Verb Issue R97 (Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2013)

Issue #97 – September 27 to October 3

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thrill of the hunt Pro hunter Cody Robbins Double or nothing Q+A with Cancer Bats don jon + the conspiracy Film reviews

Photo: courtesy of norman wong

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On the cover:

steel wheels

Stories that matter. 10 / feature Photo: courtesy of Aaron johnston photography

culture

NEWs + Opinion

entertainment

Q + A with cancer bats thrill of the hunt Professional hunter Cody Robbins.

3 / Local

Live Music listings

Double or nothing. 8 / Q + A

Local music listings for Sept 27 through October 5. 14 / listings

the substitutes and the absence

We visit Bushwakker Brewpub.

Z’otz* Collective’s latest. 9 / Arts

15 / Nightlife

material, space, light

don jon + the conspiracy

Zane Wilcox’s “perfection.” 9 / Arts

We review the latest movies. 16 / Film

Nightlife Photos

attention to detail Gaming culture in SK. 4 / Local

editorial

Curry comforts

on the bus

Our thoughts on drinking and driving.

We visit Da India Curry House.

6 / Editorial

12 / Food + Drink

Weekly original comic illustrations

by Elaine M. Will. 18 / comics

comments

Music

Game + Horoscopes

Here’s your say about suspending the Riders charged with assault. 7 / comments

Hanson, Thought Beneath Film + Alestorm 13 / music

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

verbnews.com @verbregina facebook.com/verbregina Please recycle after reading & sharing

Editorial

Business & Operations

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

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

ART & Production

contact

design Lead / andrew yanko Graphic designer / Bryce Kirk Contributing Photographers / Maxton Priebe + Adam Hawboldt

Comments / feedback@verbnews.com / 306 881 8372 advertise / advertise@verbnews.com / 306 979 2253 design / layout@verbnews.com / 306 979 8474 General / info@verbnews.com / 306 979 2253

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Photo: courtesy of cody robbins

The thrill of the hunt

Professional hunter Cody Robbins is making a name for himself by ADAM HAWBOLDT

I

t was the most petrifying 30 seconds of Cody Robbins’ life.

Standing in a dried mudflat in Tanzania, Robbins zoomed his video camera in on an African elephant.

There filming an episode of Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures, Robbins had never seen an elephant in real life before. But there, maybe 120 yards away, was five cows with their calves.

“It was the very first day,” remembers Robbins. “We didn’t know much about [these elephants]. We thought they could see us, but didn’t care.”

Turns out, that wasn’t the case. “I was filming, zooming up on one of

the cows’ heads,” says Robbins, “and my boss kind of cleared his throat and coughed a little. Soon as he did that, the cow spun her head around and took three or four steps toward us … I was thinking, ‘Holy smokes! This could get pretty intense.’” With his face still buried in the camera’s viewfinder, Robbins heard a bunch of noise around him. Then a scream. When he raised his head from the camera what he saw sent chills down his spine. The elephant he was filming was still a ways away, but the other cows in the herd were charging the hunting party.

To make matters worse, Robbins and crew only had two bullets.

“Our PH [professional hunter] realized they weren’t going to stop,” says Robbins. “And there was no sense in shooting one or two of them to protect ourselves. So as I was zooming the camera back I saw the PH, maybe 15 yards away, running straight at me, waving his arms in the air and yelling, “RUN! RUN! RUN!” Heart-pounding and adrenaline rushing, that’s exactly what he did.

Before Cody Robbins worked with Jim Shockey or created a hunting show of his own, Robbins was just a regular kid growing up in rural Saskatchewan.

“Nobody in my family hunted,” says Robbins, “but my best friend Shane, his dad was a trapper. He used to take him out hunting and fishing.

And when I’d sleep over on weekends he’d take me along. I hated it.” That all changed when Robbins’ dad enrolled him in a firearms safety course.

“We lived on a ranch and there were always guns in the house in case we had to shoot a sick cow or something,” he remembers. “The first day of the course they teach you about the normal stuff — firearms and how to safely use them. But that’s not all. They also teach you about hunting.”

This aspect of it sparked an interest in Robbins, and eventually, he started hunting. First it was ducks and geese with a single-shot shotgun, then deer with a rifle. Soon, though, he wanted to try archery hunting.

“I saved up my money and bought a bow and arrow,” says Robbins. “But because nobody in my family hunts, for those first few years I had to get my grandmother to come with me, be my guardian. She was 75 years old, and she’d be out there sneaking around the bush with me.” When Robbins became proficient with a bow, he went looking for another challenge. It presented itself in the form of a video camera.

“I had no education in cinematography,” says Robbins. “But I said to heck with it … My goal was to produce an outdoor DVD that I could sell on the market. But I had no idea how to use the thing, so I learned by trial and error.

When I ran into problems, I’d Google what I needed.” Some weeks later he met a guy named Jim Shockey — one of the biggest names in hunting. He ended up going to work for the Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures show in 2002 as a cameraman/editor. And that’s what led him to Tanzania. It’s also led him to make one of the biggest decisions of his life.

In 2008, Cody Robbins decided it was the right time to create a hunting show of his own — Live 2 Hunt.

“If you want to put it into perspective, [deciding to leave Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures and make my own show] was pretty much like leaving the Detroit Red Wings for a local beer league team,” laughs Robbins. “It was scary as hell.” At times Robbins wondered the same thing.

“For the first three years of the show I spent every second night lying there, staring at my bedroom wall thinking, ‘How on Earth am I going to make this work? What was I thinking? How am I going to pay the bills?”

But Robbins stuck with it. His show had something different to offer. With a lot of his close friends stopping by for guest hunts, Robbins has created a show that resonates with average, everyday hunters.

“We do a lot of hunting like the average joe. We’re close to home, we go buy a tag over the counter and hunt like a resident would,” says Robbins. “We’re out doing the same thing they would. It’s easy for people to relate. Most people can’t afford to go hunting with an outfitter for $10,000 for 10 days.” It’s because of the “once-in-a-lifetime hunt with your best buddy” feel that has made the show an increasingly popular staple of the Outdoor Channel. “In the last six months, I’ve finally been able to take a breath and say, “Holy smokes! This is a realistic dream,” says Robbins.

Here, he pauses for a moment, thinks, and says, “I know how truly lucky I am.”

He also knows he’s quite lucky those elephants in Tanzania didn’t catch him.

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Gaming culture in Saskatchewan by ADAM HAWBOLDT

T

here was a time when Lance Mathew didn’t know much about the Second World War. Sure, he knew about political climate before, during and after the war. Sure, he knew about the famous battles and the key figures.

