Verb Issue R48 (Oct. 5-11, 2012)

Issue #48 – October 5 to October 11

maid in akihabara Japanese cafe comes to Regina coyote Matt Mays talks travelling and artistic pressure Frankenweenie + safety not guaranteed Film reviews ­

noble pursuits

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with

royal wood

Photo: courtesy of vanessa heins

contents

NEWs + Opinion

culture

entertainment

Q + A with Matt Mays

Live Music listings

Mays talks travelling, Coyote, and the pressure of being a musician. 8 / Q + A

Local music listings for October 5 through October 13. 14 / listings

Maid in Akihabara

Old Soul, young man

Nightlife Photos

A Japanese maid cafe makes its way to Regina. 3 / Local

Old Man Luedecke talks Tender is the Night. 9 / Arts

This week we visit The King’s Head Tavern. 15 / Nightlife

On the cover:

Royal Wood

Musician, artist Royal Wood discusses his latest album. 10 / cover

verbnews.com @verbregina facebook.com/verbregina

Editorial

every little bit of fun

Frankenweenie & Safety Not guaranteed Movie reviews. 16 / Film

New Globe play delights. 9 / Arts

Coping with the unexpected

Publisher / Parity Publishing Editor in Chief / Ryan Allan Managing Editor / Jessica Patrucco staff Writers / Adam Hawboldt + Alex J MacPherson Contributing writer / jessica Bickford

ART & Production Design Lead / Roberta Barrington Design & Production / Brittney Graham Contributing Photographers / tamara klein, danielle tocker, Adam Hawboldt + Alex J MacPherson

Greg Ochitwa talks adversity. 4 / Local

Business & Operations

Home sweet home

savoury Sandwiches

on the bus

Getting housing for the homeless just makes sense. 6 / Editorial

We get a taste of the Middle East at Prairie Donair. 12 / Food + Drink

Weekly original comic illustrations

by Elaine M. Will. 18 / comics

comments

Music

Game & Horoscopes

Here’s what you had to say about plebiscites. 7 / comments

Bluessmyth, Sunparlour Players + Genticorum. 13 / music

Canadian criss-cross puzzle, weekly horoscopes and Sudoku. 19 / timeout

Office Manager / Stephanie Lipsit Marketing Manager / Vogeson Paley Financial Manager / Cody Lang

contact Comments / feedback@verbnews.com / 881 8372 advertise / advertise@verbnews.com / 979 2253 design / layout@verbnews.com / 979 8474 General / info@verbnews.com / 979 2253

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Maid in Akihabara

Photos: courtesy of adam hawboldt / verb magazine

Japanese maid cafe comes to Saskatchewan for Comicon event.

by ADAM HAWBOLDT

I

t’s Saturday and the foyer of the Alice Turner Branch Library is packed. People of varying ages stand around chatting and laughing, making a bit too much noise for your standard weekend library crowd.

But here’s the thing: these people, they aren’t your standard library goers. Dressed in bunny ears, superhero outfits and costumes of their favourite anime characters, these people are the self-professed comic book and anime geeks of Saskatoon. And the reason they’re milling around this foyer? They’re waiting for Cafe House 3.0 — a mini Comicon of sorts put on by the Saskatoon Love Love Anime Group — to begin.

Near the entrance of the library there’s a lady dressed in a French maid’s outfit talking on a cellphone.

Black dress, white frilly apron, red ribbon around her neck. Her name is Laura Petrishen-Ha, and she’s the person responsible for putting on this Cafe House 3.0. As I work my way through the crowd to say hello, a brown-haired teenager says to a friend, “This is pretty cool, right? Did you know this maid thing is HUGE in Japan?” Oh, how right she is!

If you’re ever in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, one of the first things you’ll notice are the girls dressed in French maid outfits. They’re everywhere: on the streets, in doorways, walking past cafe windows.

Why so many maids? Well, they’re there because of the otaku.

Otaku, loosely translated into Eng-

lish, means the equivalent of “geek.”

You see, in Japan there is a large subculture of guys called otaku who spend much of their time watching anime (cartoons), reading manga (comic books) and playing video games. Living for hours and days on end in their virtual reality, otaku developed a sense of what is called moe —an affection and attraction for characters in their anime, manga and video games.

Now, last time anyone counted (the Nomura Research Institute, in 2005), there were nearly three million otaku in Japan with a spending power in the neighbourhood of $5 billion. So naturally businesses were built up around them. And while

maids, they stir your coffee, spoonfeed customers, play games. They even clean wash your hands or give you a massage (fully clothed) if you pay them enough. But don’t get it twisted: these cafes aren’t strip clubs or gentlemen’s club disguised in French maid attire. Yes, the otaku are paying for female company. But there are no lap dances or happy endings, just silly, moe-infused giggles echoing in a cute culture boom.

It’s a boom that has reverberated through Japan and South Korea and Taiwan. A boom that echoed far enough to reach the Alice Turner Branch Library.

There’s an appeal to being able to go to a place and interact with people like this… laura Petrishen-ha

the electronic and entertainment industries have reaped huge benefits catering to otaku, there’s a smaller, some might say slightly stranger business that’s fast becoming a phenomenon — Akihabara maid cafes.

When you walk into one of these cafes, you’re greeted at the door by a cute girl in a French maid outfit saying, “Welcome home, Master (or Mistress).” Once seated, you choose something from the menu and the maids get to work. Now, we’re not talking vacuuming or dusting. These

Inside the auditorium, dressed as a French maid, Petrishen-Ha watches the festivities unfold. There are two other maids and two butlers designated to serve the 100-plus people in attendance. One plays a guitar. A few others do the Gangnam Style dance.

“This is just something different for around here” says Petrishen-Ha. Indeed it is. Here in this auditorium you’ll see Captain America chat with a caped man. You’ll see a girl and a guy in bunny hats seated, flirting, talking the afternoon away.

You’ll see girls dressed in top-hats, boys in make-up and horns, elves and anime characters.

“There’s an appeal to being able to go to a place and interact with people like this, people who have similar interests to you,” explains Petrishen-Ha, an admitted anime and comic book geek. “There’s some kind of escapism here, but not the negative kind. I think it’s a chance to be someone else or be your real self.

Some people may identify more with themselves in costume scenario than in jeans and a t-shirt.”

The same thing holds true for the myriad of maid cafes in Akihabara.

“People go to those and cosplay [dressed in costumes] and it’s completely normal,” says Petrishen-Ha.

“But here, if all of a sudden you decide to dress up as Sailor Moon or Captain America and go out for dinner, people will be like ‘What the hell are you doing?’”

But here, at the Alice Turner Library, with black-and-white clad servants bringing visitors coffee and green tea and cupcakes, here among the anime and manga and cosplay crowds, there are no “what the hells” or “what are you wearings.”

Just goodwill. Oh, and maids.

Don’t forget the maids.

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Photos courtesy of kiriako latridis

Coping with the unexpected How Greg Ochitwa overcame adversity to write the play of his life.

A

few weeks ago, Greg Ochitwa was in Toronto for an audition.

