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Priests are people, too. And Father Mark Curtis, Associate Pastor of St. Michael‘s Church in Waterloo, is living proof. As a priest, Curtis is as dedicated as any of his colleagues â€" working all hours of the day and night to meet the many needs of his parishioners and others in his community. But, as with most priests, there‘s more to "Father Mark" than that. Put a guitar in his hands, shine a spotlight in his face, and watch him go. Known across Canada as "The Singing Priest", Curtis has, for nearly a decade, been delighting audiences with his songs of hope and inspiration. But those who‘ve shown up at any of his concerts expecting to be preached at have been pleasantly surprised. ‘People ask me if my music s religious," Curtis says. "But their understanding of reliâ€" ‘ gious is different than mine, h and | say ‘No, it‘s not.‘ | write P songs that everyone else writes e B about. I write about love. I write about conflict. | write about social justice issues. | * write the country that we live ' One of the things | find | have to be aggressive about is to get across to the people that it‘s not going to be a Bible rally. I‘m not going to knock M them over the head and I‘m not going to be preachy. | go in there and say, ‘Let‘s enterâ€" tain these people.‘ There‘s a lot of high energy, very emotional songs in my show." Curtis became interested in music as a child, learned to play guiâ€" tar in high school, and began writing songs and performing in coffee houses as he approached his university years. _ After spending three years at the University of Waterloo (from 75 to ‘78), Curtis was undecided about a career and so spent two years working as a lay worker in parish ministries in several churches "Music was a very strong influence. | was doing a lot of clubs and coffee houses, and it was starting to become a real temptaâ€" tion. | felt that there was a real market because people were com:â€" ing out to hear the music and they liked it," Curtis says. "But there was something drawing me to serve people in another vehicle. And now I‘ve gone full circle because my music is a contemporary rock sound." Rather than stifle his gift for music, the priesthood has fostered and nurtured Curtis‘ second love. While his pastoral responsibiliâ€" ties are demanding, they have afforded him the time to pursue music. After being ordained in 1985, Curtis began performing at numerous church functions, but it wasn‘t long until his music reached larger audiences. "It wasn‘t until I became a priest that | really got more opportuâ€" nity and more freedom, after the stress of worrying about studies ar e"'aâ€"â€"‘]t Selection of % EXPERT SKATE SHARPENING New or Reconditioned | mR\ MJ and all that," Curtis says. "Pastoral duties can be pressuresome, too. But I had more opportunity to see how my new music would go with the people. And it did. The next thing you know, I was dow\gquiteafewcmematd\um.Aflofasuddenmemusk got out into the marketplace through T.V. and radio and before ! knew it | was doing (benefit) concerts in halls and theatres. | think mymwicexplodedwhenlbecamapfiestbecausemerewas more of a medium and there was almost more acceptability. It became kind of a novelty â€" a singing priest. And then, when peoâ€" ple found out my music wasn‘t liturgical â€" that it wasn‘t preachy â€" it became fun. I do a lot of ecumenical humor, and it‘s a fun Since his foray into large venues, Curtis has recorded five albums and has hosted numerous radio and television programs, such as a Hamilton cable television program called Good News. ,,h F He‘s also sung O Canada at 1 i. a Blue Jays game this year, w PA and will sing the national ( % o | anthem at a Maple Leafs game this season i) During his early years as . 6. o P a performer, Curtis either § performed alone â€" just h 2 him and his guitar â€" or with a pianist As a result, his music took on a folkish style. Now fronting a fiveâ€" piece band with synthesizâ€" ts ers, drums and electric & guitars, Curtis‘ music is heading in a whole new direction. With the Paul Bulla Band, Curtis is in the process of recording a new CD which he hopes will be released in the new year. Curtis met Bulla in Milton where he was stationed before being appointed Associate Pastor at St. Michael‘s last June. It wasn‘t long before the two formed a musical partnership. â€" "I met Paul Bulla â€" he‘s now my producer â€" and gave more of a context to my music than it ever had before," Curtis says. " He introduced me to the bells and whistles, so to speak. I mean, it was nice playing the guitar, but | guess as you grow, your underâ€" standing of music and the entertainment grows. It‘s like if you‘ve always cooked something the same way and you go out and have dinner with someone else, you realize, ‘Oh, you can cook it that way, too. You can add that and add this.‘ And that‘s what it was like when | met Paul. He introduced me to a lot of interesting ways to promote my new songs and bring new life to my older material. it was more of a folksy sound â€" now you get everything in my concerts from country to Celtic to thythm and blues. This band is very tight and very versatile." Father Mark Curtis and the Paul Bulla Band will perform in conâ€" cert at Wilfrid Laurier University‘s Maureen Forrester Hall, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m. All proceeds from the concerts will support the Catholic Family Counselling Centre. Tickets are $10 per person. To order tickets, call 743â€"6333. on t ons *\ Semn w 4 mt * rer e l Tus [11% King St. N tickets half price Toronto theatre producers David and Ed Mirvish will again bring their mobile ticket office to Waterloo to offer local residents a great deal. Tickets for the hit Broadway musical Crazy For You will be on sale Nov. 10 and Nov. 11 at the University of Waterloo‘s South Campus Hall concourse. And the best part is, tickets normally in p the $35 to $91 range will _ , s e § sS8 e be offered for half price. ° l (” Now in its second year at %\@ x /8 Toronto‘s Royal Alexandra _ (@ 3,, y° Theatre, Crazy For You © (starring Mickey Roongy) is [" H" the "all singing, all dancâ€" ing, all Gershwin" musical comedy that has won awards in New York, London, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Toronto. The mobile box office will be open at UW Nov. 10 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Nov. 11 from 12 to 5 p.m. Inâ€"person purchases only â€" no telephone orders. Concert raises funds for music therapy clinic Students of Wilfrid Laurier University‘s music therapy program will give a benefit concert Nov. 4 at the uniâ€" versity‘s Maureen Forrester Recital Hall. The concert, which will feature a wide range of instrumental and vocal music performed by students, will raise funds to subsidize the costs of music therapy for needy individuals. Music therapy is the clinical use of music as a theraâ€" peutic intervention for persons who have special needs. it is practiced throughout the world and is used to treat individuals with physical disabilities, psychiatric patients, the elderty, emotionally disturbed adolescents, and those who are developmentally delayed. The concert will take place Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. Admission is free but donations will be appreciated. Tax receipts available on request. Eye Rhyme to showcase concept CD Local progressiveâ€"rock band Eye Rhyme will showcase their new concept CD, Life Control, at The Volcano Thursday night. Recorded this year with guest appearances by Saga‘s lan Chrichton and Coney Hatch‘s Steve Shelski, Life Contmlismoremanjustacouectionofwâ€"t chronicles the experiences of a youth who leaves his home for life on the streets, only to be controlled by an evil drug lord. Eye Rhyme members lan Graham, Kelly Valleau, and Mike Rimeau have been writing, recording and perâ€" forming together as a band for just over a year. Last summer, the band did well in KOOL FM‘s new music search, FM96‘s On Track competition, and Y95‘s Future Classics competition. Opening for Eye Rhyme Thursday night is Chelsea Smile. :°° :‘ P I El