The Weakerthans
| The Weakerthans | |
|---|---|
The Weakerthans performing in Winnipeg, 2007
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Genres | Indie rock, folk punk, folk rock, post-punk |
| Years active | 1997-2014 (on hiatus) |
| Labels | Epitaph, ANTI-, G7 Welcoming Committee, Sub City, B.A. Records |
| Associated acts | FemBots, Jim Bryson, Painted Thin, Propagandhi, Right Away, Great Captain! |
| Website | theweakerthans |
| Members |
John K. Samson Jason Tait Stephen Carroll Greg Smith |
| Past members | John P. Sutton |
The Weakerthans is a four-piece (and sometimes six-piece) Canadian indie rock band.
The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John K. Samson, after he left the punk band Propagandhi to start a publishing company. Samson joined forces with bassist John P. Sutton and drummer Jason Tait of Red Fisher, another band from Winnipeg's punk scene, and created The Weakerthans as a vehicle for a more melodic and introspective brand of songwriting than their previous projects.
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.
The band's debut album, Fallow, was released in 1997 on G7 Welcoming Committee Records, and garnered positive reviews from Canadian music critics. Guitarist Stephen Carroll, formerly of Painted Thin, subsequently joined the band, and Left and Leaving was released in 2000.
In 2003, the band moved to Epitaph Records and released Reconstruction Site. The album was met with rave reviews from Canadian and international critics for its ambitious combination of punk, rock, folk, country and sonnets. It also became the band's best-selling record to date, as well as its airplay breakthrough on Canadian radio. It was the second Weakerthans album to be produced by Ian Blurton.
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