The Weakerthans

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The Weakerthans
John K. Samson performing in Montreal, 2004
Background information
Origin	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Genre(s)	Indie rock
Years active	1997-present
Label(s)	Epitaph Records
Associated acts	Propagandhi, Broken Social Scene, The FemBots
Website	Official site
Members
John K. Samson Jason Tait Stephen Carroll Greg Smith
Former members
John P. Sutton

The Weakerthans are a four-piece (and sometimes six piece^[1]) Canadian indie rock band, whose blend of punk-inflected folk rock with literate, witty, introspective lyrics have made them one of the most popular bands in the current Canadian music scene^{[citation needed]}.

Formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the band was started by John K. Samson after he left the popular punk band Propagandhi to write and start a publishing company. Samson hooked up with bassist John P. Sutton and drummer Jason Tait, and created The Weakerthans as a vehicle for a more melodic, introspective brand of songwriting than his time in Propagandhi.

The band's debut album, Fallow, was released in 1997 on G7 Welcoming Committee Records, and garnered the band positive reviews from Canadian music critics. Guitarist Stephen Carroll joined the band later, and in 2000, Left and Leaving was released.

In 2003, the band released Reconstruction Site, moving from the G7 Welcoming Committee imprint to Epitaph Records, and were awarded with rave reviews^{[citation needed]} from Canadian and international critics for their ambitious combination of punk, rock, folk, country, Elizabethan sonnets and lyrics about getting an emotional pep talk from a cat. It also became their best-selling record to date, and their airplay breakthrough on Canadian radio.

Sutton, who played on all three of the band's albums, left the band in August 2004 and was replaced by Greg Smith.

In 2005, Left and Leaving was named one of the ten best Canadian albums of all time in Chart magazine's reader poll^{[citation needed]}.

In 2006, the Weakerthans, with the exception of Samson, performed on Greg Graffin's second solo album, entitled Cold as the Clay. Tait has also recorded and performed with Broken Social Scene. Samson frequently collaborates with his wife, Christine Fellows; Tait, Samson and Fellows have all also collaborated with poet and filmmaker Clive Holden.

Contents 1 Members 1.1 Current Members 1.2 Live Show Help 1.3 Former Members 2 Discography 3 Compilations 4 Related Albums 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Members

[edit] Current Members

• John K. Samson (lead vocals, guitar)
• Jason Tait (drums, percussion, vibraphone, keyboards)
• Stephen Carroll (guitar, pedal and lap steel, keyboards
• Greg Smith (bass)

[edit] Live Show Help

• Dave MacKinnon (keyboards)
• Brian Poirier (acoustic guitar and backing vocals)

MacKinnon and Poirier also have their own band, The FemBots.

[edit] Former Members

• John P. Sutton (Bass)

[edit] Discography

• Fallow (1997)
• Left and Leaving (2000)
• Watermark EP (2001)
• Reconstruction Site (2003)

In a 2006 interview with CBC Radio 3, Samson indicated that he could not provide a definite release date for the next Weakerthans album, noting that it takes him some time longer to write an album's worth of songs than it does many other songwriters he knows^{[citation needed]}. The band has, however, performed several newer songs in concerts through 2005 and 2006, including "Utilities", "Night Windows", "Civil Twilight" and "Sun in an Empty Room"^{[citation needed]}, which may or may not be included on the album.

[edit] Compilations

• Hopelessly Devoted to You Vol. 3 (2000, Hopeless/Subcity Records)
  • "Watermark" (from Left and Leaving)
  • "Confessions of a Futon Revolutionist (Country Style)" (previously unreleased)
• Hopelessly Devoted to You Vol. 4 (2002, Hopeless/Subcity Records)
  • "Past Due (Pre-Reconstruction Site acoustic version)" (previously unreleased)
  • "Aside" (from Left and Leaving)
• Hopelessly Devoted to You Vol. 6 (2006, Hopeless/Subcity Records)
  • "Diagnosis" (from Fallow)
  • "Aside" (from Left and Leaving)
• Operation: Punk Rock Freedom (2003, Hopeless/Subcity Records)
  • "Watermark" (from Left and Leaving)
  • "Confessions of a Futon Revolutionist" (from Fallow)
• Punk-O-Rama Vol. 9 (2004, Epitaph Records)
  • "Plea from a Cat Named Virtute" (from Reconstruction Site)
• Take Penacilin Now (2005, G7 Welcoming Committee Records)
  • "My Favourite Power Chords" (alternate version of Left and Leaving's "My Favourite Chords")
• Wedding Crashers Soundtrack (2005, New Line Records)
  • "Aside" (from Left and Leaving)
• War Child - HELP! a day in the life (2006, Sony BMG Music)
  • "Utilities" (previously unreleased)

[edit] Related Albums

• John K. Samson - Slips and Tangles (1993), Little Pictures (1995, 2006)
• Clive Holden - Trains of Winnipeg (2004)
• Greg Graffin - Cold as the Clay (2006)

[edit] See also

• List of bands from Canada

[edit] References

1. ^ MySpace Band Member Description. MySpace (2006-08-30). Retrieved on 2006-09-31.)

[edit] External links

• Official Website
• G7 Welcoming Committee Records - Former Record Label
• Epitaph Records - Current Record Label
• Set of live John K Samson videos
• Fansite on 49music.net
• 10 Questions with The Weakerthans on bandoftheday.com
• Photo Set from The Impossible Distances Tour 2006 (in their MySpace blog).