Afterward, he went and visited

2011. As he stood on the corner, the memories came flooding back.

They were less than pleasant. “I bought the cheapest food I could and saw theatre and worked on Cope while sending out my packages and not getting any response,” he says with a grim smile. “I couldn’t get an audition.

It’s not like I was getting seen and not getting called back; I couldn’t get an audition in Toronto.”

After receiving his BFA in acting from the University of Regina and graduating from the Globe Theatre Conservatory, Ochitwa moved to Toronto. Like many in his position, he struggled to land auditions, much less callbacks. With time on his hands, he started writing. “It was this outlet for me, this thing I could work on,” he says of what became Cope, a loosely autobiographical hip hop musical.

“The thing that kept me going was that feeling in myself, that I was an artist and that I was creating.”

Ochitwa visited coffee shops, where he scratched out whatever ideas came into his head. He filled notebooks with scenes and wrote dialogue on the backs of envelopes; he covered flimsy receipts, both sides.

“I remember one night sitting on the couch, and [my roommate] asking what I was doing,” he recalls. “It was the first time I was plugging some of

his old apartment building, on the corner of Dundas and Brock, where he lived for twenty months between late 2009 and early

by ALEX J MACPHERSON

my scraps of paper in the computer.

He was like, ‘What are you doing?’ I was like, ‘Writing a play.’”

Ochitwa grew up in Balgonie, on the outskirts of Regina. His earliest memories are of the stage. By grade one, he was volunteering to play leading roles.

ing every second — and that was in grade three.”

When Ochitwa was in grade nine, he was called up to star in the high school production of Grease. Shortly afterward, his parents enrolled him in “a random acting class that they found in the city.” The class led to contacts which led to a role on Incredible Story Studio, a television program

The thing that kept me going was that feeling in myself, that I was an artist… greg ochitwa

“I can see myself in the class, putting up my hand,” he says. His parents, both schoolteachers, offered nothing but encouragement. “As long as I can remember, the stage was not something where, ‘Oh, I don’t want to go up there,’” he says. “I wanted to.” More importantly, he adds with a crooked grin, “I was good.” While his classmates stared at the floor and shuffled from one foot to another, Ochitwa projected his voice and looked at the audience. “When it seemed like most of the people didn’t want to be up there, I loved it. There were no nerves. I was clearly enjoy-

that transformed submitted stories into short sketches. It was picked up

by YTV and ran for five seasons. “That was my summer gig through school,” Ochitwa says. “Looking back…that’s about as safe a job as you can have — a TV show that is running. I appreciated it at the time and it went really well for me. I got some good roles in it and it really set me up for a lot of things down the road, I’m sure.”

Ochitwa found success early, but his career was almost derailed before it began. One morning while in high school, he woke up with a debilitating pain in his hip. When it refused to

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Saskatchewan actor Greg Ochitwa captures his fascinating life in his play, Cope. Photos courtesy of the globe theatre

dissipate, his mother took him to the doctor. A battery of tests could not reveal the problem; it would be almost ten years before Ochitwa was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a disease that produces inflamed joints and crippling pain. “If your body moves, it’s like the craziest pain in the world,” he says. “Meanwhile, doctors are telling me that it’s growing pains or a cramp or something like that.”

Today, Ochitwa manages by avoiding sugar, which aggravates the disease. His legs bother him periodically, but he is no longer chained to a bottle of painkillers or forced to plan every footstep. After high school, though, health concerns took a backseat to more serious problems.

Ochitwa’s acting plans were sidelined when he and a friend moved into Regina to hang out, write rap songs, and party.

Living in an enormous “art house,” Ochitwa had plenty of fun even as his world started to crumble, and the pleasures of experimentation gave way to the perils of addiction. “We were all trying things that were coming into our lives,” he says. “I didn’t do things too much differently from a lot of the people I was around at that point, but for whatever reason it was harder on some people. It’s very easy for the things that are out there to take control of your life and to get caught up in things.”

Hard living took its toll on Ochitwa and his friends, the core of Regina’s hip hop community. At one point, Ochitwa witnessed a hostage-

taking, presumably the result of a drug debt gone bad. Shortly after completing his university program, one of his friends committed suicide.

Today, Ochitwa wonders how he survived. “It seems like it’s so close,” he says. “It could have gone this way or it could have gone that way.”

Although he made some headway as an actor in Saskatchewan, Ochitwa left Regina and moved to Toronto. It was there that his memories began to crystallize into a play.

“It’s my life experiences or stories that I’ve heard,” he says. “If it didn’t happen to me, it happened to my good friend. It’s all very, very much me, a very personal thing I was putting forward.” Blending hip hop, which Ochitwa still loves, with themes of addiction and recovery, disease and treatment, depression and redemption, Cope offers audiences a chance to understand how adversity works — and how it can be overcome.

After coming home, Ochitwa began to find success. Last September, he appeared in a Theatre NorthWest production of Becky’s New Car. Then he starred in the Globe Theatre’s Robin Hood. This summer, he took on Shakespeare’s toughest role in Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan’s Hamlet. His most important achievement, though, was a staged reading of Cope that precipitated a run with the Shumiatcher Sandbox Series at the Globe.

The unknown play by the young man from Balgonie was a smash; Cope remains the most successful show in the series’ history. People were enraptured by it. Some even agreed to buy tickets to sit wherever room could be found. Cope was also produced by Live Five in Saskatoon, and will be part of Persephone Theatre’s Youth Series and Youth Tour in early 2013.

Ochitwa’s brief trip to Toronto in September was a watershed. “So much had changed,” he says, pointing to how his résumés now generate calls. “I had sent [an important theatre festival] packages as soon as I got there and could never get seen. Two years later? The dynamic in the room when I go in to audition is so different now, I find.”

Through it all, from out-of-work playwright to successful leading man, Greg Ochitwa has maintained an even strain. Today, he is appreciative of the people that kept him on track when the situation looked grim.

“Every night [this summer], I’d be walking to Hamlet, thinking that this is the best,” he says. “One night, this guy was complaining: ‘I wish I was out on that boat.’ I was like, ‘What are you talking about? Where would you rather be?’ I love my job. I love my job so much.”

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Home Sweet Home

Photos: courtesy of Daryl Mitchell

Giving houses to the homeless benefits us all. by the editors of Verb

I

t’s no great secret that homelessness is a problem, one that’s been around for a long, long time. One that’s extremely complex and impossible to solve, right?

Well, not exactly. See, once upon a time ago, at the beginning of the new millennium, there was an American politico named Phil Mangano who, grom 2002-09, worked for both George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Dubbed the “homelessness czar,” Mangano spent his time on Capitol Hill trying to convince politicians and business leaders alike there was an easy way to end homelessness.

Mangano argued that if you want to end homelessness all you have to do is buy the homeless houses. His “homes first” theory operated on the premise that not only was it humane to buy them houses, it was also cost-effective.

Yep, you read that right. He claimed that it’s cheaper to house a homeless person than to leave them to their own devices while tossing a few coins their way when we see them out and about.

In fact, we think it’s high time our province gets its act together and gives Mangano’s “homes first” theory some serious and sober thought.

