It gets cold in winnipeg
Posted on 5 March 2006 | 4 Comments
Filed Under: Americana, Folk, Punk
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I’ve seen a lot of recent posts concerning Winnipeg, Canada’s finest export The Weakerthans and I’m not really sure why. That said, I’ve been a fan of Weakerthans frontman (singer/songwriter John K. Samson) since his days in political-hardcore-punk band Propagandhi. His literate, softly-spoken, and smart poetic lyrics never really fit in that band, but it is what I have come to love about The Weakerthans. As one of my favourite songwriters, Samson blends punk, folk, and alt-country and wraps it around little snapshots of humanity. Samson’s lyrics are both personal and political and offer something almost everyone can relate to.
He told HARP magazine, “I write in the only way I know how to write, which is through metaphor. I can’t process or really explain a subject just by speaking directly. I have to find some other entrance to an idea in order to talk about it.”
John K. Samson (in addition to his musical pursuits) is a founding member of Arbeiter Ring Publishing as well as also contributing music to Clive Holden’s Trains Of Winnipeg multimedia project. Samson’s music (in Propagandhi and The Weakerthans) has been released on G7 Welcoming Committee as well as Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph.
For those who are only familiar with the Weakerthans, check out the rest of this stuff from a truly great songwriter.
NOTE The two songs from the CBC Radio 3 Sessions aren’t playing correcty on the page, but I’m working to fix that. The songs (however) are correct when downloaded or played with an external MP3 player.
MP3 | Propagandhi – Gifts Less Talk, More Rock
MP3 | Propagandhi – Anchorless Less Talk, More Rock
MP3 | The Weakerthans – Anchorless Fallow
MP3 | The Weakerthans – Plea From A Cat Named Virtue Reconstruction Site
MP3 | John K. Samson – One Great City CBC Radio 3 Sessions
MP3 | John K. Samson – Utilities CBC Radio 3 Sessions
MP3 | John K. Samson – Farwell Faded Memories Small Acts, Little Pictures
Comments
i had a full day of painting soundtracked by propagandhi last weekend...
Review: The Bad Plus - The Empire Strikes Backwards (or) ladies and gentlemen of the opposite Review: Catfish Haven - Please Come Back EP (or) and this is what we do
I like your blog, especially your title. I'm a big Lifetime and Weakerthans fan, but my musical tastes have evolved similarly to yours since I began listening to punk rock. Keep up the good work!