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Arts & Life

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The Higher Logic Project. Courtesy photo.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Lake County residents and visitors are invited to groove to The Higher Logic Project at the Middletown Art Center on Friday, Nov. 16, from 7 to 10 p.m.

With its finger on the pulse of arts and culture in Lake County, the MAC welcomes this beloved local band to perform in the MAC gallery, surrounded by artwork from the “All Souls” exhibit currently on view.

Enjoy reggae-infused dance rock and soulful melodies with lyrical consciousness. Celebrate local music and art! The cover charge is $10. A no-host bar will be onsite.

The Higher Logic Project is comprised of diverse musicians including Dooby (Derek) Wells on lead vocals and guitar, Gary Cambra on guitar and keyboards, Jacob Cambra on drums, Chris Clark on bass, DJ Sam Murti, and Bella Cambra on background vocals.

“Music and Art are key to our existence,” said Rick Berriz, owner and partner with Gary Cambra at The Butterfly House Studio in Clearlake where Higher Logic’s CD was produced and recorded. “We’re very proud of these guys. Just let the music speak for itself!”

“Whether you love reggae, rock, R&B or funk, love to dance or love MAC, the Higher Logic Project – Give Thanks concert promises to deliver a high energy, heartfelt community gathering. We give thanks for our communities’ courage, and who we are becoming as we rebuild, grow, and sustain Lake County, with local arts being an integral part of the revival,” explained Lisa Kaplan, programs director at MAC.

The Higher Logic Project music can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HigherLogicMusic. Digital download the CD at https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-higher-logic-project/1240032426.

Since its opening in 2015 and subsequent wildfires in Lake County, MAC has become a cultural hub hosting concerts, open mics, dances and other community events. Be a part of the growing arts scene in South Lake County by becoming a MAC member, or by attending one of the many arts and cultural events or classes at MAC.

Middletown Art Center is located at 21456 State Highway 175 at the junction of Highway 29. Visit www.middletownartcenter.org or “Like” Middletown Art Center on Facebook to stay up-to-date with what’s happening at MAC. Check out MAC’s nominal cost Restore classes in sculpture, mixed media, printmaking and creative writing that happen most weekends at www.middletownartcenter.org/restore.
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Mendocino College Repertory dancer Rickie Farah. Photo By Thomas Delgado.

UKIAH, Calif. – Experience the magic of a live dance performance in the Mendocino College Dance Repertory Dance Co.’s presentation of “Reflections … a dive into water, dance and life!”

The performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, through Saturday, Nov. 17, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18 in the Mendocino College’s Center Theatre on the Ukiah campus.

Four professional choreographers created original pieces for the production.

The company will premiere original works with actual rain on stage. Eryn Schon-Brunner's and Tara Ford’s “Water Dreams” investigates the world of motion and water. International artist Amelia Uzategui Bonilla (artistic director, Río Danza Comunitaria) premiers “Retrograde is…” an optical illusion that temporarily mesmerizes the eye.

Trudy McCreanor (artistic director, Mendocino Ballet) debuts “L’Etudes des Lignes,” a ballet that focuses the beauty of a dancer’s line, and “Happiness Goes On” is a themed love story by acclaimed social dancer Eddie Vedolla (Vedolla Dance Productions) that will bring a smile.

The performance features costumes by Kathy Katz, video art by Dave Wolf, and technical design and lighting by Steve Decker.

The Mendocino College Repertory Dance Co. is a diverse group of college dancers who share an interest in dance as a performing art.

This year’s company performers are Eleazar Brown, Jas Byerley, Clara Carstensen, Yves Charles, Margarita Diaz, Cody Dooley, Rickie Emilie Farah, Elizabeth Fuentes, Tara Ford, Traci Hunt, Thomas Kenney, Paloma Rodriguez, Ari Sunbeam and Megan Youell.

The company, which formed in 1986, is currently under the direction of Eryn Schon-Brunner.

Each fall the company spends time learning the works of four to six professional choreographers adding to the diverse repertory of dances the company can perform, providing young dancers with experience and professional connections in the dance field.

Tickets are $15 general, and $10 for ASB cardholders, seniors and children 12 and under.

Tickets are available at the Mendocino Book Co., Mendocino College Bookstore and online at www.artsmendocino.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the door, cash or check only. Audiences are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance.

Mendocino College Repertory dancers. Photo By Thomas Delgado.
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DR. SEUSS’ THE GRINCH (RATED PG)

Maybe my memory is faltering, but it really seems that family-oriented cinematic entertainment has been in very short supply lately. That sad state is now rectified by the latest adaptation of a Dr. Seuss holiday favorite.

“Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” may not break any significant new ground as the basic story from the original Dr. Seuss book, “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas!,” is so well-known that there are few adults, at least, who would not be familiar with its holiday-inspired premise.

The animated “The Grinch” allows for more flexible creativity to illustrate some variations. And yet the Grinch, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, remains the familiar grumpy curmudgeon whose only friend is his lovable dog Max.

The little girl, Cindy-Lou Who (Cameron Seely), is now older than a mere toddler, and her infectious spirit of Christmas joy is to think not of presents for herself but a wish to meet Santa Claus for the purpose of seeking help to relieve her mother from the burden of being overworked.

Of course, the Grinch is repulsed by the Christmas cheer that is so infectious for the townsfolk of the vibrant community of Whoville where holiday decorations overwhelm every corner of the city.

Living a solitary existence inside a cave on Mount Crumpet where the access to the front door is littered with signs to discourage visitors, the Grinch frets about his unwillingness to go into town during the holidays even for needed food supplies.

The problem for the Grinch is that he’s extremely aggravated by the joyous holiday cheer of the Whoville inhabitants who have, to his mind, the annoying habit of singing Christmas carols while also gathering for the lighting of the biggest tree ever decorated.

The Grinch’s lonely daily routine is amusingly realized with Max’s uncanny ability to brew his master’s morning cup of coffee and deliver breakfast on a bedside tray by means of a dumb waiter.

While playing organ music like a villain ensconced in his secret lair, the Grinch concocts a scheme where he could gain peace and quiet during the Christmas season, thereby hatching his familiar plan to impersonate Santa Claus.

But first to fulfill the fake Santa ploy, he has to steal a sleigh perched on the roof of Bricklebaum (Kenan Thompson), who’s not only Grinch’s nearest neighbor but the town’s most enthusiastic and irrepressible celebrant of the Christmas holiday.

Looking to corral some reindeer to pull the sleigh, the Grinch can only come up with the grossly overweight Fred, a pliable participant who gamely joins the effort until he’s ultimately distracted by a family reunion.

In any case, as expected, the Grinch’s stone-cold heart is eventually turned on Christmas Eve, when in the middle of stealing every household’s gifts and decorations, he falters in the face of Cindy-Lou’s faith in the true meaning of Christmas.

“Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” shamelessly tugs on heartfelt sentiment for its appeal. Christmas is still many weeks away and so it will be interesting to see if the cordial seasonal mood kicks in early for moviegoers.



‘THE NEIGHBORHOOD’ ON CBS

In the past, the CBS network has encountered criticism for its lack of diversity in programming. Interestingly, the concept of “All in the Family,” which ran on the network in the Seventies, has now been flipped on the racial side.

Cedric the Entertainer, starring in “The Neighborhood,” is now the black version of an Archie Bunker who becomes rattled when his African-American neighborhood in Pasadena suddenly finds the arrival of a Midwestern white family moving into the house next to his.

Showing his cultural bias, Cedric’s Calvin Butler, upon hearing his new neighbors are the Johnsons, defaults to the position that the surname suggests that a “successful black family moving into that nice house” next door.

To his surprise and dismay, Calvin discovers that the Johnsons are Dave (Max Greenfield), his wife Gemma (Beth Behrs) and their young son, a white family from Michigan that seem to have no concern whatsoever that their new home is in an area unlike where they came from.

Calvin falls into his reverse Archie Bunker-mode, claiming the “there goes the neighborhood” mantra which a few episodes later is turned into a lament of how the immediate area was once the scene of white flight. The specter of a gentrification now lingers in his mind.

Restraining, if possible, Calvin’s worst impulses becomes the task of his wife Tina (Tichina Arnold), more sensible and welcoming, while older son Malcolm (Sheaun McKinney) also proves hospitable and friendly.

The often tense dynamic between Dave and Cedric is often expressed by the former’s trying a little too hard to fit in with his new neighbors while the latter clings, for the most part, to his disgruntled feelings.

“The Neighborhood” touches on potentially sensitive racial subjects, but any seriousness dissipates with the omnipresent sounds of canned laughter. Cedric the Entertainer may have to step up his game on the comedic front.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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Heather McFadden, dramatic mezzo-soprano. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Opera has come to Lake County.

The Lake County Symphony’s Fall Concert opens its 41st season with “An Afternoon at the Opera” on Sunday, Nov. 18, at the Soper Reese Theatre in Lakeport.

Conductor John Parkinson has chosen a concert performance of opera overtures and arias featuring dramatic mezzo-soprano Heather McFadden, who has been a prominent singer throughout California for more than a decade.

