The Weakerthans
Play Radio
Listen to The Weakerthans Radio,
featuring artists like John K. Samson, Jim Bryson & The Weakerthans, Jets To Brazil, The Lawrence Arms and more…
-
Search on Spotify
Yes, it scrobbles! Learn more
9,540,447 plays (215,919 listeners)
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.
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.
Shouts:
537 shouts
Top Albums
-
Reconstruction Site
The WeakerthansBuy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $9.99
- 7digital $8.99
- iTunes $9.99
- Buy Album
- Amazon $11.99
- eBay Search
-
Left and Leaving
The Weakerthans
Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $9.99
- 7digital $8.99
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon $11.99
- eBay Search
-
Reunion Tour
The WeakerthansBuy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $9.99
- 7digital $8.99
- iTunes $9.99
- Buy Album
- Amazon $7.24
- eBay Search
-
Fallow
The WeakerthansBuy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital $8.99
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon $8.23
- eBay Search
Shoutbox
-
alakazam9891 wrote:
make your face the flag of a semaphore
-
EpidemiKKK wrote:
oh god so good.
-
lissssten wrote:
had i known about the Propaghandi sooner..i would have checked these guys out a long time ago
-
timsears wrote:
@eddiemb As do I.
-
eddiemb wrote:
I do like discovering bands by accident. :-)
-
KNIFE_ME_IN wrote:
Another band with great lyrics: Karate
-
alakazam9891 wrote:
@decapit8hookers check out michael jordan touchdown pass
-
FleckNATION wrote:
Ohio's on the way from CA to NY. Just sayin. If you need a place to crash or feel the urge to throw a show!
-
Pateraaaack wrote:
Las Cabras Montañas
-
pianistman1337 wrote:
seriously. the mountain goats.
-
haggard666 wrote:
The Mountain Goats.
-
DECAPIT8HOOKERS wrote:
Can anyone recommend another band with great lyrics? Anything witty or poetic? For me Weakerthans is so outstanding because of the lyrics, any suggestions?
-
StormandStatic wrote:
Winter dies the same way every spring.
-
loveisadungheap wrote:
i am your pampheleteer
-
t0pherchris wrote:
Just got my Reunion Tour tickets, 'bout to make the trek of a drive that is the 14 hours from Chicago to New York! It will be worth it.
-
nightswatch wrote:
best song: probably Exiles Among Us? Also, just got the weird vibe after listening to both bands recently that they remind me of a less indie, more rocking Mountain Goats.
-
ourgreyworld wrote:
reconstruction site is a timeless fucking album. i think this group wins for world's most clever, and insightful lyrics.
-
craigemo wrote:
the wonders years mentioned "left and leaving" in one of their songs and i'm so glad they did. such an amazing band.
-
yuliavolkova wrote:
love love love love love love love love love so much love love love
-
thefbm wrote:
Totally american but love these guys.!
Videos
-
Play
"Tournament of Hearts"
1 shout
-
Play
Weakerthans - Civil Twilight
1 shout
-
Play
My Favorite Power Chor
-
Play
Weakerthans - Utilities
News
John K Samson at the Six Annual Sanibel Island Writers Conference
6 Oct 2011 | from blog.myspace.com/theweakerthans
We
are thrilled to announce that John K Samson is going to be
performing
at the sixth annual Sanibel Island Writers Conference on
Sanibal Island
in Florida this upcoming November. He will be appea...
-
John K Samson at the Six Annual Sanibel Island Writers Conference
6 Oct 2011 | from blog.myspace.com/theweakerthans -
20 Sep 2011 | from blog.myspace.com/theweakerthans -
20 Sep 2011 | from blog.myspace.com/theweakerthans
Listening Now
Top Listeners
-
gillfish11
Top Listener
-
jhagio
Top Listener
-
Colochip
Top Listener
-
starsarefalling
Top Listener
Recent Activity
-
Fishbowl025, chrisfcaldwell, RockinDude69 and 18 other people added The Weakerthans to their libraries. yesterday evening
-
wheremycdplayer tagged The Weakerthans with ‘indie folk’. Monday morning
-
MiBougie, SourMilkGamburg, leocostela and 63 other people added The Weakerthans to their libraries. Sunday evening
-
kenkouot tagged The Weakerthans with ‘indie’. last month
-
Jafftastic13, StabYerDad, abstractamp and 7 other people added The Weakerthans to their libraries. last month
-
allghostwritten wrote about The Weakerthans – Reunion Tour in cd Collection. December 2011
-
allghostwritten wrote about The Weakerthans – Fallow in cd Collection. December 2011
-
allghostwritten wrote about The Weakerthans – Left and Leaving in cd Collection. December 2011
-
hatkirby wrote about Regina Spektor – 11:11 in Album superstitions. November 2011
-
MorPhilosophy wrote about Regina Spektor – 11:11 in 40 songs/38 questions. July 2011
Related Journals
-
Vinyl Collection
by DecorusSonitus |
7 Dec 2011
-
Favorite Music: Anything I Can SEE.
by dzejman |
23 Aug 2011
-
Sweet Sweet Moon @ They Shoot Music Don't They
by theyshootmusic |
15 Aug 2011
Groups (104)
-
Florida Is the Reason
96 members
-
G7 Welcoming Committee
162 members
-
high fives for low lives
196 members
-
Indie and Alternative
37,581 members
-
People with inconsistent musical taste - who yet prove a certain indy-attitude
12,055 members
More Information
- Links
- Band Members
- Labels
