Interview with The Weakerthans

With Jason Tait - interviewer Hendrik Jansen . The interview originally appeared at the Playboard Snowboard Magazine . made: 08/06/06 . Bonn/ Germany

The Weakerthans - Civil Twilight

Punk76: First of all some comments to the two festival shows that you played yesterday and the day before?

Jason: The shows were really great. We first had a tour here in germany years ago with Tomte playing small small clubs and we are quite happy that they have such a success with playing honest music. Its really amazing, all of our friends that we habe known for years here in Germany...

Punk76: ...do you have a big fanbase here in germany?

Jason: Yes, we have.

Punk76: I know that you have released your second album “Left and Leaving” over the Grand Hotel van Cleef label. Do you know all the other bands that are playing here?

Jason: Yes, pretty much. We have been friends of Tomte and Marcus Wiebusch since 1998 or something like that. Pretty much the time when he started the Grand Hotel van Cleef label.

Punk76: How do you stay in contact. Is it that you just meet each other at festivals or shows or do you really treat them like friends that you call or email from time to time?

Jason: No, no, we really treat them like friends, telephone or email. When there is anything that reminds me of Germany I think of them.

Punk76: You also played some shows with the german Band Tomte, which has become so succesful this year here in Germany.Who is supporting whom at these shows?

Jason: They used to support us. Well now it has obviously switched around, haha. They opened for us in London and the reactions there where really good. I was standing in the audience, saw them playing and really enjoyed it.

Punk76: This band Tomte has a song on their new Album where they sing: “the canadian band with ther sad songs”. Are you meant by that?

Jason: Yes, I think that’s us.

Punk76: Is that a pleasure for you?

Jason: Yes, of course. Whenever you create something and it creates a bookmark in someones life, thats always a very special thing. I think of so much music that I can recall to. All the things that I did in my life, first time taking drugs or whatever, are a bookmarks for me and so its cool that we are a bookmark from them. Especially as friends

Punk76: The Weakerthans are a political band...

Jason: ..well yes, but somehow everythings political. I mean, I can go backstage an use a plastic cup or use a washable coffeecup. You do not have to raise flags to be political.

Punk76: ...but speak out their message quite different from bands like Anti-Flag or your former Band Propagandhi did. Explain us the way you transport your messages to the people.

Jason: We do not really give a message. We do actions. We do not suggest political news to people. We choose a label [Epitaph] in the US that used to contribute parts of the record sells to charity, different charitys. That are thousands of dollars. For example one organisation that tries to show inner city kids a way to art and music for getting a regular thing to do. There are several things that we do, but we are not runnig around and saying “We are saving the world”.

Punk76: Is there still a connection between this political punk music and the Weakerthans sound today?

Jason: Well, it is a bit away from the typical punk rock. But the way we do our music, we are expressing ourselves is still the punk rock way. When we play Rock songs, we play it very hard and agessively. When we play quite songs it should be different from that. So our music always touches the punk rock roots. I started playing in punk bands, too.

Punk76: So the weakerthans are not your first band?

Jason: No, I was in a Band called Red Fisher for 7 years. We started in 1989 but then broke up and a week later John (K. Samson, Singer of the Weakerthans) called me. We know each other for quite a while. Winnipeg is a small city, it is hard to find same-minded people.

Punk76: When I see your band story it reminded me to the Story of Kettcar, who Singer Marcus Wiebusch also had a punk Band, before he formed Kettcar. Would you say that you get less rebellious the older you get?

Jason: Yes, it is less talking and more actions. You figure out that talking does not change that much. And then you take actions and try to stear the world in a direction that you would like to see it go. I don not think to much about wearing T-shirts, showing my political message. (laughs)

Punk76: The shows will be recorded for a CD on which every band has about 4 songs. Do you know which songs this might be?

Jason: We picked some from the first show.I think we choose ‘Reconstruction Site’ , ‘Manifest’ a new song and some others. But we played really bad there (laughs).

Punk76: Oh why that?

Jason: Oh, I did not play that good, john was out of tune with his voice...

Punk76: I heard you are working on a new album. When can we expect the record and what can we expect concerning the new songs.

Jason: I will be released in the next couple of months. We have a new song that we are going to play in the set today to see the peoples reactions.

Punk76: Which direction are the songs going to be?

Jason: Oh, it is not unlike the musci we did on the records before. It is not a radical change.

Punk76: You are working very close together with guys of peta2.com, an animal rights watch organisation which also presents your tour. Since when are you vegetarian?

Jason: Well I am not, but I am glad that John is supporting those guys. But John has never tryed to convince anyone to become an vegetarian. We can have different meals at the same time, at the same table.

Punk76: On the last record there was a song called One great city, but the main line in it is “I hate Winnipeg. Don’t you like your hometown?

Jason: Well, you always have times where you hate your hometown. I like New York, maybe one of the greatest cities in the world, but everybody hates his town sometimes. One minute you hate it and the next minute you love it again. If you really love something, you do not just look at all the positive aspects. For example, why they built certain buildings like they do, architecture does not look good. In Winnipeg the inner City is dying, everybody moves to the suburbs, there is no function in downtown. Winnipeg could be such a great city but serious mistakes happen all the time. I have moved, I do not live there anymore. Good aspects about Winnipeg are the low rents and the close access to nature.

Punk76: You left the label and got signed to Epitaph. Was that a hard decision and what were the reasons to change?

Jason: They are just much more organized. They have access to more media, if we want to, have a lot of instruments and stuff. The label is run by musicans, they re great guys.

Punk76: Any Expectations for this evenings shows?

Jason: No, we just go up on stage and play our songs. That’s it!

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