But ask him about a specific campaign or, better yet, ask him about the weapons or artillery used in such a campaign, and you’d get a blank look. The kind of look that says, “I don’t have the faintest idea.”

All that changed, though, after he started playing Flames of War. A tabletop game that has garnered a large following in the gaming community, Flames of War uses miniature tanks, infantry and guns to allow players to recreate battles of the Second World War. It also allows people of all ages to get together and experience war from the point of view of a front-line commander.

“When I first started out I couldn’t tell you the difference between a Panzer III and a Panzer IV,” admits Mathew. “But you know what? After playing this game for awhile, you really get to know your stuff. You really learn.”

Behind Mathew, set up on a table, is an enormous Flames of War board complete with a battlefield with rolling hills, wheat fields, roads, ruins, a mosque, L’Arc de Triomphe, and more. Everywhere you look, scattered strategically around the board, are miniature tanks, miniature infantry, miniature planes about to do battle. “This is a Panther,” says Mathew, pointing to a grey and black camouflage tank on the end of the board. “We’ve already killed one of these and they haven’t moved so we’re still ranged in.”

Walking around to the table, Mathew points to a set of artillery guns and says, “these are the ones that are ranged in, the 5.5’s [BL 5.5 gun used by the British in the Second World War].” Pointing to another set of guns he says, “And these 25-pounders are ranged in over there, too. The British used

them pretty much throughout the entire war.”

All around the battle field, the other players in the game are busy.

Some are discussing strategy, others are using a tape measure to calculate distances — how far their tanks can be allowed to move, the distance their guns can reach. But before any more of those guns get a chance to go off, someone calls a lunch break and the battle is put on hold.

Most typical games of Flames of War don’t involve lunch breaks. You play one-on-one for two-and-a-half hours and someone emerges a victor. But this is no regular game. This one will go on all day.

Upstairs at the ACT Centre dozens of people of all ages, from all walks of life, have congregated to do what they love — gaming. It’s the last day of ToonCon 2013. Outside rain is gently falling, but inside the upstairs room is packed with gamers sitting around tables, chatting, rolling dice, or flipping cards. Some are playing co-op games like Flashpoint: Fire Rescue. Others are competing against each other in games with names like Twilight Imperium and Stone Age. “We started ToonCon three years ago,” say John Burt, the founder of the convention. “When I moved back here from Calgary in 2010, I wanted to build a gaming community here.

There’s a fairly good gaming community in Regina and we wanted to replicate that success [in Saskatoon].”

And he’s right. In Regina, the gaming community is bustling. Just right now there are or have been scheduled events for Magic: The Gathering, a Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament and a FRAG games day.

“The goal,” says Burt, “is to build something like that here.”

Back at the Flames of War table, a slender 29-year-old named Lorne Sveinbjornson is opening a carrying case, showing me his collection of miniatures.

“This is a 21st Panzer,” he says, taking a small metal tank from the case and placing it in the palm of his hand.

“You know, this is historically what the camo for this tank looked like.”

Sveinbjornson proceeds to take miniature after miniature out of his case, each one contained within a black foam rectangular holding cell.

There are Sherman tanks, tank destroyers, and heavy infantry guns surrounded by intricately painted soldiers standing atop a bed of sand. Sand that Sveinbjornson painstakingly took the time to glue to the piece’s base.

One look at all of these miniatures and one thing becomes abundantly clear: when it comes to painting his Flames of War pieces, Sveinbjornson is willing to go the extra mile to make them authentic. “My stuff is usually pretty accurate,” he says. “I play with [the German army] and they had a lot of variations. Their stuff was painted in the field. They’d send basically a plain tank to the field and paint it up there. They used spray guns, or if they had access to rags maybe they’d use those — whatever was available. And they’d paint it to match the environment of their battlefield. So I kind of do the same. To emulate what they did I use a small air brush, the way they’d use a spray gun, for most of the camo and the base coating.”

So how long does one piece take to complete? “About eight hours,” says Sveinbjornson. “I just turn the History Channel on in the background and get to work.”

And therein lies the reason why table-top games like Flames of War are so interesting and have become popular in the gaming world. It’s not just the history lesson or the thrill of victory they provide. It’s the passion that the gamers put into it, the attention to detail, the hours spent painting, playing and practicing.

That’s where the real fun lies.

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An ounce of prevention...

Let’s make it easier for people who drink to get home safely This is the second installment in our two-part examination of drinking and driving in Saskatchewan. In our previous article we examined Saskatchewan’s drunk driving rate, the punishments impaired drivers face, and the preventative programs that are currently in place in our province.

I

t’s clear to us that Saskatchewan has a drinking and driving problem, and that what our province is currently trying to do to curb the issue is failing.

Sure, the punishments and programs that are in place are a good first step, but what we also need to do is empower people who drink to make choices that will get them home safely. Should they choose to do otherwise, then we think the penalties should be much harsher.

Now, pretending that people won’t go out and drink would simply be burying our head in the sand. Access to alcohol is not the issue; a lack of public transportation and a dearth of

pieces that make it seem like the only viable option. So what are we to do?

Well, for starters, buses on high traffic routes could run later in the evening. Now, it’s up to city council to allocate funding for transit, which naturally has to come from somewhere.

But if people are hanging around bars with no way of getting home, getting into trouble, or worse, getting behind a wheel, then that ends up costing all of us in one way or another — in emergency room fees, EMTs, auto insurance costs for car accident victims, etc. So we think council should throw a few extra dollars towards city transit in an effort to curb some of those costs further down the road. An ounce of prevention, and all that.

And in order to get more taxis on the roads, the situation is obvious: deregulate the industry. By opening up the industry it would allow for greater ease of access for you, the consumer.

Greater competition would also lead to better service, and provide enough cabs to meet the late-night demand.

taxis in our city is. Think about it: it’s the middle of winter, which obviously means sub-zero temperatures. People are downtown drinking. They drove there with the intention of leaving their vehicle parked in favour of taking a taxi, but there’s a catch: there are no taxis to be found. Or if you call one, you’re stuck waiting. Or you’re put on hold. Or one (singular!) finally does show up, but it’s for the other 18 people milling around. You get our point.

Ok, fine, so taxis are going to take forever, if they even show up at all.

Well, why not just hop on a bus? Oh wait — those stopped running in Regina by 1am. That’s not very helpful, considering most bars close on weekends around 2am at the earliest.

So eventually everything closes down, the buses are long gone, and you’re still stuck waiting for a taxi. So instead of walking home in -30C weather, you may be tempted to hop behind the wheel of your car to head home.