We live in a province where people aren’t really cool with letting poor folks die willy nilly in the

Now we know what you may be thinking: just because someone has a house doesn’t mean their problems will be solved. And you’re right — kind of. Even people with houses have problems. But here’s the thing.

If you expect a person to straighten their life out while they’re sleeping in a back alley, you have far too much faith in the human condition. But get that same person an apartment and they may be able to work towards addressing issues in other areas of their life. With their basic needs taken care of, people are much less likely to get arrested or visit the emergency room. In fact, a study in San Diego showed that when homeless people in the region were hooked up with housing, health care, income benefits and primary care, they was a 61 percent decrease in emergency room visits.

Simply put, with a house over your head you are less likely to get sick and less likely to get in trouble.

And since it’s cheaper for the taxpayer if we just housed all the homeless, why in the name of all things sacred haven’t we embraced the “homes first” theory?

streets, so our governments, churches, volunteers and charities do what they can to help. They open shelters, stock food banks, offer mental-health services, and emergency health care.

All of which, of course, costs money.

But the costs don’t stop there.

As Stephen Gaetz, director of the Canadian Homelessness Research Network, points out in a recent study, homeless people also tend to run afoul of the law. Gaetz cites research that shows the homeless are likelier to get arrested and jailed than someone who has a residence.

What’s more, when released these people have a tendency to re-offend and, you guessed it, get tossed back in the clink where they have a roof over their heads, are fed, etc.

This vicious circle costs money — a lot of money. One study Gaetz used notes that it costs taxpayers between $66,000 and $120,000 every year to cover the prison and psychiatric costs of just one homeless person. Add emergency health care costs on top of that (which are usually high because living on the street isn’t the healthiest of lifestyles), toss in the cost it takes to run food banks and shelters and, well, that’s a large chunk of change. So large, in fact, that studies show, as Mangano proposed, it’d simply be cheaper and more effective to provide individuals living on the street with lodgings.

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On Topic: Last week we asked what you thought about plebiscites and municipal politics. Here's what you had to say:

Individual ignorance is the problem. But it exists in so many ways and always will. So I should let another individually ignorant person make my decisions for me? No, thanks. At least plebiscites allow me to make my own mistakes (and foster individual responsibility, accountability and integrity).

– I totally agree. Plebiscites are a waste of time and money. We need to get involved much sooner in the process rather than later. Get out there and be active Saskatchewan!

It’s the time to make your voice heard loud and clear.

text yo thoughtsur to 881 ve r b 8372

– I totally disagree plebiscites along with participating earlier in community politics go hand in hand it’s not either or. U need to get out there get to council I agree with that. But u need to also continue the fight long after. Just because you participate and some moron votes it in doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Keep fighting! The people are the power!

– You guys have too much faith in humanity. People are inherently lazy and like to complain. The reasons we end up with plebiscites isn’t that people weren’t informed before, it’s that when the democratic process takes place and they don’t get what they want they freak out and keep yellin

– Anti plebiscites sounds pretty undemocratic to me u guys should be more careful about what you’re advocating for.

– Participating in the election is a great way to make your voice heard, so get out there and vote!

That’s change we can all believe in.

– Thanks so the person who comment on gays it’s nice to see people so accepting on differant lifestyles god bless!

– To the comment about gays you gave me the strength the come out I’m so happy that I did! Thank you whoever you are!

– Frankly I don’t want to be ‘evolved’ like the rest of you. I’m quite happy to be who I am.

Off Topic – Yeah Lingerie Footballll!!!! So hot all u haters just jealous. More sports should be played dressed like that LOL! In response to “Altering Perception,” Local

– I would be fine with your proposal if there was a way to recall instantly. There are to many selfish politicians out there working for their own personal good and not the good of the community. They need to answer for their choices.

– HENDERSON! I was in grade 9 forty yrs ago. They played the last period of the game over the intercom. The cindercrete block school shook. Chalk vibrated.

page, #47 (September 28, 2012)

Sound Off – Pretty crappy hamper at the food bank for the week before Thanksgiving. Not much to be thankful for.

– COMMUNITY patrol does Better Police presence!

– To the one who texted about more xwalks on 22nd. Don’t be so lazy walk an extra block and wait at the lights! There are more than enough!

– The provincial government should seriously consider an overpass at Highway 11 and Wanuskewin Rd. How many more fatalities is it going to take?

– To the Chili for Children complainer… perhaps they should start educating the parents on how to save enough $ to feed their own kids. I mean, if the program is turning away kids, start looking @ other ways to stop this in the first place!

– Bill Cosby invented “Supsuck” to describe the involuntary double or triple nasal whimper gasp done during or after a good cry. Always one of my favorite. Little kids are especially prone to supsucking.

Sometimes half hour after a good cry you’d rip a double supsuck.

– The provincial government should seriously consider an overpass at Highway 11 and Wanuskewin Rd. How many more fatalities is it going to take?

Next week: housing for the homeless? Pick up a copy of Verb to get in on the conversation: We print your texts verbatim each week. Text in your thoughts and reactions to our stories and content, or anything else on your mind.

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Photo: courtesy of DEVIN MCLEAN

Coyote

Matt Mays howls at the moon on his latest record.

by Alex J MacPherson

M

att Mays is one of the nicest guys in rock and roll. When I called him he was afflicted with a terrible cold, but nothing could dull his enthusiasm. Rather than complain and cut the conversation short, Mays soldiered on, sharing his views on rock and roll, his new record, Coyote, and his innate restlessness. Coyote is his first record without El Torpedo, his longtime backing band, and represents Mays’ attempt to push his own particular brand of guttural rock as far as it can go. From the opening chords of “Indio” it’s a rollicking good time. In a wide-ranging discussion Mays talked about the pressure of being a musician, the benefits of travelling, and why albums are still relevant today.

Alex J MacPherson: Terminal Romance was released more than four years ago. Did you feel a lot of pressure to release Coyote too soon?

May Mays: I didn’t feel much pressure. I’ve been in that position before and tried to speed up the process or whatever, but it didn’t turn out how I wanted. With this album, I took the time that I needed to make sure it felt done. There were people going, ‘Come on man, where’s your record?’

But I didn’t really care. I knew that taking the time I needed would be beneficial and pay off in the end.

AJM: You have traveled a lot, and have written all over the place. How does moving around and experiencing all those different things help you as a writer?

I used some drums from demos, whatever had the most vibe I used as opposed to trying to repeat the demo or think anything. I try to not think and just use it if it was good. I think, in the end, that probably makes for a record that has good flow, good feeling and energy to it.

MM: Some artists are different. Some people can sit in a blank room and write a gorgeous novel, an amazing novel. I’m not one of those people. I need to travel around; I need input to provide output. I just found over the

AJM: You’re still identified as an East Coast musician, yet this album is sonically — and geographically — expan-

I need to travel around; I need input to provide output. matt Mays

sive. What does it mean to you to be from Nova Scotia?

years that anytime I would write a song, it was derived from somewhere I’d been or something I’d seen. I just decided to work with that — and it kind of worked on this record.

