Biography
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Years Active
1996 – 2015 (18 years)
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Founded In
Winnipeg, Winnipeg Capital Region, Manitoba, Canada
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Members
- Greg Smith (2004 – present)
- Jason Tait
- John K. Samson
- John P. Sutton (1996 – 2004)
- Rusty Matyas
The Weakerthans is a Canadian indie rock/folk band headed by former Propagandhi member John K. Samson and also comprising guitarist Stephen Carroll, bassist Greg Smith, and drummer Jason Tait. The band last released an album, Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre, in 2010. Since 2015, the band has been on hiatus.
The band's 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.
The band last released an album, Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre, in 2010.
Since 2015, the band has been on hiatus.
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