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The local post-punkers are playing four shows in four nights at four different venues -- a risky venture not many other local bands would have the stamina, discipline or, most importantly, the fan base to attempt.
"I haven't seen anyone do that in Winnipeg so I thought it would be funny to do; plus February is always perhaps the most depressing month in the city, so it's always good to have something to distract you with," explains John K. Samson, lead vocalist and songwriter for The Weakerthans.
"It's some little project, something fun to do in February, and we get to play with all these people we really admire, and in some cases, we've never been able to play with. The anniversary itself was just kind of an excuse to do something."
Not that they need an excuse; The Weakerthans have plenty to celebrate. In the five years since Samson hooked up with guitarist Stephen Carroll, bassist John Sutton and drummer Jason Tait, the group has released two critically acclaimed albums; toured Europe four times; won two Prairie Music Awards for Independent Recording and Video of the Year; and been nominated for a Juno.
When the band started in 1997, no one knew what to expect from Samson, then best known as bassist with Propagandhi, a speed-punk band known for its political stance and socially conscious lyrics. It turned out Samson was a poet with a knack for writing not only clever, pop-influenced rock songs, but also ballads -- a complete 180 from his former band.
The Weakerthans quickly developed a reputation for being a solid live act and toured diligently. As a result, the quartet played local shows infrequently, which only helped build their buzz in Winnipeg. With a solid fan base and above-average album sales for an independent band, some believe the band could sign to a major label. Instead, it has chose to release their albums -- Fallow and Left and Leaving -- on the local independent activist label G7 Welcoming Committee, also home to Propagandhi.
The band's DIY attitude stems from growing up in Winnipeg, Samson says.
"We're very much a product of the music community here and I think that's a real ethic in the Winnipeg arts scene. You can do things on your own terms, especially because there's not that outside pressure to please anybody," he says.
"It's a fairly meagre living and we all have to supplement it in various ways, but we are lucky enough to have a big chunk of time to be able to dedicate to just fooling around with music.
"We don't have any grand plans to become some big rock band, so I think things are going OK."
Besides his music career, Samson helps run Arbeiter Ring Publishing, a not-for-profit, worker-owned and collectively run publishing house. Guitarist Carroll manages other artists, while Sutton and Tait both live in Toronto and are active in its music scene. Sutton does sound engineering and producing, while Tait plays with a number of bands.
"I stay because I want to and because, again, we're a product of where we came from and I think it's important to who we are," Samson says.
And even though the band is split between Toronto and Winnipeg, a new album is in the works, albeit very slowly.
"I can't give you any timeline, but it could be six months from now or four years from now -- who knows," he says. "But we're working on it."
The band plays Thursday at The Albert with The Vagiants and Telepathic Butterflies; Friday at Pyramid Cabaret with The Waking Eyes and Carter Monrose; Saturday at Wellington's with Jay Churko and The Paperbacks; and Sunday at the West End Cultural Centre with Greg MacPher-son and Sixty Stories.
Besides music, films by Winnipeggers such as Caelum Vatnsdal -- director of The Weakerthans' two videos -- will be screened and deejays will spin each night.
Tickets are $10 in advance at the venues and $12 at the door -- if you can find them. As of yesterday, the Saturday and Sunday shows were sold out.