We don’t condone this move in any way, but we do understand the moving

Which, in turn, would cut down on the number of people who feel the need to hop behind a wheel inebriated.

And while we’re on the issue of taxis, once the industry is deregulated and more cabs are on the road, it would behoove cab drivers to take a page from the book of a city like, say, Halifax and strategically position their cabs at nights and on weekends. On any given Friday or Saturday night, there are taxis lined up and down the streets of Halifax — in designated taxi stand areas — where the nightlife is the hottest.

Now, simply increasing ease of access to transportation alternatives is not the only step, and that is why we think punishments for drinking and driving — especially repeat drinking and driving — should be much harsher. So here’s our proposal: for a first offence, the punishment remains the same — a one year license suspension and fines.

But after that it’s time to turn up the heat. For those caught driving

while impaired for a second time, they should receive a five-year driving ban plus all associated fines. Caught a third time? You get a lifetime driving ban and six months in jail. And for every time you’re caught after that, you should be forced to spend two years less a day in jail.

The drinking and driving rate in this province is clearly out of control, so by allowing people to make more responsible decisions while simultaneously upping the punishment for repeat offenders should send a clear message: Saskatchewan will not tolerate drinking and driving.

These editorials are left unsigned because they represent the opinions of Verb magazine, not those of the individual writers.

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On Topic: Last week we asked what you thought about suspending the Roughriders charged with assault. Here's what you had to say: – Rules, or codes of conduct r still life rules!! Conduct urself in proper manner nd u will do just fine, but break the rules, then u should be reprimanded, until proven innocent! What r these players showing the next generations ahead, that its ok to mess around? Learn life, its all about living the real life!!

Good judgement is everything!!

text yo thoughtsur to 881 ve r b 8372

this province. We have one of the most supportive fan bases but as a parent I’m disgusted that the men my kids look up to acted this way.

This is outrageous!

– Hey verb why don’t you let the courts decide who made you judge and jury? Pretty sure the riders are innocent until guilty. Not taking football advice from you NOPE

– F#*$ U VERB THE RIDERS RULE!

OFF TOPIC – I have read your article on rider outrage you are 100 percent right and if the team management does not see this then the CFL should ban the team from playing this season

– Roughriders players should be treated just as anyone would under the law. If they need to be charged with assault so be it!

– So the verb would like to violate our constitutional rights and condemn the rough riders ‘guilty til proven innocent’ nice guys..

Real nice

– If football isnt sport fer evry1 then thats not cool im sicck of all the clowns makin a mockery. We need to get priorities strate. Im out

– For those crying innocent until proven guilty: they’ve been charged. That alone should involve some sort of retribution from their employers. Can’t do that and still work if you’re a teacher or cop.

– What a terrible example these Riders players set for the youth in

– Would SK’s lowest legal limit of BAC in contrast to all other provinces have anything to do with the disproportionate represetation of drunk Drivers. After all you have to be caught driving drunk to be a statistic In response to “Road Pop Outrage,” Editorial, #95 (September 13, 2013)

sound off – Man has Verb wimped out on the text killing one of the best sections in the rag!

– I am a smoker and I put my smoke out when I see the bus approching too bad others don’t have the same concideration.

Next week: What do you about more buses and taxis to curb impaired driving? Pick up 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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double or nothing Photos: courtesy of Zaeya Winter

Cancer Bats reinvent themselves as Bat Sabbath and expand beyond their hardcore roots by Alex J MacPherson

A

fter almost ten years on the road, a decade of relentless recording and touring, Cancer Bats have established themselves as one of the hardest-working bands in the country. And one of the most popular. Last year, the Torontobased band released their fourth album. A tightly-wound collection of blistering hardcore and sludgy punk, Dead Set On Living drew on a range of musical ideas — metal, punk, hardcore, stoner rock — yet cleaved to none. It was a Cancer Bats album for Cancer Bats fans.

This year, the band re-released the record with four more searing tracks — and a collection of Black Sabbath covers called Bat Sabbath.

Cancer Bats have been covering Black Sabbath for years, but the EP — which feels big and open and raw — marks the beginning of something new for one of the loudest and most energetic groups in the country. I caught up with singer Liam Cormier to learn more about the band with two identities.

U.K; we’ll add a couple extra tracks to have an excuse to tour. Whereas this time around we’d had so much positive feedback about the Bat Sabbath touring that we’d done, that people really wanted to hear those songs, so we’re like, even though we have four extra Cancer Bats songs, it would be cool to go back into the studio to do an EP of Bat Sabbath songs.

Alex J MacPherson: What prompted you to re-release Dead Set On Living with four new tracks and The Bat Sabbath EP?

we tried to do with the Bat Sabbath stuff was to do it as live as possible, because we wanted it to have that live feel. And the big thing is so many people have just seen Bat Sabbath on YouTube, from recordings of the shows we’ve done, so we [wanted] to capture that energy in the same way Black Sabbath did — their first four albums were just recorded live.

Liam Cormier: We’ve always done reissue of the records in the past. Normally, it just happens in the

AJM: And now you basically have two identities to choose from, right?

LC: We never thought we would start doing something like another band, our alter ego. But tonight we’re going to play just as Bat Sabbath in Quebec City; we played last night at the college as Cancer Bats.

It’s cool that we can take advantage of playing different spots. The vibe of a Bat Sabbath show is very different from a Cancer Bats one, and it’s cool to be able to do both.

AJM: Bat Sabbath feels quite a bit looser than the songs on Dead Set On Living. Did you make any big changes while recording the new EP?

AJM: On both sides, it seems like you’ve been able to break down a lot of the barriers — artificial genre labels and that stuff — that make it hard for people to get into the world of hardcore punk.

LC: We worked at the same studio and we also got [producer] Eric Ratz back in the studio for a day with us so we could work. But the big difference

…a Bat Sabbath show is very different from a Cancer Bats one… liam Cormier

LC: That’s a hundred percent how we look at it. We don’t really shy away from anything because we should or shouldn’t do it. I think maybe because we’re a little bit older — we’re all in our 30s — we don’t care what people think. We’re more interested in the people who come to our shows and want to party and have a good time versus

someone who would have an opinion on the internet negatively.

Maybe we’re a hardcore band, but we’re still going to do a super fun Black Sabbath set and it’s going to be the best and anyone who shows up is going to have a blast.

AJM: Dead Set On Living has been out for awhile. Now, you’re touring the reissue and Bat Sabbath.

What’s next?

