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The Weakerthans

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Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The Weakerthans are a Canadian indie rock/folk band headed by former Propagandhi member, John K. Samson. Their blend of punk-inflected folk rock with literate, witty, introspective lyrics have made them one of the most popular bands on the Canadian music scene.

Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, The Weakerthans have produced four full albums with a variety of unusual subjects; a couple of songs are sung from the point of view of John’s cat Virtute (Ver-tu-tay). The Weakerthans are popular in their home city of Winnipeg; their song “One Great City!” expresses their love/hate relationship with the problems and attitude of Winnipeg. No matter their methods, though, one thing is clear: The Weakerthans are not afraid to venture into lyrical styles uncharted by their contemporaries. On their third album, Reconstruction Site, Samson penned three songs, “(Manifest)”, “(Hospital Vespers)”, and “(Past Due)”, in Shakespearean sonnet form.

One origin story for the band’s name, as quoted in the liner notes of Fallow, is a line from the 1992 film The Lover: “Go ahead, I’m weaker than you can possibly imagine.” The band’s name may also refer to a Ralph Chaplin quote from “Solidarity Forever”: “What force on Earth can be weaker than the feeble strength of one?” The band alludes to this line in the song “Pamphleteer” from the album Left and Leaving.

Tagged as:

indie, canadian, indie rock, alternative, rock
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Top Albums

Reconstruction Site
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Reunion Tour
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Left and Leaving
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Left & Leaving
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Top Tracks

1	Left and Leaving	755
2	Aside	750
3	Plea From a Cat Named Virtute	700
4	Reconstruction Site	683
5	The Reasons	679
6	One Great City!	671
7	Watermark	656
8	Civil Twilight	542
9	Psalm For The Elks Lodge Last Call	523
10	Pamphleteer	506
11	My Favourite Chords	499
12	Time's Arrow	494
13	A New Name for Everything	469
14	This Is a Fire Door Never Leave Open	464
15	(Manifest)	455

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epaulakim wrote:
last week

I love Night Windows.

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cool_ethan wrote:
last week

Bring your swiss-army knife, and a bottle of something, and I'll bring some spraypaint and a new deck of cards. ...............these guys rule my life!

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HaganEnvy wrote:
last week

anyone know when new music will happen?

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akarra wrote:
last week

Love "Utilities," been listening to it a lot more recently. Wrote a little something in appreciation: http://www.ashokkarra.com/2009/11/the-weakerthans-utilities/

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imbesil wrote:
last week

Love them.

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cait4328 wrote:
22 days ago

such an honest sound it hurts.

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fivetrife wrote:
25 days ago

nahhhhh

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lacali12 wrote:
26 days ago

The Weakerthans fans will love Say Anything's self-titled new album out November 3! Check out the myspace stream! www.myspace.com/sayanything

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The-Vagabond wrote:
last month

hate this pic

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ZacMagnum wrote:
last month

i love the weakerthans

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aenb wrote:
last month

best lyrics E V E RRR!

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yobbfixmeup wrote:
last month

all you ever wanna do is drink and watch tv...

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ElectricDylan wrote:
last month

They have never made a bad song! Absolutely amazing!

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cwall wrote:
last month

VVV i def agree!

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sipsy wrote:
last month

Perfect music for the fall.

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Colmesperanza wrote:
last month

http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=136&csid2=844&fid1=41229 I'm excited.

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karlx wrote:
September 2009

Sun in an Empty Room video on myspace now: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=63684334

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allghostwritten wrote:
September 2009

if every country on the planet was destroyed, but canada. the weakerthans would, by default, be the greatest band in the world :)

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allghostwritten wrote:
September 2009

i'm familiar with jets to brazil, and christine fellows is john's wife...but are any of the other similar artists really similar artists? anybody know?

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SirTam wrote:
August 2009

same.

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See all 411 shouts

Videos

Events

Feb 20 Soundwave 2010 RNA Showgrounds, Bowen Hills, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
498 shouts | 287 attendees
Feb 21 Soundwave 2010 Eastern Creek International Raceway, Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia
244 shouts | 389 attendees
Feb 23 The Weakerthans The Annandale Hotel, Sydney, Australia
1 shout | 16 attendees