Arts & Life

Details

Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 13 February 2019

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Get down deep and get funky at the 2019 Friday Night Valentine’s dance, “Body Heat,” at the Middletown Art Center from 7 to 10 p.m.

Celebrate love and immerse yourself in the legendary musical genius of the late great Godfather of Soul, James Brown.

This is the seventh James Brown tribute in South Lake County since his death in 2006.

Local resident and avid collector Blue Verhey artfully crafted a mix he says will be “the best yet, and a pure adrenaline dance experience for your body and soul!”

Dance through the three-hour mix and win a prize for your longevity, endurance and enthusiasm.

James Brown, the "hardest working man in show business," is known for his dramatic performances, costumes and signature dance moves. His work is a composite of blues, jazz and gospel that evolved to include soul, funk and rap.

The progenitor of hip hop, Brown is the most sampled artist in music history and was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 1994 and the 2003 Kennedy Center Honor.

The tribute to James Brown is also a local celebration of Black History Month. Brown promoted black pride and self-sufficiency through his music in tunes like “Say it loud! I’m Black and proud!”

Through the years, he advocated for justice in minority communities, and increased education opportunities for black youth and the poor.

So “get up offa that thing, dance 'till you feel better,” and immerse in J.B.’s distinctive funk and grooves surrounded by community and art.

Everyone is invited. Admission is $10, and a no host bar is onsite.

Children up to 8 years of age are admitted free, but must be supervised.

There will be a “chill room” in back in the MAC studio. All proceeds help pay MAC’s rent.

Middletown Art Center is located at 21456 State Highway 175 at the junction of Highway 29. Be a part of the growing arts and culture scene in South Lake County by becoming a MAC member, by joining MAC this Friday or participating in Restore classes and workshops, or any of the many arts and cultural events at MAC.

Visit www.middletownartcenter.org or “like” Middletown Art Center on Facebook to stay up-to-date with what’s happening at MAC.

Details

Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Published: 13 February 2019

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Rockin Johnny Burgin, one of the hardest touring and well recognized traditional Chicago blues guitarists and singers today, will perform at the Big Valley Hall on Saturday, Feb. 16.

The show will take place from 7 to 10 p.m.

The cost is $15 at the door.

Since his start in the early 1990s, apprenticing with Chicago blues masters such as Pinetop Perkins, Sam Lay and Taildargger, Burgin has become a leading blues attraction.

He is a Delmark recording artist with eight CDs to his credit. David Mac of Blues Junction called his latest release, "Neoprene Fedora,” “a wide wanging affair that is simply spectacular."

Burgin was nominated for a BMA for Best Traditional Blues CD of 2017 for "Howlin' at Greaseland", a Howlin' Wolf tribute. He also is in demand as a session player and has recorded with many blues greats including Billy Boy Arnold, Taildragger, Paul DeLay, Jimmy Burns, Andre Williams, Eddie Taylor Jr., Jimmy Lee Robinson and others.

Burgin grew up in Starkville, Mississippi, and Greenville, South Carolina, and while he was still in high school, he got to see many touring blues bands such as Guitar Jr, Gatemouth Brown and Eddie Clearwater. He father was an actor and folk musician and taught him guitar.

He went to University of Chicago with the intention of becoming a writer, but a different path unfolded and he fell headfirst into the Chicago blues scene.

After learning from the masters by touring with such artists as Pinetop Perkins and Howlin' Wolf drummer Sam Lay, he put his own band together.

Things started happening fast after The Rockin Johnny Band (with guest vocalist Jimmy Burns) took a Monday night residency at the Smoke Daddy in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. Their original, energetic approach made them a strong local draw week after week and year after year. The atmosphere the band generated was so electric that the prestigious local label Delmark Records offered them a contract after hearing just one set.

Since those days, Burgin played the Chicago blues festival many times, toured Europe regularly and has headlined festivals all over the US.

Over the years, he has developed from a precocious blues guitar slinger and local blues hero into a fully fledged singer, harmonica player, a dynamic and engaging bandleader, and a mature, seasoned guitarist.

One look at his tour schedule confirms his status as an in-demand blues performer. He puts on the kind of satisfying and exciting show that only years of touring can develop.

Elmore magazine remarked on Johnny's "commanding vocals and stinging guitar," but Elvin Bishop may have said it best: "his guitar style is raw and rude and real – n the vocal side, a nice original style – he's damn good!"

The Big Valley Hall is located at 1510 Big Valley Road.

Details

Written by: Ted Kooser

Published: 11 February 2019

A child at a school bus stop, on his way out into the world, a fine subject for a fine poem by Dante Di Stefano, who lives in Endwell, New York.

Might we all live out our days in a place called Endwell! "With a Coat" is from his book from Brighthorse Books of Omaha, Nebraska, entitled Love is a Stone Endlessly in Flight.

With a Coat

I was cold and leaned against the big oak tree
as if it were my mother wearing a rough apron
of bark, her upraised arms warning of danger.
Through those boughs and leaves I saw
dark patches of sky. I thought a brooding
witch waited to catch me up from under
branches and take me, careening on her broom,
to her home in the jaundiced moon.
I looked to the roof of mom and dad's house
and wondered if the paisley couch patterns
would change during the day. My brother peeked
from a window and waved. When the bus came,
I pawed away from the trunk, fumbled,
and took my first step toward not returning.


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 ©2016 by Dante Di Stefano, "With a Coat," from Love is a Stone Endlessly in Flight, (Brighthorse Books, 2016). Poem reprinted by permission of Dante Di Stefano and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2019 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.