What’s Up: Usama Siddiquee, Cory Doctorow and Petunia and the Vipers

Usama Siddiquee

• West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave.
• Tonight, 8 p.m.
• Tickets are $46.75 at wecc.ca

Usama Siddiquee is everywhere right now.

The Bengali-American standup comedian/writer/actor was recently the runner-up on Kevin Hart’s Funny AF, a standup comedy competition reality series that debuted on Netflix earlier this year, where his high-energy delivery quickly established him as a fan favourite. He’s also in Best of the Best, the Netflix dance comedy that arrived on the streamer last month starring Priyanka Kedia, Hasan Minhaj and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan.

But Siddiquee’s no stranger to the small screen as an actor, appearing in Inventing Anna, And Just Like That…, Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens and Better Things.

He probably won’t play in such an intimate room as the WECC for long, so say you saw him when. Doors are at 7 p.m., and this show is all ages.

— Jen Zoratti

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An evening with Cory Doctorow

• McNally Robinson Booksellers, Grant Park (1120 Grant Ave.)
• Friday, 7 p.m.
• Free admission

In Greek mythology, the centaur is a creature whose lower torso is that of a horse, while the upper body is that of a human. But if you imagine the split was the other way around — horse on top and human below — the image of the creature goes from majestic to farcical.

The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI: How to Think about Artificial Intelligence — Before It’s Too Late is the latest by prolific Toronto-born author Cory Doctorow, who has published dozens of works of non-fiction and fiction, including his most recent output, 2025’s Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About it.

In Enshittification, Doctorow argued online platforms lure users in to hook them on a product, before said product gets progressively worse as the platform provider focuses on generating revenue.

Published in June, Reverse Centaur sees Doctorow examine the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). In the tech sector, a centaur is a human employing AI or similar developments as an assistant. A reverse centaur, then, sees humans acting as assistants to AI — which, says Doctorow, is where we are today. This in turn lines the pockets of tech execs, while the AI beast continues to grow in a way that’s not sustainable — and will inevitably result in the eventual bursting of the AI bubble.

Buy on mcnallyrobinson.com

Doctorow will be at McNally Robinson’s Grant Park location on Friday at 7 p.m. to talk about Reverse Centaur — the launch will also be available on McNally Robinson’s YouTube page.

— Ben Sigurdson

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Petunia and the Vipers

• Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club, 234 Main St.
• Wednesday, 8 p.m.
• Tickets $25, highandlonesomeclub.ca

Wednesday may be nearly a week away, but lovers of high energy roots music would do well to circle Oct. 14 on their calendars.

That’s when Petunia and the Vipers hit town on the band’s latest cross-country tour, setting up shop at the Times Change(d) High and Lonesome Club for what is bound to be an eclectic night of music that defies easy genre classifications.

Since the release of the Vancouver-based group’s eponymous debut in 2011, the band has made a name for its own brand of roots-based music, expanding on what constitutes Americana. Its most recent record, 2025’s Callin’ Me Back, is a double-album with New Orleans inspired horn-arrangements on half the cuts.

Yet as expansive as Petunia’s records are, both with the Vipers and solo, the stage is really where this act shines, with electrifying performances back up with top-notch musical chops.

“They’re really just as cool as it gets,” says John Scoles, owner of the Times Change(d). “If you wanna rub shoulders with your local musical heroes, you’ll definitely find them at this show.”

— Sheldon Birnie

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Science Literacy Week

• Festival Hall, Manitoba Museum, 190 Rupert Ave.
• Pseudo Science, Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Science in Action, Oct. 17 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Free admission to events held in Festival Hall

This collaborative two-hander between the museum and the University of Mantioba’s faculty of science features hand-on activities, experiments, and a chance to meet researchers and science students.

This year’s theme, Curiosity Unleashed, invites visitors to view the world in new ways through experimentation, investigation and play.

Put your critical-thinking skills to the test as you try to separate fact from fiction, try your hand at interactive experiments, examine fascinating phenomena and discover what’s taking place on the science front right here in the province.

For more information visit manitobamuseum.ca

— AV Kitching

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Tuesday Night Jazz Jam

• Park Alleys, 730 Osborne St.
• Tuesday, 8 p.m.
• Free admission

You might argue that the Winnipeg jazz scene is only as healthy as its jams.

Some will remember intimate jams years ago at Academy Bar and Eatery and packed shows at the Osborne Freehouse. There, up-and-comers cut their teeth alongside local gurus; a stepping stone, for some, before filling major New York rooms such as the Blue Note.

Jazz jams have sometimes struggled to find new centres of gravity in recent years, but one steady of the scene is Park Alleys Bowling. (Bowling and jazz — who’d a thunk?) A recurring event that helps to crystalize this scene is its Tuesday jazz jams, featuring a revolving cast of Winnipeg’s finest vets and newcomers.

The racket of the bowling usually isn’t too loud, or just loud enough if you like your jazz with a little cacophony.

— Conrad Sweatman

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