LC: This tour is kind of going to mark the end of the touring cycle for Dead Set On Living. We don’t really have too, too much lined up after this, so that was kind of the whole reason we wanted to do the two-in-one, to make it kind of like a huge farewell banger for this re-

cord before we go and write a new album. For us, already we know that these shows are going to be the best. And we know that Bat Sabbath hasn’t been on the West Coast at all, so we’re just like, if we do a doubleheader of both sets, it’s literally going to be the best party ever.

Cancer Bats / Bat Sabbath October 7 @ The Exchange $18 @ Ticketedge.ca

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The Substitutes and the Absence

New works from the Z’otz* Collective are open to interpretation

M

ost works of art stem from an idea or a narrative.

Just as it is difficult to illustrate a book before the story is written, it is difficult to make meaningful art without an idea of how the work will develop. Difficult, but not impossible. The Substitutes and the Absence, an exhibition by Toronto’s Z’otz* Collective, turns convention on its head. Instead of allowing art to emerge from an idea, Nahúm Flores, Erik Jerezano, and Ilyana Martínez simply make work and trust that a narrative will follow.

“We work in a very intuitive way, letting the piece produce the idea, not vice versa,” the three members write in an e-mail, speaking not as individuals but as a collective. “We are more interested in the struggles and discoveries in the process than in the final result.”

Process is an integral part of the Collective’s work. In most cases, it is a variation on exquisite corpse, a game devised by the surrealists in which a number of collaborators add to a work in progress, stopping only when everybody present agrees that the piece is finished. The members of Z’otz* Col-

by alex J MacPherson

lective have been making art like this for almost a decade, and the works in The Substitutes and the Absence reflect their fondness for improbable figures and shapes.

The Substitutes and the Absence includes drawings, sculptures, and a large mural, drawn on the gallery’s long western wall. They are the building blocks of a new, deeply personal mythology. Some pieces reflect the group’s Latin American origins, using fantastical beasts drawn from folklore. Others twist and distort common physical forms into improb-

able shapes and configurations.

Together, they hint at the absurdity of the human condition — and offer a new, much broader way of seeing the world of action and interaction, of histories and politics.

“Much of the work is about fluid objects and characters, how one thing transforms into another and is constantly changing,” they write. “These speak about the dynamic nature of our human condition and the cycles of life.” But this is just one interpretation.

The Substitutes and the Absence can be understood in numerous ways; the

works leave space for the viewer to create a new narrative, like illustrations for a story that has yet to be written.

“The way we play with our imagination or respond to each others’ marks or visual elements is entertaining to us and our works give space to multiple meanings according to the viewer,” the Collective writes. “The work is open for interpretation. Our intention is to induce people to question.”

Z’otz* Collective Through October 27 @ Dunlop Art Gallery

Material, Space, Light

New ceramic works from Zane Wilcox explore physical reality and the illusion of perfection

T

he history of art in Saskatchewan is to no small degree defined by developments in ceramics. Beginning in the 1950s, a large number of Saskatchewan artists have pushed the boundaries of what can be achieved with

clay. Zane Wilcox, a young artist from Regina, is on the cutting edge of this movement. His work has been shown in galleries across the province, and has been collected by the MacKenzie Art Gallery. His latest body of work, Material Space

Light, positions him as one of the most important artists in one of the most important art movements in the history of the province.

“They are very simple objects in some ways, sophisticated in other ways,” Wilcox says of the works that

by alex J MacPherson

make up Material Space Light, which is based on the complex interplay between solid material and empty space. “A lot of what I’m doing with it is paring away excess information and just presenting the bare minimum.

Part of my intent in doing that is if all the excess is removed, we can end up seeing more of what is there. There’s less coming at us, less stuff competing for our attention.”

The essence of Material Space Light is the way in which Wilcox is able to conjure up and then dismantle the idea of perfection. At first glance, the works appear to be stark examples of linear perfection. Constructed from cubes and other rectangular shapes, his sculptures appear to have an architectural precision — straight lines, flat planes, and right angles working in harmony. Upon further inspection, however, the veneer of precision gives way to countless flaws, each of which imbues the work with a sense of reality. Clay will always be an imperfect material, and Wilcox takes full advantage of its fragility.

“You could take the measurements and turn them into perfectly square things with perfectly parallel lines and flat surfaces, and turn them into plastic or have them milled out of aluminum,” Wilcox says. “They would be really beautiful objects but they would be a lot more abstract. They

would look less like something that’s part of this world.”

But this would be missing the point.

Wilcox’s creations succeed not because they try and fail to achieve perfection, but because they point directly to the

Photo: courtesy oF the artist

gap between two ideals. The works in Material Space Light are grounded in the material reality we experience every day — they are aspirational yet resigned. And by exposing the futility of transforming organic material into perfect shapes and solids, Wilcox hints at the notion that our idea of perfection — something that can only be achieved in a clean room or a laboratory — is deeply flawed.

Material Space Light Through October 26 @ Mysteria Gallery Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

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A Common Humanity The Steel Wheels on stories that matter by Alex J MacPherson

T

rent Wagler is standing in his kitchen, talking about something that happened to him more than a decade ago. Wagler is a singer and a songwriter, one quarter of the Harrisonburg, Virginia-based Steel Wheels. Together with Eric Brubaker, Brian Dickel, and Jay Lapp, he has spent the last eight years refining a sound that lands somewhere between bluegrass and the blues, upbeat stomps and tender ballads infused with the spirit of Appalachia. The Steel Wheels have garnered rave reviews for their albums and live performances, which blend back porch storytelling and blistering bluegrass picking.

But Wagler wasn’t always interested in spending his life onstage.

In 1999, he was a young college student determined to improve the world. Which is why he took a job teaching English in the Gaza, one of the oldest cities on the planet and for decades a hotbed of political turmoil and religious unrest.

“There are so many different opinions in a place like the Middle East,” says Wagler, who grew up listening to his father and uncles play gospel music before leaving home to study at Eastern Mennonite University. “That’s so overwhelming when you’re sitting in the Gaza Strip, in this little refugee camp, and meeting people. But the one thing in the midst of it all that felt hopeful to me, that felt like a reason to keep getting up in the morning and moving through the day, was meeting people and hearing their stories — and realizing how much we have to share.”

Wagler has always been drawn to the sounds of American folk music, songs

that have influenced several generations of writers and performers. But listening to folk music from a different part of the world led him to a startling conclusion. “I would listen to Arab music in the Gaza Strip,” he says, “but the only stuff that spoke to me was their old stuff. I’d hear something on the radio and I’d be like, ‘Wow, what’s that?’

