Inspirational Musician Gaelynn Lea Performs at Club Cafe; ‘The Girl on the Train’ on Local Screens (Mon., 10/17/16)

1) Optimism and sincerity can appear scarce in our culture. That’s what makes the music video for “Someday We’ll Linger in the Sun” so jarring—nearly five minutes of unadulterated beauty. Gaelynn Lea, who was born with osteogenesis imperfecta (“brittle bone disease”), has every right to be cynical. Yet it’s she who is reminding us—us—that “time [is] the subtle thief of life. / It slips away when we pay no mind.” These words she sings over a gorgeous, looped violin part, one which she plays. The song won NPR’s second annual Tiny Desk Contest, propelling Lea toward recognition outside her native Duluth, Minnesota. She is double-billed with singer-songwriter Jess Klein for a show at Club Cafe. Klein’s songs similarly burst with sincerity, sung in a style reminiscent of Lucinda Williams. Her live appearances include a performance of “Little White Dove” on “Good Morning America.” There she was joined with three other female singer-songwriters, collectively called Voices on the Verge. Her latest studio album is 2014’s Learning Faith. Bob Banerjee opens. 8 p.m. 56- 58 E. Carson St., South Side. (CM)

2) The Girl on the Train, a novel by British writer Paula Hawkins, was the subject of many a book club on both sides of the pond. In 2015, it debuted at number one on The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers list and was the number one hardback in the UK for 20 weeks. DreamWorks Pictures soon acquired the film rights with Universal Pictures distributing. As with the book, the movie concerns Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt), an alcoholic whose husband, Tom (Justin Theroux), left her for another woman. Watson commutes by train past her old home, where Tom lives with his new family. To distract herself, she fantasizes about the presumably happy couple living on the same block: Megan (Haley Bennett) and Scott Hipwell (Luke Evans). The fantasy is shattered when Watson witnesses something horrible from the train. She wakes the following day, bruised and hungover, but with no memory of last night. Megan Hipwell, however, is missing. Tate Taylor (The Help) directs. For screens and times, check Fandango. (CM)

Emily Blunt at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. photo: gdcgraphics and Wikipedia.

3) The Penguins play their third home game of the regular season tonight against the Colorado Avalanche. Let’s go Pens! 7 p.m. Consol Energy Center, 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown.

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