundation.
