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Strong words >>
The Weakerthans push Winnipeg’s
by JOHNSON CUMMINS
For proof, check Winnipeg politico-punks like Swallowing Shit and Propaghandi, or go back further to the second wave of punk rock with the Stretch Marks or Personality Crisis. “There is a real tradition of punk rock and a D.I.Y. ethic that goes back 25 years. I kind of came of age with bands like Swallowing Shit and Propaghandi, and they’re still making music.” Despite their roots, the Weakerthans have almost nothing to do with punk rock, sonically, choosing the delivery of a whispered secret over the thrash attack of, say, Swallowing Shit. Their last album Left and Leaving was one of the strongest records of 2000, with tempos crawling and lurching as guitars jangle. It’s Samson’s lyrics and hushed vocal delivery, however, that get the goosebumps standing. “I am not writing therapeutically or confessionally. A lot of what I write is fiction, just what I see around me and try to interpret into a song. People will tell me what they think songs mean, and I really enjoy hearing that because I like to leave enough space in a song that other people can claim ownership.” : With the Frenetics and Greg McPherson at Club Soda on Saturday, Sept. 7, 9pm, $15, all ages >> Music Listings |
“Winnipeg is a small town with all of the problems of a big city,”
says John Samson, guitarist and singer with the Weakerthans. “It
is very divided among race and class. A quarter of the population is
native American, yet they are ghettoized, and the city is run by a lot
of ineffective politicians who are very pro-business. I think people
come of age there thinking that something is horribly wrong with the
way the world is working. Winnipeg is quite isolated from other big
centres and is marginalized to some extent. But really good things come
from the margins, especially in this age when culture is associated
so much with the big centres.”