MM: I think it’s there. I grew up here on the East Coast. Through my influential years of learning songwriting and learning to work in a studio, I was always here. Like it or not, it definitely is ingrained and I still feel that to this day.

AJM: “Indio” and “Chase the Light” bookend the record and show just how diverse it is, but at the same time the album is remarkably cohesive. Is that something you struggle for?

AJM: Can you tell me a little bit about how you feel about the idea of the album today?

MM: Not really. I think the main thing with this record for me was to try not to think, you know? Any songs I was thinking about too hard, I didn’t use. I like everything to be more like a stream of consciousness.

MM: It’s weird. Sometimes, I think maybe I’ll do six-song EPs once a year, or once every six months. Other

times, I don’t know. If it’s an album you should feel good about it and the songs that fit on it. I think there’s room for both. In a year everybody dismissed the full length album, the two biggest albums of the year had sixteen songs — Arcade Fire and Brothers, the Black Keys record. As far as rock music goes, I thought I knew and then I saw that happen.

Matt Mays October 17 @ The Exchange $20 @ Ticketedge.ca

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Old soul, young man Old Man Luedecke’s Tender is the Night may be his best yet.

O

ld Man Luedecke is not an easy man to understand.

An old soul in the body of a young man, a banjo-playing folk singer whose voice sounds suspiciously like Don McLean’s, he reads Keats and sings about A&W, reveres Ian Tyson and references the Book of Jonah, and makes a stripped-down album called that sounds bigger than any of the records he made with a band. In other words, he’s inscrutable.

“If anything, there was a lot of instrumentation on the last couple of records,” he says of his new album, referring to My Hands Are on Fire and Other Love Songs, and Proof of Love, which won a Juno Award in 2009.

“This is a return to a more strippeddown sound.”

This is an understatement. Luedecke’s latest record, Tender is the Night, is so much more than a return to basic principles. Although the bulk of the record consists of Luedecke’s

by alex J MacPherson

trademark banjo playing, the whole thing sounds enormous. He attributes the expansive soundscape to masterful production. “That’s partly the engineer’s thing,” he says, pointing to engineer Dave Ferguson, who recorded Johnny Cash’s American series.

Ultimately, Tender is the Night is rich and luscious and full, the sort of album where the sonic experience justifies the price of admission. But the visceral pleasure of listening to it shouldn’t overshadow Luedecke’s formidable songwriting chops. From “Kingdom Come,” which opens the record, to the heartwrenching “Song for Ian Tyson,” it’s plain that Luedecke is an outstanding synthesizer of literature and poetry.

Luedecke, however, isn’t exactly thrilled to be known as a chronicler of the mundane. “One of the things that always prickles me is when people say I write about the everyday,” he admits. “I guess it’s true, but I wish it didn’t seem that way.”

Photo: courtesy of the artist

“Things get worn out when they get used a lot, and pop music is relentlessly hopeful at some level,” he continues. “There are a lot of ways of saying I love you … I’m just using this other mythology as a way of saying that.”

Ultimately, Luedecke’s brilliance lies in his knowledge that shared experience is one of the most powerful tools available to a writer.

Old Man Luedecke October 18 @ Artful Dodger $15 @ Ticketedge / $20 @ the door

Every little bit of fun Midsummer [a play with songs] seizes the moment . by alex J MacPherson

Photo: courtesy of Carey Shaw

T

aking its inspiration from Shakespeare, Midsummer [a play with songs] is an ode to the power of abandoning consequence and jettisoning responsibility, an affirmation of spontaneous decisions and an exploration of the choices most of us can never make.

Tracing the story of Bob, a downand-out car salesmen, and Helena,

whose high-octane law career masks a wealth of emotional problems, Midsummer begins with a one night stand.

Eventually, the pair’s innocent fling evolves into a wild midsummer weekend, a time of love and adventure, car chases and bondage gone wrong.

“Most people never do that,” says Amy Matysio, the Saskatchewan acting sensation who stars as Helena. “Nobody really does that. We try to live in the present moment, live day-to-day, but most everybody is thinking of the next day and what the consequences of today mean tomorrow. What’s so great about these two characters…is that they throw all caution to the wind.”

Created by playwright David Greig and musician Gordon McIntyre, Midsummer offers audiences a chance to step outside their lives, if only for an hour or two. Pointing to the unparal-

leled joy of living without regard for conscience or guilt, Matysio says the characters begin to understand themselves — and each other — as their wild weekend evolves.

“It’s the over-planning that puts us into our head instead of into the moment,” she says.”The unexpected is always the most exciting opportunity for human interaction.”

Subtitled [a play with songs], parts of the action — and parts of Bob and Helena — are revealed through music.

The songs, Matysio explains, give the characters a chance to reflect on their vulnerability and their growth. “I think what the music does is it punctuates the story,” she explains.

Riddled with humour and shot through with tenderness, Midsummer [a play with songs] is the antidote to the pedestrian, the banal, and the boring. It is the cure for what ails us all.

Midsummer [a play with songs] October 18-27 @ Globe Theatre $19 @ Regina Performing Arts Centre Box Office, or at 779-2277

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@MacPhersonA amacpherson@verbnews.com

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We Were Born to Glory Royal Wood finds his voice. by Alex J MacPherson

R

oyal Wood is a songwriter. It is his defining characteristic, his reason for being. It is natural — and wrong — to compare Wood, who in a career spanning more than a decade has released four full-length albums and three EPs, to crooners like Frank Sinatra or Michael Bublé. They are talented singers but not necessarily significant writers; Wood is both. And that’s important.

“It’s one that I don’t like only because I find it is lazy journalism,” Wood says of the widespread characterization, speaking on his mobile from a Montreal café. “I think they see an impression of someone in a suit and instead of doing their homework and listening to the record, they categorize me with the Bublés and the Matt Dusks, which is sad because it’s the antithesis of anything those men have ever achieved. These aren’t

formal lessons followed a few years later. After high school he quit studying music and started writing songs.

The rigours of studying business at McGill in Montreal couldn’t derail his musical ambition, and in 2002 he released The Milkweed EP. Wood’s magnetic personality and seamless fusion of insightful lyrics and buoyant melodies captured more than a few fans. A slew of albums followed, culminating in We Were Born to Glory.

To understand just how far Wood has come, it’s worth listening to The Waiting, which he released in 2010.

“After I made The Waiting, things changed for me,” Wood says. “I did four tours on that record alone, and that’s hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of shows. It’s a confidence level. I’m a far different performer than I was then.” Ultimately, The Waiting sounds like a journey, We Were Born to Glory a destination. On the former, Wood’s voice is in flux; he

cover songs; this isn’t manufactured sugar. I consider myself an artist first and foremost.”

Nowhere is this attitude more evident than on Wood’s latest record, We Were Born to Glory. To be fair, it is easy to understand how some people conclude that Wood is a glorified lounge lizard. We Were Born to Glory is a slick package, a compendium of well-written songs performed with admirable verve and pitch-perfect vocals. But under the veneer lies an album of startling depth and emotional clarity. Unlike Wood’s earlier efforts, which merely hinted at his potential, We Were Born To Glory is a fully-realized artistic vision. And what a vision it is.