They’d be like, ‘That’s an old Egyptian singer, she’s long gone — that’s the old folk music.’ Even if I couldn’t understand the lyrics, there was much more emotion in there.” Wagler realized that some stories were truly universal. It dawned on him that music can, under

on what would be a long and difficult journey. It would take years of hard work, long nights onstage and longer days on the road before audiences across the country and the continent began to take notice.

Although it was not their first record, Wagler thinks Red Wing, which was released in 2010, marked a watershed for the band — the moment when songwriting and musicianship aligned. The album, which earned five independent Music Award nominations, was overflowing with infectious melodies, energetic performances, and strong songs. What separated it from

…I think there are small connections that are drawn between people… trent wagler

the right circumstances, transcend cultural and political borders. That songs can speak directly to people no matter what they believe. This changed everything. Wagler jettisoned his plans to pursue a career in international relations in favour of a life spent under the lights.

Within a few years of his return to the United States, Wagler was making music with the Steel Wheels. From the very beginning, the band’s mandate has been to tell stories that matter.

Armed with a handful of traditional instruments — guitars, fiddles, mandolins, an upright bass — and the timeless sound of four voices singing together, Wagler and his bandmates embarked

other, similar albums was the fact that the Steel Wheels work as a band. Bluegrass music is fundamentally individual, more like a group of soloists riffing on a common theme than a group of musicians working in concert. Wagler wanted to change this; he wanted to play in a band. “We play bluegrass instruments in the realm of old-time music,” he says, “but we’re not trying to be the Punch Brothers. We’re not trying to be the hottest pickers out there on the circuit. Our goal is to be a really solid band, in the way that a tight rock band moves you and you can feel it.”

Red Wing captures the raw intensity of four musicians making music together — and having fun while doing it.

Continued on next page »

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y

Photo: COURTESY OF RubySky Photography

Despite their gruelling tour schedule, which includes a yearly jaunt through the eastern United States on bicycles, the Steel Wheels have added more records to their catalogue since Red Wing was released. In early 2012, they released Lay Down, Lay Low, which built on the success of its predecessor. From the opening of “Breaking Like The Sun,” an edgy folk song that casts Brubaker’s lively fiddle against a cheerfully punchy vocal from Wagler, it is clear that Lay Down, Lay Low marks another high point in the band’s career. Wagler’s nasal voice is stronger and more assured than ever.

Photo: courtesy of dylan duvall

The harmonies are richer, the arrangements tighter and yet somehow more relaxed. The first four tracks on the album set the tone for what follows, demonstrating that the Steel Wheels’ playbook covers everything from rollicking country stomps to keening ballads and bursts of tightly-wound bluegrass picking.

Wagler is a masterful storyteller and Lay Down, Lay Low reflects his penchant for simple, unaffected songs. He manages to pack a lot of emotion into each and every line, saying a lot with very little. “Indian Trail” is a driving song about the fragility of existence, and how the places we remember affect every aspect of our

lives. “Rain In The Valley” is a stirring a cappella hymn that uses the cleansing power of the rain as a metaphor for spiritual renewal. Led by Wagler, his voice cutting across the rich harmonies delivered by the other band members, the song uses very little to say an awful lot. “One Night,” which closes the album, is a sprawling ode to the best nights of our lives — and how memories remain long after people pass out of our lives. Even “Spider Wings,” the only truly strange cut on the record, is executed with feeling and precision, the syncopated guitar lick an odd yet pleasing counterpoint to Wagler’s lyrics about the conflict between desire and gratitude. Lay Down, Lay Low is an extremely strong record — but it only tells one half of the story.

Earlier this year, the band released No More Rain. A collection of old songs updated with new arrangements and energized by red hot performances, No More Rain shows off a different side of the Steel Wheels. If Lay Down, Lay Low hints at how much the Steel Wheels are capable of, No More Rain shows just how far they’ve come. The songs themselves are raw, but because the album was recorded live with few overdubs, No More Rain feels more like a band playing for family and friends than a professional studio recording. Which is exactly what Wagler hoped to achieve.

“We’ve always experienced that when you truly are playing side-byside with your bandmates in real time, and the note they just played affects the note you’re playing,” he says. “It’s really hard to replicate that in the process of overdubbing. We’ve done that plenty of times on other re-

cords, too, but with this album it was so important to do that, and I think it highlighted something you can’t fake: the experience we’ve had of playing together for a good amount of time and growing to be pretty tight as a band.”

Lay Down, Lay Low and No More Rain show two different sides of the Steel Wheels’ career. One features a band doing everything in their power to inject new energy and passion into traditional music, the other a group of musicians examining their history. But while the records are very different works of art, both reflect the band’s love of folk music and their commitment to telling stories that matter. But no matter what course the band takes in the months and years to come, there is no question that telling stories will always be at the core of what it is they do. Wagler learned just how powerful a story and a song can be when he was living in the Middle East; it is a lesson he will not soon forget.

“I just found that it is very hard to have any sort of dialogue across opinions, where if you disagree with somebody on a political view or a religious view or whatever it is, you end up missing each other so easily when you start talking about the truth,” he says of his year in Gaza.

“But you can’t argue with a story, and I think that’s what really set me on [this path]. I’m not going to get idealistic and say these songs are what’s going to heal the world and make peace, but at the same time I think there are small connections that are drawn between people who are very different from each other or who otherwise might disagree with a lot of things. There’s a kind of com-

mon humanity in these stories and in these songs.”

The Steel Wheels October 7 @ Creative City Centre $25

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbRegina amacpherson@verbnews.com

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Photos courtesy of Maxton Priebe

THE COMFORTS OF CURRY

Homegrown Indian flavours become a Regina favourite by mj deschamps

t

hose first, truly cold days of fall can hit you like a ton of bricks — but they also present oh-so-much justification for indulging in a big, savoury meal that will heat you up and keep you indoors.

Stepping into the warm, spice-filled atmosphere of Da India Curry House one chilly September afternoon, I joined a hungry crowd filling up their plates with curries, pakora, and butter chicken at the restaurant’s heaping lunch buffet.

and decided to open up a restaurant of his own.

The small spot at 227 Victoria Avenue sprung up two years ago, and gained such popularity that Singh decided a second location was in order.

The original restaurant down the street is now a vegetarian one, while the new, bigger location serves many vegetarian/vegan and gluten-free dishes alongside its chicken, beef, lamb and seafood ones.

I started off my lunch with a typical crowd pleaser — vegetable samosas.

The generous filling of potatoes, herbs and spices was delicious, while the crispy, fresh-baked buttery pastry almost stole the show.

Next, I had creamy butter chicken over a bed of basmati rice. Big pieces of marinated chicken swam in a thick cream sauce with tomatoes, onions and a combination of spices, although the overall flavor was sweet.

