KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County (UUCLC) will host a Pete Seeger Songfest at the UUCLC/Methodist Church in Kelseyville at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13.

The UUCLC/Methodist Church is located at 3810 Main St. in Kelseyville (across from the Saw Shop).

The songfest will honor Pete Seeger, singing many of his well-loved songs, including “If I Had a Hammer,” “Turn, Turn, Turn,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” and many others.

All interested singers are welcome, with no experience necessary. Led by composer/guitarist Jim Scott, who knew Seeger well and collaborated on many projects with the folk legend, participants will raise their voices for the causes Seeger championed, remembering the great contributions to our American heritage Seeger made in his 94 years of life.

The legacy of Seeger’s poetry and song will guide and inspire the evening.

Written music which Scott has arranged will be provided, and all will be able to join in by ear and on-the-spot teaching.

Scott brings a warmth and authenticity that turns any size audience into an intimate gathering. With lyrical melodies, well-crafted words, guitar mastery and humorous surprises, he invites all to get involved with the songs and ideals he raises.

Known to many as guitarist with the Paul Winter Consort and co-composer of their celebrated “Missa Gaia / Earth Mass,” Scott is a prolific composer in his own right.

Scott has visited more than 600 UU churches over three decades of travels. His much loved “Gather the Spirit” and other songs are in the UU hymnbooks.

He also has become a student of the movement for peace and justice in song, compiling and arranging the “Earth and Spirit Songbook,” a collection of more than 100 songs of earth and peace by many contemporary composers, including Seeger.

Tickets are priced on a sliding scale donation between $12-$18.

Purchase discounted early bird advanced tickets from Eventbrite at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/pete-seeger-songfest-with-jim-scott-tickets-12311172047 .

For further information about this event, call the UUCLC at 707-587-4243.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The well-known San Francisco band, Stereo Bounce, brings its energetic and funky style to Lakeport's Soper Reese Theatre on Saturday, Aug. 16, starting at 7 p.m.

The performance brings band members Jay Johnson, John Golden and Bill Leach back to their roots.

The three men grew up in Lakeport, attending the local high school and playing with the Lake County Symphony.

They each left home to pursue music careers that took them all over the world, performing with such greats as Aerosmith, Kiss, The Doobie Brothers, Counting Crows and the Beach Boys.

Stereo Bounce embraces many styles, ranging from current pop hits to R&B and Motown, disco, classic rock, jazz and swing.

But it’s their fresh, hip approach – featuring four lead vocalists and a hot rhythm section – that turns a concert into a rocking dance party.

Johnson sings and plays guitar and trumpet. Golden is on keyboard and guitar, and also sings. Leach, aka Bleach, sings and plays the drums.

The group includes Catt John and Rosey Abrams, lead singers, as well as Paul Barrister on bass.

They play hits from over the decades including favorites by Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Def Leppard, Spice Girls, Lady Gaga and Adele.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at www.soperreesetheatre.com ; The Travel Center, 1265 S. Main St., Lakeport, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm; and the Soper Reese Theatre Box Office at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport, on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Here’s a poem by an Indiana poet, Shari Wagner, that has a delightful time describing the many sounds of running water.

Creek-Song

It begins in a cow lane
with bees and white clover,
courses along corn, rushes
accelerando against rocks.
It rises to a teetering pitch
as I cross a shaky tree-bridge,
syncopates a riff
over the dissonance
of trash—derelict icebox
with a missing door,
mohair loveseat sinking
into thistle. It winds through green
adder’s mouth, faint as the bells
of Holsteins heading home.
Blue shadows lengthen,
but the undertow
of a harmony pulls me on
through raspy Joe-pye-weed
and staccato-barbed fence.
It hums in a culvert
beneath cars, then empties
into a river that flows oboe-deep
past Indian dance ground, waterwheel
and town, past the bleached
stones in the churchyard,
the darkening hill.

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 2010 by The Christian Century. Shari Wagner’s most recent book of poetry is The Harmonist at Nightfall, Bottom Dog Press, 2013. Poem reprinted by permission of The Christian Century and the poet. 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.

LUCY (Rated R)

What looks like an action thriller, with a tough female lead, from Luc Besson is promising.

The French director’s hits include “The Fifth Element,” “Leon: The Professional,” and “La Femme Nikita,” each one starring a memorable female action hero.

Now, Besson directs Scarlett Johansson, a sexy, tough cookie in her own right, in “Lucy,” an action that examines the possibility of what one human could truly do if 100 percent of brain capacity is unlocked.