Royal Wood (his full name, by the way, is John Royal Wood Nicholson) was born in Peterborough, Ontario.

He started playing piano at four;

is expressing himself in every way he can think of. The latter captures a singer at the height of his powers: confident and talented.

Although Wood is aware that stagnation is the enemy of all art, and although he is an outspoken champion of constant evolution, he

drink wine, you sit in cafés. It’s a different energy … I think that played a lot on the record.”

“The evolution has to be natural and I have to follow any muse that I feel, and that’s certainly how this record was born,” he continues.

“When I stepped back I realized

[T]his isn’t manufactured sugar. I consider myself an artist first and foremost. royal wood

admits that We Were Born to Glory is the product of perfect circumstances.

“I was in a very grounded place,” he says. “I was living in Montreal.

Obviously, the energy here, although it’s very electrified, it’s also laid-back.

It’s a place where you celebrate life — you take time, you eat meals, you

everything was far more uptempo, full of energy, driving. My voice was driving along with it. It certainly wasn’t a conscious decision.”

The first lines on the record, “We were born to glory, it filled us up with love,” capture Wood’s views on Montreal — and his views on life.

Continued on next page »

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Photos: courtesy of IVAN OTIS

Today, Wood’s success is no longer in question. He plays big venues to bigger crowds. People buy his records and know his lyrics. He has an impressive catalogue of songs. He is married to Canadian pop darling Sarah Slean. Which means We Were Born to Glory is about wondering what happens next.

Photo: courtesy of VANESSA HEINS

“I’m at a place in my life where a lot of the things I wanted to accomplish, I checked off the list,” he says simply. “My twenties were a blur.

I was kind of floating and, from a career standpoint, I was still finding my voice. You hear that on some of my previous records — it almost sounds like a kid to me. Now, I’m a really confident, secure man, both in my relationship and in life. And that leads to far bigger questions.”

Many of those questions are addressed on We Were Born to Glory.

“The Fire Did Go,” a straightforward acoustic guitar-driven rocker, is about rekindling the flame of a dying relationship. Fusing cosmic metaphors (“Like the furnace of the sun”)

with simple descriptions of love (“Oh the way that our lips did burn”), the song captures the essence of what makes Wood such a talented songwriter: an ability to write broadly accessible yet deeply expressive songs brimming with imagery and universal emotion. The same is true of “Not Giving Up.” An anthemic ode to love not quite lost, the song drives its message home with a repeating chorus; the bridge gives Wood a chance to show off his vocal chops while offering an effective remedy for the black hole of depression and nihilism. And it doesn’t stop there.

Age brings with it a growing awareness of mortality. “Part of it,” he says, “is watching your parents age. You’re burying your grandparents and your siblings are having their first children. What do you do in your twenties? You go out and have a good time. I wasn’t asking big questions in my twenties; I was just following artistic instinct and life.”

find a voice? I think you have to have a body of work that stands out. I truly hope that I’ll get to the point where I don’t have to discuss it ever again because my work stands for itself.”

Based on the trajectory of Wood’s career, it seems that this moment is at hand. We Were Born to Glory stands not only as his greatest achievement, but as a great record in its own right.

His ability to create great pop songs, songs fueled by his own need to push the boundaries of popular music, is unrivaled today.

“There’s something in you when you were born that makes you want to create,” Wood says. “It’s [a need] that keeps you awake at night and brings tears and heartache and sacrifices, but it’s certainly worthwhile.

It never occurred to me either that there would be anything else to do but create and make music. That’s it.”

Today, that need has found a home on the back of his records where, in small type, is printed: “All music and lyrics written by Royal Wood.”

Fortunately, Wood investigates by writing, recording, and performing great pop songs. “How do you find your niche or your position?” he muses. “The gatekeepers are gone, labels are falling, publications are disappearing, record stores are gone by the dozen. The internet is just flooded with everyone calling themself a songwriter. How do you

Royal Wood October 16 @ The Exchange $20 (advance) @ Globe Theatre Box Office; $25 (door) Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@MacPhersonA amacpherson@verbnews.com

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Singular Sandwiches

Photography courtesy of Danielle Tocker

Classic wraps and pleasing platters at Prairie Donair. by jessica Bickford

I

have always had a love for Middle Eastern food, and donair, or doner kebab, is a personal favourite. Donair and shawarma are also some of the easiest Middle Eastern foods to

Donair has a delicious baklava on offer. The sticky, nutty pastry had a bit of crunch to it and was very sweet, making a great end to a lovely, casual meal.

Prairie Donair is one of my favourite places to grab a bite of lunch, and their simple menu offers fresh flavours and deliciously savoury meats.

There is nothing better than watching them slice your order off a hot spit and then creating your perfect meal, just the way you like it.

Next I tried the chicken shawarma platter, which came with pita and hummus, a small salad, and rice.

The platter was all very fresh with a wonderful aroma from the fragrant, rice and freshly sliced chicken. The

The sticky, nutty pastry had a bit of crunch to it and was very sweet… jessica Bickford

Prairie Donair 2518 Quance St. | (306) 789 7555

get acquainted with because they are essentially a sandwich that you can build with whatever flavours you like best.

Prairie Donair has a ton of topping and sauce choices, along with a large selection of meats from their upright, rotating spits. On the traditional end they have Lebanese pickled radishes (those crunchy bright pink ones), hummus, and tzatziki, but they also offer options like lettuce, onions, and tomatoes. I started out with lamb donair and kept my toppings simple and classic. I had black olives, feta, spinach, red onion, hummus and tzatziki. The thinly sliced spiced meat was flavourful, and perfectly salted. The garlic from the sauces was prominent, but the creaminess of the tzatziki rounded out all of the flavours. I highly recommend this sauce combo for maximum flavour, but fair warning: it also gives you maximum messiness. Definitely worth it, though!

chicken was beautifully caramelized, deep brown and seasoned to perfection. The meat was slightly fatty, but only in a melt-in-your mouth, indulgent kind of way.

A meal isn’t truly a meal without a bit of dessert, of course, and Prairie

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@TheGeekCooks jbickford@verbnews.com

let’s go drinkin’ Verb’s mixology guide Cucumber Mint Martini

Ingredients

The flavours of mint and cucumber are the perfect match for well spiced Middle Eastern food, and this tart, fresh, and cooling drink will perk up your palate while extinguishing any lingering heat.

5 thin slices of cucumber 1 oz. simple syrup 10 mint leaves 1 oz. lime juice 2 oz. gin (or vodka) Ice

Directions

In a cocktail shaker, muddle or mash the cucumber, simple syrup, and mint leaves together. Add the lime juice, and gin (or vodka) then shake with ice.

Strain into a martini glass and garnish with a slice of cucumber.

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Next Week

coming up

Bluessmyth

Sunparlour Players

Genticorum

@ McNally’s Tavern Saturday, October 13 – $ 5

@ The Artful Dodger Friday, October 12 – $ 10 in advance (ticketedge.ca) or $15 at the door

@ The Club Thursday, November 22 – $ 12

According to frontman Chris Yaholkoski, “in many ways, Bluessmyth is about making joy out of pain, good out of bad, rising above.”

