In-store: The Weakerthans

The Weakerthans

Sonic Boom Records. Wednesday, March 24, 2010.

There are some bands you like because it seems as if you know exactly what their songs are about.

The Weakerthans formed after I left Winnipeg, and though I'd passingly heard of them when their first album came out¹, I didn't hear them until they released 2000's Left and Leaving, an album which quite knocked me down at the time. It wasn't just the Winnipeg-y I’ve been there element of it, both in the specific place-ness ("a spectre's haunting Albert Street") and how it caught the mood of life in Winnipeg. But there was also John K. Sampson’s moping-but-not-defeated persona — and the small vindication in the way that the songs hinted that every little heartache and personal moment of isolation are countered by something out there — and just maybe we might be able to band together and rise above it.

Anyways, as is often the case, time and entropy tend to dull ardour's edge, and in the last few years, The Weakerthans have meant less to me than they used to. Partially because I'm now further away in space and time from that place where the songs drew me in. But there's also the fact that the band seem to have reached a bit of a stasis point — with songs as good as Samson writes, they've never really felt the need to reinvent themselves musically, and it must be said that the last couple times I've seen 'em live, they were a little... staid.

So I wasn't overwhelmed with excitement on hearing that the band's first release in ages was going to be a live set, Live at The Walker Theatre². Certainly not excited enough that I was interested in plunking down for a relatively expensive sit-down show at the Queen Liz theatre. But word of an in-store shoe in Sonic Boom's basement to celebrate the album's release did ignite my interest.

There was an extra-early start time for this one, with the band heading over afterwards for Greg Smith's art show opening.³ Leading off with "Everything Must Go" certainly transported me back a decade, and for the next half-hour all of my doubts about the band were generally vanquished. It helps that the band's selections⁴ skewed a bit towards older material — including "None of the Above" (from '97's Fallow) which they claimed afterwards not to have played for several years. But even "Tournament Of Hearts" (from '07's slightly lacklustre Reunion Tour) was brought off with boppy panache, its energy continuing into "Plea from a Cat Named Virtute".

Playing a half-dozen songs, there were at least that many other ones that mean a lot to me that I'd've liked to have heard as well. But the short set meant there was no sag to it anywhere, and it was a solid reminder of what I liked — like — about The Weakerthans. After, as Samson — always a humble anti-rock-star type — stepped down from the stage for photos with some fans, I made my way out rather satisfied.

Listen to a track from this set here.

Thanks to K., who took the top photo.

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¹ I was never into Propagandhi, so the first thing that stuck with me about the band was the original rhythm section's connection to Winnipeg punk-poppers Red Fisher.

² The album is actually called something else, but I don't now, and probably never will, recognize this nefarious bit of renaming — and here I thought I had no more passionate feelings in me over things related to Winnipeg.

³ Smith's exhibition also ties in to the new album, as his paintings were used for the cover art.

⁴ Playing without a setlist, the songs were chosen by inter-band discussion between songs.