More accurately, the film is surreal and infused with the supernatural and science fiction elements.

Theories abound that human beings use only a small percentage of their cerebral capacity at any given time.

If true, this is probably a good thing for Hollywood otherwise audiences probably wouldn’t sit still for two hours or more watching what often passes for popular entertainment.

In any case, “Lucy” employs the mellow, authentic and compelling voice of Morgan Freeman in his role of Professor Norman to deliver a lecture about the human brain’s potential.

His decades of research in this field become a central focus to understanding where things are going.

Meanwhile, Scarlett Johansson’s Lucy is an American student and party girl living in Taiwan who is tricked by her sleazy boyfriend into delivering a briefcase to a business contact. It’s more accurate to say she was coerced once the briefcase is handcuffed to her wrist.

Before she can even comprehend the situation in which she’s involuntarily become ensnared, Lucy is grabbed by a bunch of thugs and held hostage by the merciless Mr. Jang (Choi Min Sik), who cares not at all that’s she an innocent bystander.

Lucy is offered a job she cannot refuse, that of a drug mule. In a scene disturbing to the squeamish, Mr. Jang’s thugs surgically implant a package loaded with the powerful synthetic substance CPH4 into Lucy’s stomach.

Alongside a handful of fellow unwilling hosts, Lucy is sent to the airport with the objective of flying to one of Europe’s major cities as a transport vessel for material that is priceless to her kidnappers.

Unfortunately, as the result of a savage beating with kicks to the groin, the package breaks and the powerful crystals leak into her system, resulting in her cerebral capacity being unlocked to startling and previously hypothetical levels.

As she attempts to comprehend the rapid changes occurring within her mind and body, Lucy begins to feel everything around her, such as space and gravity, and develops superhuman traits including telepathy, telekinesis, expanding knowledge and breathtaking control over matter.

The countdown to the 100 percent level of brain capacity is accelerating, and Lucy rushes to find Professor Norman at a conference in Paris, the one person she feels may actually understand the logical conclusion of where her expanded mental abilities could end up.

The capital of France hosts the showdown between Mr. Jang, who understands that the fully-empowered Lucy represents more than existential threat to his drug empire, and the French authorities, under the capable leadership of Captain Del Rio (Amr Waked), who’s dispassionate yet sympathetic to Lucy’s plight.

The marketing of “Lucy” suggests that our protagonist is a relentless killing machine with superhero powers, against the backdrop of a surfeit of shootouts, explosions, car chases and the kinds of exploits one would find in a thrilling action picture that is straightforward in its depiction of violence.

To be sure, Besson brings his natural talents to the screen with serious gunplay between the French police and the Asian thugs, and there is an incredible chase scene through the streets of Paris which result in plenty of mayhem and destruction of vehicles.

But on the whole, “Lucy” goes far too deep into the realm of science fiction. Besson seems as intent on transforming his storyline into something as odd and strange as the physical and mental makeover that is occurring at a rapid pace to his leading lady.

My expectations going into “Lucy” were not realized, expecting an action-driven thriller. To his credit, Luc Besson wanted to imagine what it would be like if humans could access the furthest reaches of their brains, and so his film engages in flights of fancy.

Many members of the audience may be puzzled at the quirky nature of “Lucy,” while others could be dazzled by its willingness to push some boundaries.

At the very least, “Lucy” could provoke some interesting discussions about Luc Besson’s apparent obsession with the potential of human intellect.

On the plus side, the ever-attractive Scarlett Johansson delivers a solid performance as one who starts off vulnerable and ordinary before becoming exceeding tough and smart.

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

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Ely Stage Stop and Country Museum in Kelseyville will host the next First Sunday Fiddlers’ Jam in the barn on Aug. 3.

What a great way to relax after all of the great events in and around Lake County during June and July.

Enjoy great Americana music and all of the latest museum acquisitions and displays. You can’t miss the museum now that they have our beautiful sign on the property.

The fun begins at the museum at 11 a.m. with the fiddlers playing in the barn from noon through 2 p.m.

Donations benefit the Ely Stage Stop and the Old Time Fiddlers Association.

This free, family friendly event can be enjoyed by all, young and old alike.  

Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on one of our beautiful picnic tables.  

Buy tickets for the next table to be raffled off and for a surprise basket to be raffled during the fiddling that day.

Enjoy the music with beverages and tasty treats provided by the docents. Bring your own wine and sip it in Ely Stage Stop wine glasses that are available for purchase.

Come ready to clap your hands, tap your toes, and get up and dance.

