Weakerthans: European Vacation

05/02/01 1:30pm

by Tim MeltonBesides banging out a few chords on a beat up guitar, being in a band is about having more than a few nomadic tendencies running around in your psyche. For Weakerthans vocalist John K. Samson, bassist John P.Sutton, guitarist Steve Carroll and multi-percussionist Jason Tait, this couldn't be more true.Enjoying a brief rest in Winnipeg before the band's upcoming string of shows opening for the Lowest Of The Low, a peaceful Samson relates the good, the bad and the ugly concerning the bands recent European jaunt.
Weakerthans"Sweden was good 'cause it's quite similar in manner and culture to Canada," he says. "In Scandinavia, their comprehension of English is really good and in Germany its less, so that makes it more difficult for me because we're a pretty lyrically driven band," he adds with a sneeze and a laugh into the phone.Speaking of lyrics, will Samson, the band's main lyricist, use the different European skylines he checked each day as inspiration for the follow-up to last year's Left And Leaving?"Travel itself always induces some pretty strange images and ideas," he reveals. "The whole transient living from truck stop to truck stop life can really mess with your mind."This past tour was the band's fifth venture to Europe and for Samson some cities tend to make an impression more than others."Berlin has always provoked me into thinking a lot about cities because its the most schizophrenic city I've ever seen," he recalls. "I've been there six or seven times since the early '90s and every time I get there it's a totally different city."The Weakerthans have found themselves on many hardcore punk bills throughout Europe and the States, with a sound and lyrical bent that is quite a bit more introspective and delicate than most punk music would ever think of being. Samson feels that the band can still succeed in connecting with an audience that shares his roots."It's just the community we came from — that's always going to be a huge part of our audience, and I hope they [punks] are always there," he says quietly. "I think that maybe they can recognize that I come from the same place that they come from musically and politically."Having played to a few hundred people per show on their latest European trek, things will be a great deal different for the band when they again cross the Atlantic this June."We're going to go do some of the huge rock festivals there," he explains. "I think it will be hilarious — we'll get to go there and play for 40 minutes then wander around backstage and spy on Metallica and stuff," he says with a giggle.Being so far from home and getting down to your last few Canadian cigarettes can be a horrifying thought for Samson, but he takes bitter comfort in knowing that finding a Canuck smoke is usually as easy as hunting down the band's roadie."Generally he stockpiles them and sells them to me — yeah, he's quite a bastard about that!"So how much will a Weakerthan who refers to European smokes as "disgusting" pay for a good old Canadian cancer stick when desperate? "I think I was paying about $10 a pack to our light man, Cam, at the end," he says in disbelief.With almost a year having passed since Left And Leaving's Winnipeg CD release party, the band plans on focusing on the writing and recording of its follow-up upon returning from their next "European Vacation." With that much traveling under their belts, The Weakerthans should have a ton of pictures to paint through their new songs and they just might want to consider calling their third full length release "Coming Or Going."