Singh came around to check how I’m doing while also placing more food down in front of me. He told me that tandoori chicken and naan bread is always served fresh at the table with the buffet, as he replenished my plate.

I can never say ‘no’ to naan, but this garlic variety was especially good. The bright red tandoori chicken drumsticks

The location at 806 Victoria Avenue is only about six months old, but already seems like an old favourite to Reginans, as a steady flow of people trickles in, and owner Harminder Singh greets many customers by name.

Armed with not much more than family recipes and a passion for cooking, Singh immigrated to Canada with his family about a decade ago, spending six years in Vancouver before making the move to Regina. He found the Queen City was in need of some authentic, East Indian-style cooking,

let’s go drinkin’ Verb’s mixology guide

B

MANGO LASSI COCKTAIL

Ingredients

A traditional yogurt-based drink in India, lassi has been gaining popularity as Indian food lovers worldwide become acquainted with this creamy, blended beverage. It can make a great afternoon snack, dessert – or even late-night cocktail.

1 cup vanilla yogurt 1 cup mango (sliced or canned) ½ cup mango nectar 1 cup vanilla vodka ice

directions

Combine ingredients together in a blender until frothy. Pour into glasses and serve with fresh mango slices.

looked a bit daunting for the spicewary — and they do pack quite the zing — but nothing overwhelming. The tender chicken came right off the bone, and if you’re not the best with spices (like me), then wrapping it in naan is a great way to tone down the kick.

A lot of the time, some curry-centric restaurants can pack heat in their food just for heat’s sake, but Da India Curry House is more focused on flavours.

“People think that Indian food is always very spicy, but that isn’t true — we make our food spicy with different herbs and spices; not with chili peppers,” said Singh.

Singh brought me a couple different entrées to try next. The first was a paneer butter masala — a vegetarian dish made up of the soft cheese in a tomato-based sauce filled with heaps of sweet bell peppers and warm spices.

Second was the lamb methi, which actually turned out to be my favourite of the day. The tender, boneless lamb came in a rich cream sauce with fenugreek leaves, garlic, onion, tomato sauce, ginger and special masala sauce.

If you need a break from spice by the end of the meal, dessert is the way to go — I ended with a cool bowl of creamy rice pudding and some warm gulab jamun (pastry balls made from

dry milk, deep fried and dipped in sweet syrup).

Tasting all these dishes, I got some insight not only into traditional Indian cuisine, but into the response Da India Curry House is having with Reginans, too. While I was there, typing away on my laptop in between bites, customers kept coming up to me, letting me know how much they love the food and how often they frequent the place.

It’s no surprise that Singh plans to put down his roots here, and continue to bring the taste of India to Regina for years to come. He will even be rolling out his business’ first food truck soon; aptly named “Da India Curry Express.”

“People are so friendly and supportive here — I’m not going anywhere else,” he said.

“No one could have imagined I’d have so much success in three years — there is just so much opportunity in Saskatchewan.”

Da India Curry House 806 Victoria Avenue | 306-522-1331 Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbRegina mdeschamps@verbnews.com

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Next Week

coming up

Hanson

Thought Beneath Film

Alestorm

@ Casino Regina Friday, October 4 – $36+

@ Creative City Centre Wednesday, October 9 – $10

@ The Exchange Tuesday, November 19 – $20

Remember 1997? Princess Di got into a deadly car accident. Steve Jobs returned to Apple. South Park premiered. The comet Hale-Bopp tore through Earth’s orbit while “MMMBop” by the Hanson brothers was busy tearing up the music charts. Sung by brothers Isaac (guitar/piano/vocals), Taylor (keyboards/piano/guitar/drums/ vocals) and Zac Hanson (drums/piano/ guitar/vocals), the song was nominated for a Grammy and reached #1 in 27 countries around the world. Since then, the brothers have continued making music and garnering fans from around the world. With 12 tours under their belts, the brothers have been nothing if not busy. They just released their latest album, Anthem, later this past June. Don’t miss them! Tickets at Casino Regina box office.

In 1924, Emily Dickinson wrote a wonderful little poem called “The thought beneath so slight a film,” which talks about unseen interpretations you can find if you look at things from a different angle, in a different light. In 2012, Brent Wirth (vocals/guitar), Brian Wirth (guitar), David Lindsay (vocals/guitar), Joey D’Ambrosio (vocals/bass) and Matt Foster (drums) formed a band with that concept as its driving force.

They called it Thought Beneath Film, and as soon as you hear their music you’ll understand what I’m talking about. Listen to this Hamilton-based band’s songs one way and you’ll hear guitar-driven tunes, turn it another and you’re treated to a blast of noisy pop. They’ll be in Regina next week, rocking the Creative City Centre.

There are no shortage of subgenres in heavy metal music. There’s thrash, doom metal, grindcore, black metal, metalcore and oh so many more. But have you ever heard of “True Scottish Pirate Metal”? You have if you’ve ever listened to Alestorm before. Consisting of Christopher Bowes, Dani Evans, Gareth Murdock, Elliot Vernon and Peter Alcorn, this hard-rocking quartet plays music that you can’t help but like. A staggering blend of folk and power metal, the songs these guys play sound a little bit like Korpiklaani or Turisas, but with a true pirate twist. It’s the kind of music that will get you out of your seat and jumping around while swigging a big glass of rum. They’ll be dropping by the Queen City later this fall, so check ‘em out. Tickets at www. enterthevault.com.

– By Adam Hawboldt

Photos courtesy of: the artist/ the artist/ the artist

Sask music Preview Applications for the SaskMusic Investment Program, funded by Creative Saskatchewan, are now being accepted! The program enables artists and music industry professionals to enhance their music and/or professional careers. The deadline for Single/Demo Sound Recordings, Commercial Sound Recording, and Marketing Initiatives is November 15, 2013. Applications for Tour Support, Showcase Travel Support, and Industry Travel Support must be submitted at least 21 days prior to the event. For more information, please visit http://www.saskmusic. org/index.php?p=Investment%20Programs Keep up with Saskatchewan music. saskmusic.org

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sept 27 » October 5 The most complete live music listings for Saskatoon.

Friday 27

DJ Pat & DJ Kim / Habano’s — Local DJs spin top 40 hits. 9pm / $5 cover Big Chill Fridays / Lancaster — With DJ Fatbot. 10pm / Cover TBD Alex Runions / McNally’s — Rockin’ country covers and originals. 10pm / $5 Tequila Wranglers / Pump Roadhouse — It’ll be a foot-stomping good time. 10pm / Cover TBD

Robot Eyes + more / Artful Dodger — It’s a three-for-one bill. 8pm / Cover TBD Nick Faye + more / The Club — Help find a cure for breast cancer. 7:30pm / $10 Val Halla + more / The Exchange — Rockin’ alt-country that’s all kinds of good.