And if you’ve ever listened to this band from Calgary play, you know that’s exactly what they give the audience. On the strength of Chris’ soulful voice and slick guitar licks, Jason Yaholkoski’s deep and delicious bass riffs and Celene Yohemas’ funky drum playing, this trio takes a deeply rooted blues sound, adds some heavy metallic overtones and a dash of gospel and soul to create a joyful, uplifting sort of music fused with pain and soul-searching. They’ll be taking the stage at McNally’s next week, so if you’re looking for a funky, bluesy experience, be sure to stop by and give this trio a try.

Barns, backyards, bars, theatres … the Sunparlour Players have rocked them all. Based out of Ontario, this alt/folk rock band consists of Andrew Penner (lead vocals, guitar, bass, banjo, bass organ pedals, percussion, kick drum) and Michael “Rosie” Rosenthal (drums, glockenspiel, banjo, back-up vocals, keyboards and bass.) Together they have a sound that is fresh and unique, and one listen to their new album, Us Little Devils, will tell you that. Without a doubt the most realized, mature album the Players have released, Us Little Devils sees the band expand their sound, and embrace electronic and pop influences. The Sunparlour Players will be rolling into town October 12; come check ‘em out.

It all started with “late night poutine and French Canadian crooked fiddle tunes.” Or at least that’s how the guys in the Montreal-based trio Genticorum explain it. Since that fateful night Yann Falquet, Alexandre de Grosbois-Garand and Pascal Gemme have been fusing modern composition with classic folk music, touring more than 15 countries and winning Canadian Folk Music Association awards for Best Ensemble.

With a foot-stomping sound that’s driven by Gemme’s fiddle playing, this band uses traditional music and lyrics to create new and contemporary sounds, and have won over fans from here to the U.S., England and Australia. You’ll have a chance to catch these masterful musicians at the Club in November.

– By Adam Hawboldt

Photos courtesy of: THE ARTIST / THE ARTIST / THE ARTIST

Sask music Preview The Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC) has announced the list of performers that will be appearing at the annual showcase event October 19 and 20 in Prince Albert, and Saskatchewan’s Zachary Lucky and JJ Voss will be taking the stage, along with 13 other artists, to perform. OSAC is a non-profit charitable organization that acts as an umbrella for

community arts councils across the province.

Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org

Photo: courtesy of leftboot productions

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october 5 » october 13 The most complete live music listings for Regina.

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Friday 5

Alexis Normand / The Artful Dodger - The TAE Contemporary Art Gallery presents a multidisciplinary concert featuring the music of Normand and the visual art of Zoé Fortier. 7pm / Cover TBD DJ Pat & DJ Kim / Habano’s Martini & Cocktail Club — Local DJs spin top 40 hits every Friday night. 9pm / $5 cover Alain Lalonde / The Hookah Lounge — Come check out this dope local DJ/ producer. 7pm Sean Burns Band / McNally’s Tavern — A slick singer/songwriter. 10pm / Cover $5 Whiskey Manor / O’Hanlon’s - A local rock and blues band that’s all kinds of good. 9pm / No cover Albert / Pure Ultra Lounge — Appearing every Friday night. 10pm / $5 cover Parlor Trixx / The Sip Night Club - If you want a night of hard-rocking tunes, come check out this local act. 10pm / No cover if in attendance by 6pm J.J. Voss / Whiskey Saloon — This local country/Americana/folk rock singer rocks. 8pm / Cover $10 DJ Longhorn / Whiskey Saloon — Come check out one of Regina’s most interactive DJs. 8pm / Cover $10

Saturday 6

The Bystanders / The Artesian — This local folk/rock four-piece is holding a CD release party. 8pm / Cover $15 Bob Dylan / Brandt Centre — A living music legend. 7:30pm / $52.50–135 (www.ticketmaster.ca) Dan Hill / Casino Regina — This Grammy-winning/five-time-Juno-winning musician is great! 8pm / Tickets $30–35 (available at the Show Lounge box office or online at www.casinoregina.com) Meaghan Smith / Conexus Arts Centre — The RSO’s Shumiatcher Pop concert series will kick off with this 2011 Juno Award winning vocalist. 8pm / Tickets $39+ (tickets.reginasymphony.com)

Cuff the Duke / The Exchange — From Oshawa, this Ontario alt-country band is really worth checking out. 8pm / Tickets $15 (www.ticketedge.ca) Sean Burns Band / McNally’s Tavern — A slick singer/songwriter. 10pm / Cover $5 The Pack A.D. / O’Hanlon’s — A garage duo from Vancouver that’s pretty darn good. Early show / No cover.

DJ Noor / The Hookah Lounge — This talented DJ knows how to rock a crowd.

7pm / $5 cover Drewski / Pure Ultra Lounge — Doing what he does best, every Saturday night.

Come on down and dance the night away with this local DJ. 10pm / $5 cover Parlor Trixx / The Sip Night Club - If you want a night of hard-rocking tunes, come check out this local act. 10pm / No cover if in attendance by 6pm J.J. Voss / Whiskey Saloon — With more than 15 years of live stage performances under his belt buckle, this local country/ Americana/folk rock singer based out of Regina has come by his inspired stage presence honestly. 8pm / Cover $10

Weird Al Yankovic / Casino Regina - From “Eat It” to “Like a Surgeon” to “Amish Paradise”, this comedic musician has been making hits and winning Grammys for years now. 8pm / Tickets $50-55 (available at the Show Lounge box office or online at www.casinoregina.com)

Thursday 11

PS Fresh / The Hookah Lounge - DJ Ageless started spinning in Montreal, DJ Drewski started in Saskatoon. They both landed in Regina and have come together to sling some bomb beats. 7pm / No cover Open Mic Night / King’s Head Tavern - Come out, play some tunes, sing some songs, and show Regina what you got.

8pm / No cover Redbeard’s Nobeard Event / McNally’s Tavern - Come join a host of local musicians as they raise money for breast cancer research. 10pm / Cover $10 DJ Longhorn / Whiskey Saloon - Come check out one of Regina’s most interactive DJs as he drops some of the best country beats around. 8pm / Cover $5 Alex Runions / Whiskey Saloon - This Regina-based urban country rocker’s star is on the rise. Come check out his heartfelt, melody driven version of urban country music. 8pm / Cover $5

Sunday 7

JD Edwards Band / The Artful Dodger - A six-piece from Winnipeg, this band plays a high-energy brand of folk/rock/ country. 8pm / Cover $5 in advance (www.ticketedge.ca) or $10 at the door

Friday 12

Sunparlour Players, Kalle Matheson / The Artful Dodger - Want to hear some top-notch indie/alt/folk-rock?