The stage stop, operated by the Lake County Historical Society, is located at 9921 Soda Bay Road (Highway 281) in Kelseyville.

Current hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday.

Visit www.elystagestop.com or www.lakecountyhistory.org , check out the stage stop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elystagestop or call the museum at 707-533-9990.

Maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez famously got his big start in show business over twenty years ago putting together a successful indie film on a shoestring budget.

As the writer and director, Rodriguez’s “El Mariachi” became a cult hit.

A few years later, Rodriguez delivered a sequel with Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek in “Desperado.”

Shortly thereafter, in collaboration with Quentin Tarantino penning the script, Rodriguez directed the crime and horror film “From Dusk Till Dawn,” which also achieved cult status.

The significance of Rodriguez’s early career moves is evident with the recent launch of the El Rey Network, a 24-hour English language cable channel, which is culturally diverse and just might tilt to the Hispanic audience. Univision holds a minority stake in the network.

For the time being, El Rey Network, which is perhaps unfamiliar to most TV viewers, functions with a minimum of original programming.

In fact, El Rey’s first original series was “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series,” which is now gearing up for shooting in Austin, Texas in October for its sophomore season.

Meanwhile, conveniently occurring during the time of year that the nation’s TV critics are gathered in Beverly Hills to preview new programming, the El Rey Network is launching the spy thriller series “Matador,” the story of a professional soccer player who uses the sport as a cover for his covert activities on behalf of the CIA.
   
Another expedient circumstance is that “Matador,” with its backdrop of professional soccer, debuts on Tuesday, July 15, offering the El Rey Network the good fortune of its series launch only two days after the World Cup final.

In “Matador,” Gabriel Luna stars as Tony “Matador” Bravo, the secret agent who succeeds in the tryouts for the L.A. Riot team by taking out a top player known as “The Bull,” and henceforth acquiring his “Matador” nickname and the attention of the team owner.

Alfred Molina’s Andres Galan is the owner of the Los Angeles soccer franchise and a person of interest to the CIA for his shady, corrupt international dealings.

In a cast that is heavily Latino, Nicky Whelan stands apart as Annie Mason, Bravo’s beautiful control agent who serves as the head of an obscure branch of the CIA.

Only minutes into the first episode of “Matador” the Robert Rodriguez touch is viscerally realized when a minor character takes a meat cleaver to the head, creating the instant shock value that is a trademark of grindhouse cinema in general.

Speaking to TV critics, Rodriguez, who directed the premiere episode of “Matador,” insisted that the brutally violent act “was in the script” and that the scene was “written that way.” The director said he told his writers that everyone would think that the incident was his idea.

No matter where the idea emanates, brutally violent actions that are vastly unpredictable are very much in the wheelhouse of the Rodriguez school of what could be called “good bad movies” that result from targeted exploitation.

“Matador” obviously and adroitly plans to keep the audience on edge. Rodriguez noted that the vicious feat “came in as such a shock” and to establish the violence early results in the audience not knowing what is going to happen.

Astutely, the director observed, in reference to the meat cleaver scene, that “you don’t have to do it very much because that’s in their head now.” He’s quite right about that, as the tension holds in many scenes that could have turned grisly or cruel.

Based on the intrigue and incredible action of the first episode, “Matador” looks like it could put the El Rey Network on the map.

The adventures of Agent Bravo, thrust into a clandestine world and balancing his dueling roles, will certainly prove dangerous and provocative.

The business model for the cable channel will be heavily focused on movies that fit the Rodriguez paradigm. Let’s just say you won’t be seeing “The Sound of Music” or anything resembling a musical, unless it’s a gangster carrying a guitar case.

Coming this fall, El Rey seeks to expand its commitment to original content with a second night of programming anchored by two new unscripted series.

“Lucha: Uprising” (a working title) features the high-flying antics and colorful world of freestyle Mexican wrestling.

Mexican wrestling is fun to watch. I am not sure what to make of “Cutting Crew,” which explores the edgy artistry of a dynamic team of barbers who have made a name for themselves at a Philadelphia barbershop by thinking outside the stylist box. Apparently these “scissor-happy” artists are a raucous bunch dishing a lot of jokes and banter.

At the TV press conference, Scott Sassa, Vice Chair of the network, asked TV critics to think of El Rey as the “Turner Classic Movies of action, horror, grindhouse, kung fu, blaxploitation, or any other genre that movie fans love.”

It seems only fitting then that the cable channel’s motto is “Ride with El Rey,” inviting viewers watching the channel’s programs to come along for a wild adventure.

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