7:30pm / Cover TBD

Billy Grind / The Sip — Local roots. 10pm DJ Longhorn, chris henderson / Whiskey Saloon — Country fun. 8pm

Saturday 28

Broadway Today / Conexus — Show tunes. 8pm / Cover TBD The Stillhouse Poets / Lancaster — A roots duo from Regina.9pm / Cover TBD Alex Runions / McNally’s — Rockin’ country covers and originals. 10pm / $5 Tequila Wranglers / Pump — It’ll be a foot-stomping good time. 10pm / Cover TBD Drewski / Pure — Let’s party! 10pm / $5 Billy Grind / The Sip — Local roots. 10pm Chris Henderson / Whiskey Saloon — Country to make you move. 9pm / $10

Sunday 29

Mary Caroline / Artful Dodger — With Megan Nash. 8pm / $10 Retro Sexy Dance Party / McNally’s Tavern — With DJ Baby Daddy. 10pm

Monday 30

Open Mic / Artful Dodger — Come jam!

8pm / No cover Monday Night Jazz / Bushwakker — Featuring Uptown Jazz. 8pm / No cover Michael Franti + Spearhead / Conexus — Blending funk + more. 7:30pm / $36.50+

Wednesday 2

Lee Harvey Osmond / Artesian — A stripped-down solo show. 8pm / $30 Tony Dekker / Artful Dodger — With one of the Great Lake Swimmers. 8pm / $15 Wednesday Night Folk / Bushwakker — Featuring Ron Loos. 9pm / No cover Five Finger Death Punch / Evraz Place — Heavy metal. 7:30pm / $54.25 Jam Night and Open Stage / McNally’s — Come enjoy some local talent. 9pm

Thursday 3

2 Beats & A Hat / Artful Dodger — Sweet DJ sets. 7pm / $5

Zachary Lucky / The Club — With Nick Faye. 7:30pm / $10 PS Fresh / Hookah Lounge — With DJ Ageless and DJ Drewski. 7pm / No cover Open Mic / King’s Head — Come jam. 8pm Sean Burns Band / Lancaster Taphouse — A night of hot rock. 9pm / Cover TBD Sean Pinchin / McNally’s — With The Spectrum, October Sky. 8:30pm / $5 Leanne Pearson / Pump — Sweet and sassy country. 10pm / Cover TBD DJ Longhorn / Whiskey Saloon — One of Regina’s most interactive DJs. 8pm

Friday 4

Hanson / Casino Regina — Brotherly pop.

8pm / $36+ (casinoregina.com) DJ Pat & DJ Kim / Habano’s — Top 40 hits every Friday. 9pm / $5 cover Big Chill Fridays / Lancaster — With DJ Fatbot. 10pm / Cover TBD Darcy Playgroud / McNally’s — Classic pop and rock covers. 10pm / $5 Leanne Pearson / Pump — Sweet country. 10pm / Cover TBD Smoke Break / The Sip — Let’s rock! 10pm

Saturday 5

Back to Our Roots / Casino Regina — With Larry Krause + more. 8pm / $25 Drewski / Pure — Let’s party! 10pm / $5 Alexander Keith’s Birthday Bash / McNally’s Tavern — With Dan Silljer and Tilted Kilts. 10pm / $5 Smoke Break / The Sip Nightclub — Come out for a rockin’, rollickin’ good time. 10pm / Cover TBD Leanne Pearson / Pump Roadhouse — A sweet and sassy rockin’ country gal from Winnipeg. 10pm / Cover TBD

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

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wednesday, september 25 @

Bushwakker

Bushwakker Brewpub 2206 Dewdney Avenue (306) 359 7276

Photography by Maxton Priebe

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Clubland Casanova

Photo: Courtesy of RELATIVITY MEDIA

Don Jon marks the arrival of a capable new director — Joseph Gordon-Levitt by adam hawboldt

J

on Martello, Jr. only cares about a few things in life: his body, his pad, his ride, his family, his church, his boys, his girls, and his porn.

Body, pad, ride, family, church, boys, girls, porn. That’s all he’s interested in, and you really get a sense of his passion for these thing in the early goings of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s new film, Don Jon. Written and directed by GordonLevitt, Don Jon is a raunchy, hilarious

his boys chill, chat and rate women on a scale of one to “a dime.” Rarely heading home empty handed, Jon keeps a weekly tally of his one-night flings. He also keeps a running tally of his pornfueled masturbation sessions.

Yep. That’s the kind of guy he is. A clubland Casanova with a serious porn addiction (though he would never admit it).

Then one night, out with the boys, Jon spots “a dime” at a local club. Her name is Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Jo-

Don jon Joseph Gordon-Levitt Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Tony Danza, Julianne Moore Directed by Starring

90 minutes | 18A

point: when she catches him beating the bishop on the couch while watching porn, she tells him she hates pornography and that he should stop watching it.

For a guy like Jon this is basically mission impossible. But he’s so into her, he tries.

He also tries going to night school (again, at Barbara’s behest). And it’s there he meets a mysterious older woman named Esther (Julianne Moore) who, after hearing about his porn problem, hooks Jon up with a DVD of vintage ‘70s porn.

This is when the movie takes a sharp and meaningful turn. Before Jon meets Esther most of the characters are cartoonish and larger-thanlife in nature (though I’m sure that’s intentional), but afterwards there’s a shift. The characters start to live and breathe, showing real feeling and emotional depth.

From there on out the movie really starts to hit the right notes. Filled with racy dialogue, excellent acting and a

…Don Jon is a … provocative directorial debut for Joseph Gordon-Levitt.. adam hawboldt

rom-com that takes a hard, open-handed satirical swipe at chauvinism and the overblown male ego.

Starring JGL in the title roll (yes, he acts in the thing, too!), Don Jon tells the story of a greasy-haired, undershirtwearing Lothario named Jon Martello, Jr., who goes through women the way a horny teenage boy goes through Kleenex. At the club, Don Jon (a nickname that’s a play on Don Juan) and

hansson) and, in true rom-com fashion, Jon falls head over heels for her.

He falls for her so hard he tells his friends and family (Tony Danza, Glenne Headly and Brie Larson) that she may be “the one.”