Come check out these two incredible acts from Ontario. 7:30pm / Tickets $10 in advance (www.ticketedge.ca), $15 at the door

Tuesday 9

Troubadour Tuesdays / Bocados Come check out some live tunes from local talents every week, then bring an instrument and partake in the open mic/ jam night. 8pm / No cover Karaoke Tuesday / McNally’s Tavern - Famous live music venue offers its patrons a chance to share the stage. 8pm / No cover Cortez the Killer / O’Hanlon’s Pub Into good music? Why not come out and see what this band’s all about. 9pm / No cover

Irish Rovers / Casino Regina - With a rollicking, rushing performance, this celtic six-piece will have you stomping your feet and wanting to dance a jig. 8pm / Tickets $30-35 (available at the Show Lounge box office or online at www.casinoregina.com) Exit Eleven / McNally’s Tavern - Come out for a night of classic rock and roll covers. 10pm / Cover $5 DJ Pat & DJ Kim / Habano’s Martini & Cocktail Club - Local DJs spin top 40 hits every Friday night that are sure to get you on the dance floor. 9pm / $5 cover Alain Lalonde / The Hookah Lounge - Come check out this dope local DJ/producer as he does his thing and spins the kind of sound that’ll make you wanna dance. 7pm / The Hookah Lounge Albert / Pure Ultra Lounge - Appearing every Friday night, come listen to Albert as he does his spinning thing. 10pm / $5 cover Flickers / The Sip Nightclub - These rock and rollers from Moose Jaw play the kind of music you want to hear. 10pm / No cover if in attendance by 6pm Alex Runions / Whiskey Saloon - This Regina-based urban country rocker’s star is on the rise. Come check out his heartfelt, melody-driven version of urban country music. 8pm / Cover $5 DJ Longhorn / Whiskey Saloon - Come and check out one of the Queen City’s most exciting and interactive DJs as he drops some of the best country beats around. 8pm / Cover $10

Saturday 13

Beth Arrison / Creative City Centre With a beautiful, hypnotic voice this jazz

musician puts on a show you don’t want to miss. 8pm / Cover $10 The League of One, Bloodline, Trench Foot / The Exchange - Loud and in your face, these local bands bring energy and grit to the stage. Enjoy! 8pm / Cover TBD DJ Noor / The Hookah Lounge - Born in Kuwait and exposed to the international club scene at a young age, this talented DJ knows how to rock a crowd. 7pm / $5 cover Bluessmyth / McNally’s Tavern - Playing blues music with heavy metal overtones and soul vibes, this trio puts on one heckuva show. 10pm / Cover $5 Drewski / Pure Ultra Lounge - Doing what he does best, every Saturday night.

Come on down and dance the night away with this local DJ. 10pm / $5 cover Flickers / The Sip Nightclub - These rock and rollers from Moose Jaw play the kind of music you want to hear. 10pm / No cover if in attendance by 6pm Open Jam Session / Smokin’ Okies BBQ - If you play an instrument, come out and jam. If not, just swing by to hear some sweet music. 3pm / No cover Alex Runions / Whiskey Saloon - This Regina-based urban country rocker’s star is on the rise. Come check out his heartfelt, melody driven version of urban country music. 8pm / Cover $5

Get listed Have a live show you'd like to promote? Let us know! layout@verbnews.com

Wednesday 10

Jeffery Michael Straker / The Artful Dodger - Singer/songwriter/pianist, Jeffery Michael Straker will the throwing a release party for his new CD, Vagabond.

Don’t miss it. 8pm / Tickets $15 in advance (www.ticketedge.ca) or $20 at the door.

Wednesday Night Folk / Bushwakker Brewpub - Featuring Kathy Stochmal and Friends, a talented local singer/songwriter gets a little help from her friends.

9pm / No cover

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Friday, september 28 @

the King’s Head tavern The King’s Head Tavern 489 Albert Street North (306) 949 2633 Music vibe / Classic rock, country, and any live karaoke performances Featured deals / Any cocktail $4.50, and $2 off pizza Drinks of Choice / Beer and Caesars top eats / The King’s Head burger, the loaded pizza, and wings Something new / Live bands every Wednesday night, and karaoke

every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Photography by Klein Photoraphy – feedback@verbnews.com

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Photo: Courtesy of WalT Disney Pictures

Fan-Franken-tastic!

Tim Burton finds his old groove with new film Frankenweenie. by adam hawboldt

W

elcome back, Tim Burton. Man, it’s been awhile.

Sorry we gave you grief over your last flick — Dark Shadows. But c’mon Tim, you know you deserved it. And even though I personally dug some of your latest films, like Alice in Wonderland and Sweeney Todd, other critics weren’t so impressed. They lambasted you, called you a sell-out, said you were once an original who lost his vision somewhere in the rolling hills of Hollywood.

But you showed them, eh Tim? Your new flick is all kinds of good.

Really reminds me of the critically acclaimed stuff you were doing in the late-80s and early-90s. Movies like Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood.

Like those, Frankenweenie is dark, visually captivating and strangely charming. So take a bow.

the look and feel of something fresh and new in the three dimensional oeuvre, yet it still retains that old, familiar Tim Burton feel.

That’s what I’d say to Tim Burton if I ran into him on the street anytime in the near future. And I’d mean every bit of it, word for

[With] a voice cast that is … top-notch, Frankenweenie is Tim Burton doing what Tim Burton does best.

Adam Hawboldt

With the help of his animation team, Burton captures the essence of 1970s-era ‘burbs in a creepy and stylish way. And it’s against this warped, suburban backdrop that he takes the story of Frankenstein and tinkers with it, turning it into a story about a boy and his dog and, in do-

word. Because truthfully his new film, Frankenweenie, is a visual and thematic return to the much-exalted director’s old work.

Which, it just so happens, is often referred to as his best work.

Shot in black-and-white 3D stopmotion animation, Frankweenie has

ing so, creates the kind of movie that just begs to be watched.

The protagonist of this story is a kid named Victor Frankenstein (voiced by Charlie Tahan) who lives with his parents (Martin Short and Catherine O’Hara) in the weird little town of New Holland.

Victor’s two favourite things are conducting weird science experiments in his attic, and playing with his dog, Sparky (whom he loves to cast as the lead in his homemade monster movies).

Anyway, when the film begins Victor and Sparky are happy together and everything is swell. But when Sparky gets hit by a car and heads to doggie heaven, Victor is, understandably, devastated.

Not for long, though.

In a science class at school, Victor’s spooky teacher Mr. Rzykruski (Martin Landau) teaches his class about electricity and, well, I bet you can figure out where this is going.

Victor pays a visit to the pet cemetery, finds Sparky, takes him up to his attack and zaps his old pal back to life.

Frankenweenie Directed by Tim Burton Starring Martin Landau, Catherine O’Hara + Winona Ryder 87 minutes | G

Soon his secret gets out and the town of New Holland gets turned upside down.

With a smattering of classic movie references (everything from An American Werewolf in Paris to Dracula and Godzilla), and a voice cast that is nothing short of topnotch, Frankenweenie is Tim Burton doing what Tim Burton does best.

Yet, like all his best films, Frankenweenie does, at times, suffer from some mild pacing problems. But no matter. It’s just good to see the old Tim Burton again.

