The Weakerthans
| Company type | Indie rock band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Founder | John K. Samson |
| Fate | Hiatus / cryogenically frozen |
| Headquarters | Winnipeg , Canada |
Area served | Canada, United States |
Key people | John K. Samson (lead vocals, guitar), Jason Tait (drums), Stephen Carroll (guitar), Greg Smith (bass) |
| Products | Studio albums, live albums, collaborations |
Number of employees | 4 (band members) (2014 (last active year)) |
The Weakerthans are an indie rock group originating from Winnipeg, Canada, fronted by John K. Samson. They have produced four studio albums and are currently on hiatus.
History
Established in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Weakerthans were formed by Samson following his departure from the punk band Propagandhi to pursue a publishing venture. The original lineup featured bassist John P. Sutton and drummer Jason Tait, both active figures in Winnipeg’s punk community. Their musical approach shifted towards more melodic and reflective compositions.
Samson clarified the origin of the band's name in 2004, revealing it was inspired by a line from the 1992 film The Lover as well as Ralph Chaplin’s labor anthem "Solidarity Forever", which is also alluded to in their track "Pamphleteer" on the album Left and Leaving.
Their first album, Fallow (1997), was released under G7 Welcoming Committee Records and received favorable reviews across Canada. Prior to their 2000 album Left and Leaving, guitarist Stephen Carroll, previously with Painted Thin, joined the band.
In 2003, The Weakerthans signed with Epitaph Records and unveiled Reconstruction Site, an album that fused elements of punk, rock, folk, country, and poetic lyricism. This record became their most commercially successful release, earning substantial airplay on Canadian radio and appearing on the !earshot National Top 50 Chart. Both this album and its predecessor were produced by Ian Blurton.
After bassist Sutton's departure in 2004, Greg Smith took over bass duties. In 2005, Left and Leaving was honored as one of the top ten Canadian albums ever according to a reader poll conducted by Chart magazine.
Their fourth studio effort, Reunion Tour, was released in September 2007 through Epitaph and ANTI-. The accompanying video for "Civil Twilight" featured a single continuous take filmed on a city bus in Winnipeg. That year, Epitaph also reissued both Fallow and Left and Leaving within Canada.
In 2009, the band took part in the Barenaked Ladies’ Ships and Dip cruise event. Samson announced a sequence of solo 7" singles inspired by Manitoba roads, beginning with City Route 85 (2009) released through Epitaph/ANTI-. This initiative later expanded into his solo album Provincial.
In January 2010, they revealed plans for a live album titled Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre, which was released on March 23. Additionally, the band collaborated with Jim Bryson on his 2010 release The Falcon Lake Incident. That same year, they were featured in Caelum Vatnsdal’s documentary We're the Weakerthans, We're from Winnipeg.
By July 2015, reports surfaced that Tait had announced the group's disbandment via Twitter. Their social media profiles described the band as being "cryogenically frozen." Both Tait and Smith contributed to Samson’s 2016 solo project Winter Wheat, which Samson described as akin to a new Weakerthans record.
The Gimlet Media podcast Heavyweight, which debuted in 2016, revitalized interest in the band by selecting "Sun In An Empty Room" from Reunion Tour as its theme song.
Chart performance
Reunion Tour entered the Canadian Nielsen SoundScan chart at position No. 22 during its initial week and climbed to No. 4 on the alternative/modern rock rankings. In the United States, the album achieved a peak placement of No. 181 on the Billboard 200 chart.
The Weakerthans distinguished themselves as the first group to secure the top spot twice on CBC Radio 3's R3-30 countdown: their rendition of Rheostatics' "Bad Time to Be Poor" reached No. 1 in June 2007, followed by "Civil Twilight," the primary single from Reunion Tour, which also attained No. 1 in November 2007. By 2009, "Civil Twilight" was tied with Arcade Fire's "Black Mirror" for holding the longest tenure at No. 1 in that chart's history and was recognized as the top song for the year 2007.
Current members
- John K. Samson – lead vocals, guitar (1997–2014)
- Jason Tait – drums, percussion, vibraphone, keyboards (1997–2014)
- Stephen Carroll – guitar, pedal and lap steel, keyboards (1997–2014)
- Greg Smith – bass guitar (2004–2014)
Former members
- John P. Sutton – bass guitar (1997–2004)
Live show support
- Jim Bryson – general live support since September 2007
- Christine Fellows – keyboards and backing vocals
- Brian Poirier – acoustic guitar (steel-string) and backing vocals
- Tyler Greenleaf – trumpet and trombone
- Rusty Matyas – general support, performed during the 2009 Rolling Tundra Revue
MacKinnon and Poirier also collaborated as part of the band FemBots. Bryson and Fellows pursue solo careers; Fellows is married to Samson. Matyas is affiliated with both The Waking Eyes and Imaginary Cities.
Discography
- Studio albums
- Fallow (1997)
- Left and Leaving (2000)
- Reconstruction Site (2003)
- Reunion Tour (2007)
- Live albums
- Collaborations with Jim Bryson
- The Falcon Lake Incident (2010)
Side projects
- Samson frequently partners with his spouse, Christine Fellows, on musical endeavors.
- Tait has contributed to projects by Broken Social Scene and Do Make Say Think.
- Tait, Samson, and Fellows participated in poet/filmmaker Clive Holden's multimedia work Trains of Winnipeg.
- Carroll featured on and co-produced tracks for the band The Details.
- In 2006, all members except Samson performed on Bad Religion frontman Greg Graffin's solo release Cold as the Clay and joined him on tour.
- A spoken word recording by Catherine Hunter included an additional track with The Weakerthans providing instrumental accompaniment.
Won
- Outstanding Independent Album for Reconstruction Site at the Western Canadian Music Awards (2004)
- Outstanding Songwriter awarded to John K. Samson at the Western Canadian Music Awards (2004)
- Artist of the Year awarded to The Weakerthans at the Verge Awards (2008)
- Recipient of the SOCAN Songwriting Prize for "Night Windows" (2008)
Nominations
- Juno Awards (2001) – Nominee for Best Alternative Album with Left and Leaving
- Western Canadian Music Awards (2004) – Contender for Video of the Year for "Psalms for the Elks' Lodge Last Call"
- Juno Awards (2004) – Alternative Album of the Year nomination for Reconstruction Site
- Juno Awards (2005) – Video of the Year nomination for "The Reasons"
- Polaris Music Prize (2008) – Reunion Tour shortlisted