But Barbara isn’t easily won over, like so many other conquests in Jon’s life. She toys with him, makes him watch rom-coms, and slowly tries to change his meathead ways. Case in

sparse, tightly-knit script, Don Jon is a bold and provocative directorial debut for Joseph Gordon-Levitt. And while it fails to really delve into the true nature of porn addiction, it’s entertaining and executed well enough to warrant any serious movie fan’s attention — and perhaps even adoration.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbRegina ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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reviving a genre

Photo: Courtesy of ANderson digital

The Conspiracy isn’t perfect, but it proves that found-footage films haven’t quite run their course by adam hawboldt

F

ound-footage films are nothing new. From 1980’s Cannibal Holocaust to 2011’s Apollo 18, directors have long been using this gimmick — the idea of a film being discovered after being left behind by a missing or dead protagonist — in an attempt to breathe a raw, visceral, real-to-life feel into their feature films.

Problem is, the gimmick has been overused. Since 2002, not a single year has passed without one of these types of movies being released.

And to be honest, by the time Barry Levinson put out The Bay in 2012 I thought found-footage was a genre in its death throes.

Then I watched The Conspiracy.

Directed by Canadian Christopher MacBride, The Conspiracy tells the story about two documentarians (Aaron Poole and James Gilbert) living in Toronto. At the beginning of the movie these guys are working on a documentary about a conspiracy theorist named Terrance (Alan C. Peterson).

Now, like a lot of serious conspiracy theorists out there, Terrance isn’t the most stable shelf on the rack. When he’s not holed up in his apartment looking over the tattered news clippings and sticky notes that cling to the wall, he’s outside on the street ranting about 9/11, the Lusitania and a whole bunch of other wild theories.

One of these theories has caught the attention of Aaron and Jim, a

The conspiracy Christopher MacBride Starring Aaron Poole, James Gilbert + Alan C. Peterson Directed by

85 minutes | NR

conspiracy about the Tarsus Club and its involvement in a New World Order.

But just as they begin interviewing him about this shadowy organization of behind-the-scenes power brokers, Terrance goes missing.

Where did he go?

And is that a dark fan following Aaron and Jim? Soon their initial skepticism about the Tarsus Club disappears and the two get dragged into the belly of the beast, so to speak. Well, not literally “dragged.” But Aaron and Jim (who reluctantly participates) do eventually decide to infiltrate the Tarsus Club and get to the bottom of things.

And it’s here that The Conspiracy really takes off.

Using mini tie-cameras and the such, they work their way inside this cult-like organization comprised of world leaders and masters of the goldplated universe. From there, the story builds and builds to a climatic, and dare I say, exquisite ending.

And while some people will complain that in this, the third act of the movie, some of the pictures and images are too murky and muddled because of the cameras used, it still doesn’t dimin-

ish the claustrophobic, tense state that is being created.

No, The Conspiracy isn’t a perfect film. The dialogue is stilted, as is the acting at times. And the plot is a little too out there, a tad too preposterous, for a found-footage film. But no matter. The way in which Christopher

MacBride manipulates this gimmick, the way he used it in unconventional ways to created tension and intrigue, is proof that the found-footage genre isn’t dead — yet.

The Conspiracy will open at Regina Public Library on October 3; see reginalibrary.ca for more information.

Feedback? Text it! (306) 881 8372

@VerbRegina ahawboldt@verbnews.com

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

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crossword canadian criss-cross 36. Have to your name 37. Do the hokey-pokey 39. Application question, often 40. Make a leg useless 42. Colouring substance 43. Release forcibly 44. Hope to be 46. With something of the same sort 48. Angry 49. Work with watercolours 50. Money for the landlord 51. Use a keyboard

OWN D 1. Absorbent material 2. It comes in and it goes out daily 3. Together with 4. Like an animal 5. Fake a situation 6. Sphere 7. A skate is one 8. Military command 9. Seat for one 11. Opposite of exit 12. ___-bodied seaman 14. Communicate with a Blackberry 17. Beyond what is normal 20. Like notebook paper 21. Vicious elephant

24. Make ready sudoku answer key 26. Check for accuracy A 28. Proof of purchase 29. Result of a serious head injury 30. Just covered with water 31. Concealed shooter 33. Plunder 34. Contract negotiator 35. Obscene B 38. Proficient 41. Itsy-bitsy biter 43. Curling team captain 45. Baseball score 47. Negative vote

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

1. Hurt with a knife 5. A chesterfield is one 9. Hinged back of a book 10. Hackneyed 12. In disagreement 13. Missing 15. Doggy treat 16. Harbour vessel 18. Feel antipathy towards 19. Long piece of a tree trunk 20. Challenge for a shortstop 22. Gender 23. Mournful 25. Not hidden 27. Increase in size 29. Hindu social class 32. Not taking sides

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

ACROSS

© walter D. Feener 2013

Horoscopes September 27 – October 3

Aries March 21–April 19

Leo July 23–August 22

Sagittarius November 23–December 21

Pamper yourself this week, Aries.

A bubble bath, a good bottle of wine, a shopping spree. Go ahead. You deserve it.

This threatens to be one of those really tense weeks, Leo. Don’t let it get to you or break your spirits. Take a deep breath and know it will soon pass.

Your energy and enthusiasm this week will be infectious, Sagittarius, so get out there and mingle. You could meet an interesting person.

Taurus April 20–May 20

Virgo August 23–September 22

Capricorn December 22–January 19

Are you facing a dilemma at the moment, Taurus? If so, take a step back and examine the situation. It may not be as dire as you think.

Is there something that’s been eating away at you? Something you haven’t told anyone? If so, confide in others this week.

Someone might seriously misunderstand you this week, Capricorn.

Don’t let it lead to a blow up. Speak calmly, but hold your ground.

Gemini May 21–June 20

Libra September 23–October 23

Aquarius January 20–February 19

It’s time to get creative, Gemini.

Like, literally get creative. Try to unearth your inner artist this week and watch what happens.

Big news could be on the horizon, Libra. Be ready for it, or else it may very well throw you for a spin.

Get ready for the ride!

Change is in the air, Aquarius, no doubt about it. But it’s up to you whether that change will be positive or negative.

Cancer June 21–July 22

Scorpio October 24–November 22

Pisces February 20–March 20

A little peace and quiet will go a long way this week. Make sure you find time for yourself, Cancer. Things could get chaotic pretty soon.

Here’s a secret: this week you’ll be happiest if you can march to the beat of your own drummer. Do what works for you and to heck with the rest.

Something exciting is in the cards for this week, Pisces, but it might not be as obvious as you’d think. Make sure you’re tuned in so you don’t miss it.

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

crossword answer key

A

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

B

19 Sept 27 – Oct 3 /verbregina

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