Bringing a lush voice and dramatic presence to the operatic stage, she has established herself as a compelling performer of the lyric and dramatic mezzo repertoire.

The program features an overture played by the orchestra followed by an aria, from each of three well-known operas: “La Favorita,” “Un Ballo in Maschera” and “Carmen.”

“La Favorita” by Gaetano Donizetti is based on a love triangle involving the King of Castile Alfonso XI, his mistress (“the favorite”) Leonora, and her lover Fernando. McFadden will be singing the aria of Leonora, “O Mio Fernando.”

“Un Ballo in Maschera” (“A Masked Ball”) is an opera by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. The plot is based on the assassination in 1792 of King Gustav III of Sweden who was killed as the result of a political conspiracy against him. He was shot while attending a masked ball.

In the opera, Riccardo (Gustavo) investigates Ulrica, a fortune teller accused of witchcraft, and goes to her house. The opening of the second scene finds Ulrica summoning her magical powers in the aria Re dell’ abisso, affrettati (King of the abyss, make haste), performed by McFadden.

“Carmen,” by Georges Bizet, endures as one of the greatest operas ever written. “Les Toreadors,” the theme from Act I, and Habanera, Carmen’s aria featuring McFadden, are among the best known in all operatic repertoire.

The final number in the program will feature the orchestra, playing Bizet’s familiar “Symphony in C,” his first and only symphony before he continued concentrating on opera composition.

It was written when he was a student at the Paris Conservatoire and reveals an extraordinary talent for a young composer in melodic invention, thematic handling and orchestration.

He started it four days after he turned 17, completing it about a month later. It was never played during his lifetime, but was discovered in the conservatory library in 1933. It was first performed in 1935 and quickly became part of the standard Romantic repertoire.

Reserve tickets now for the opening season fall concert set for Sunday, Nov. 18, at the Soper Reese Theatre. General admission for the 2 p.m. concert is $25 or $30 for premium seating. Lake County Symphony Association members receive a $5 discount.

Open rehearsal starts at 11 a.m. The cost is $5 for adults and is free for those under 18.

The November concert is dedicated to the memory of Chris Hansom, longtime horn player in the Lake County Symphony who passed away recently.

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Ted Kooser. Photo credit: UNL Publications and Photography.

Do others of you think about what you'll miss when you leave this life?

For me it will be the great skies over my part of the world.

Here's Emily Grosholz's take on this, from her new book “The Stars of Earth: New and Selected Poems,” from Word Galaxy Press. She lives and teaches in Pennsylvania.

Here and There

What will I miss when I'm gone?
The squeak of the wheelbarrow's wheel,
Grace note that strikes with every slow
Revolution, and then the hushed, rusty
Answer in triplets from the invisible
Bird in the lackluster maples.

Branches, weeds, last autumn's leavings
Raked from the moss-eaten pads, beds,
Borders, still untrimmed hedges.
Also the silent pale blue bells
Of my half dozen borage, ringed,
Self-seeded from the woods.

Daylilies my mother liked to set
Roadside in June. Pale Greek anemones
She never traveled far enough
To find wild, as I did once or twice, but
Maybe I'll bring her some, if over there
Windflowers blow beside a cloudy sea.


American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2017 by Emily Grosholz, "Here and There (from "June")", from The Stars of Earth: New and Selected Poems, (Word Galaxy Press, 2017). Poem reprinted by permission of Emily Grosholz 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.
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The art of Anna Sabalone.


UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The Lake County Wine Studio is presenting monthly art classes with wine, co-hosted with artist Anna Sabalone.

This month's wine and art session with Sabalone is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 18, and will feature an view of autumn leaves on trees. The session time is 1:30 to 4 p.m.

The class fee of $40 covers all of the provided art supplies needed along with step-by-step guidance and a glass of Lake County wine. Reservations are required for each month's class as participation is limited to 12 people.

Sabalone was born and raised in Lake County. She has been involved in the Lake County Arts Council since her teen years.

She attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Leeds, England for her undergraduate degree in English, history and anthropology.

She earned her teaching credential and Masters of Education from UC Santa Barbara and has been teaching art, English, history and academic decathlon at Upper Lake High School since 2008.

For class schedule, reservations and additional information, contact Susan Feiler at 707-293-8752.

The Lake County Wine Studio is both a gallery for display of arts and a tasting room, wine bar and retail shop for the fine wines of Lake County. Artists’ shows are held on a monthly basis with art and wine receptions held the first Friday and subsequent Saturday of each month.

The gallery is located at 9505 Main St. in Upper Lake. It’s open Thursday through Monday, 1 to 7 p.m., and Friday from 1 to 8 p.m.

For more information call the studio at 707-275-8030.

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