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Photo: Courtesy of FilmDistrict

an endearing sleeper hit Solid ensemble cast brings charming, nuanced performances. by adam hawboldt

I

t’s nice to see Aubrey Plaza challenging herself.

Remember how it made Normally when you see her on screen — whether in Parks and Recreation, or in movies like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World — Plaza is in a supporting role, playing a quirky, mopey, vaguely irritated character who always seems to be hiding a deep dark secret. But in the indie sleeper hit Safety Not Guaranteed, Plaza steps into the spotlight as a leading lady, and boy oh boy does she do a bang-up job.

As Darius, a disillusioned intern working at a trendy Seattle magazine, Plaza digs down deep and plays with a subtle vulnerability that really lets the character shine. If she can put together a few more perfor-

mances like this, and if she keeps choosing her movies wisely, one day Aubrey Plaza could very well be a household Hollywood name. And

matter how you slice it, it is one helluva movie.

Directed by newcomer Colin Trevorrow and written by Derek

Plaza steps into the spotlight as a leading lady, and boy oh boy does she do a bang-up job.

Adam Hawboldt

hopefully that happens. Because if nothing else, in her first starring role, Plaza proves she has the acting chops to carry a movie.

Not that Safety Not Guaranteed needed her to carry it. Because no

Connolly, Safety Not Guaranteed begins in earnest with a strange classified ad that reads “WANTED: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke … Must bring your own weapons … Safety not guaranteed.”

The ad is seen by a magazine writer named Jeff (Jake Johnson) who, in need of a story, enlists the aid of two interns — Darius (Plaza) and Arnau (Karan Soni) — to help him track down the person who placed this ad. That person, it turns out, is a guy named Kenneth Calloway (The League’s Mark Duplass), a peculiar and paranoid grocery clerk who is convinced he’s figured out how time travel works and longs to go back to 2001 to right a wrong.

Duplass keeps the audience guessing as to just how crazy Kenneth is, and while you’re trying to figure it out, a budding romance begins to blossom between him and Darius.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, Safety Not Guaranteed won the Waldo Scott Screenwriting Award and was

Safety not guaranteed Directed by Colin Trevorrow Starring Aubrey Plaza, Jake Johnson + Mark Duplass 86 minutes | PG

nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

Safety Not Guaranteed opens at the Regina Public Library on October 11; see reginalibrary.ca for showtimes and more information.

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© | Check onthebus.webcomic.ws/ for previous editions! © Elaine ElaineM. M.Will Will| blog.E2W-Illustration.com | blog.E2W-Illustration.com

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crossword canadian criss-cross 32. Difficult to endure 36. One’s ‘I’ 37. Fortune-telling card 39. Lamb’s mom 40. A country’s military land forces 42. Bed and breakfast 43. Change course 44. Lower in dignity 46. Hold back, as a yawn 48. Published work 49. Three-legged stand 50. Bathroom floor 51. Ski tow

DOWN 1. Refreshing drink

2. Ready to harvest 3. Have being 4. Turn two companies into one 5. Cooking utensil 6. Outran everybody 7. Choir voice 8. Fastest pace of a horse 9. Courage 11. Canadian town council president 12. Baby bovine 14. Growl loudly 17. Part of EDT 20. Excessively expand 21. Body-hugging 24. Behave in a particular

way sudoku answer key 26. Kind of shooter 28. Apprentice A 29. Froth on a glass of beer 30. Bird with long ornamental feathers 31. Do a crime 33. Marijuana cigarette 34. Become larger than normal 35. In this place B 38. Beginning 41. Mysterious Himalayan humanoid 43. Travel document 45. The whole lot 47. Keyboard key

3 4 7 5 9 1 6 2 8 8 9 1 2 3 6 4 7 5 5 6 2 4 8 7 1 9 3 7 2 9 6 1 3 5 8 4 4 5 3 9 2 8 7 1 6 1 8 6 7 5 4 9 3 2 2 3 5 1 4 9 8 6 7 9 7 8 3 6 5 2 4 1 6 1 4 8 7 2 3 5 9

1. Learn hurriedly 5. Decorative drapery 9. Watered-silk 10. Utterly unlike 12. Barrel maker 13. Moose feature 15. Wheel shaft 16. Come down with 18. Margarine 19. Tell untruths 20. Humdinger 22. Eggs 23. Gone wild 25. Indoor shoe 27. Holiday home 29. About two & a half acres

9 5 3 6 7 4 2 8 1 8 7 4 1 9 2 6 5 3 2 6 1 3 8 5 7 9 4 5 8 6 4 3 1 9 7 2 3 9 2 8 5 7 4 1 6 1 4 7 9 2 6 5 3 8 6 2 5 7 1 3 8 4 9 4 1 8 5 6 9 3 2 7 7 3 9 2 4 8 1 6 5

ACROSS

© walter D. Feener 2012

Horoscopes October 5 – october 11 Aries March 21–April 19

Leo July 23–August 22

Sagittarius November 23–December 21

You’re under no orders to change the world, Aries. But maybe this week you could do some soul searching and make some changes in yourself.

It’s time to do what you do best, Leo. It’s time to get out there and socialize with the world. Put your best foot forward and turn on the charm.

Have you been looking for a new hobby to pick up, Sagittarius? A surprise trip could lead you to something that will ease your mind.

Taurus April 20–May 20

Virgo August 23–September 22

Capricorn December 22–January 19

If you find yourself running out of things to say in conversation, go home and memorize a bunch of random facts about partridges. Then share at will.

Feel like taking charge this week, Virgo? Do it, grab the bull by the horns, wrestle it to the ground, then take a chunk home and cook yourself a steak.

Boredom is a double edged sword.

It can, well, bore you silly. But it can also give you time to think about that important thing you’ve been avoiding.

Gemini May 21–June 20

Libra September 23–October 23

Aquarius January 20–February 19

C’mon Gemini, you know you can be a bit of a chatterbox at times. So this week try opening your ears instead. You may be surprised by what happen.

Make up your mind already, Libra!

If you’ve been waffling on making a decision, stop it. Make your choice — it could lead you to good fortune.

This week you’ll become wellversed in the language of love, Aquarius. It may be with a person, a new pet, or even a record. Love is all around.

Cancer June 21–July 22

Scorpio October 24–November 22

Pisces February 20–March 20

Stress is a killer, Cancer. Don’t let it catch up to you this week. Instead, hide (under a desk if need be) until it passes. Then enjoy the rest of the week.

If you find yourself at odds with the world this week, Scorpio, you have two choices: a) know that you are wrong or b) say to hell with the world.

“Don’t live too fast, troubles will come and they will pass.” Wise words from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pisces. Slowing down won’t hold you back.

sudoku 9 6 2 1 4 1 2 6 1 8 7 4 5 6 7 2 3 8 5 7 1 9 5 8 5 3 8 4 9 3 7 3 9 2 4 6

crossword answer key

A

3 9 6 2 3 6 4 5 5 6 2 8 7 2 9 6 8 1 1 7 5 4 9 2 3 8 7 3 5 4 1 1 4 8 7 9

B

19 Oct 5 – Oct 11 /verbregina

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