After a polite greeting, Weakerthans frontman John K. Samson informs me that he can’t raise his voice, because singer Bryan Webb of The Constantines is sprawled out a few feet away, fast asleep.
This gesture of goodwill between old friends is no surprise, because their respective bands, two of Canada’s premier indie rock outfits, have toured together for many years. However their current tour, dubbed the Rolling Tundra Revue, is different for a number of reasons, most notably because its goal is to raise awareness about consumption.
Webb remarks that they are “trying to monitor what we’re doing and figure out what we’re producing. Trying to support people taking transit and walking to the show, rather than everybody driving. We’re just kind of monitoring the mileage.”
Samson adds: “The best we can go for is to raise awareness about how much the entertainment industry actually consumes. There will probably be almost 20,000 people coming out to see these shows, so if all of them can use some alternative form of transport, that would be [a big] step.”
Although their goal is a lofty one, they’ve definitely come prepared. Anyone who arrives at their concert with a bus pass, bike helmet, or a car full of people will get a free band pin. It’s not much, but it’s enough to convince many.
The Weakerthans have never been ones to shy away from charitable pursuits—in fact, the environmental goal isn’t even the only one on this tour. For the shows in their hometown of Winnipeg, they are working with Macdonald’s Youth Services, an organization who provides support for Manitoban youth.
“We generally try to work with one community group when we play in Winnipeg,” says Samson. “We decided we really like this organization—they focus on youth and that’s always been very important to us. Music was one of the things that really helped us out when we were young. We’re looking forward to helping them out.”
Although both bands work slowly, this year has been a prolific one for The Constantines. With Kensington Heights released only a year ago, they have since completed two vinyl releases and a brand new EP entitled Too Slow for Love, available just in time for the Rolling Tundra Revue.
The album is comprised of familiar songs conceived in new ways. Songs from Kensington Heights make up most of the tracklist, with “Young Lions” and “You Are A Conductor” taken from previous albums. Departing from the band’s traditional rock ’n‘ roll approach, the songs boast tastefully stripped-down instrumentation.
To complete the album within an unusually quick time frame, they opted to record live off the floor, a method not commonly used in modern rock. Webb reveals the driving force behind the band’s urgent work ethic. “We went to the Tragically Hip’s studio, the Bath House, with the idea of recording really stripped-down, live off the floor versions of some of our older songs. Just to bring something new on the road.”
“With Kensington Heights, we took our sweet time recording, which was nice as well, but sometimes things get over-thought and overwrought in that process. This was the opposite—an attempt to hopefully not over-think things.”
One song that appears on Too Slow for Love, entitled “Our Age,” happens to be a current favorite of Samson’s. “I would [love to have written] that one,” he says. “There’s a lot I would take [from The Constantines’ catalogue], but that one is my pick. They’re all pretty damn good… I would say Bry is certainly one of my favorite songwriters. Lyrically, he’s a masterly painter of words and has one of the finest voices in rock. I’m fond of him as a person as well!”
Even though Webb and Samson have little trouble expressing themselves in song, they seem nervous to show how they feel about each other’s songwriting. Webb struggles with describing Samson’s work, before declaring, “I’m going to close the door so that John can’t hear me. Now the shit talking begins!” he says with a snicker. “I love John, and I love the personality in his songs. When he’s taking on characters in his songs, he has a way of putting an incredible amount of sensitivity into the character. His perspective is pretty wide…which is really nice to read and hear.”
“The biggest influence that John has had on my writing and musical identity is that he and the rest of [The Weakerthans] can add humility to rock ‘n’ roll, which isn’t often the case. Rock ‘n’ roll has a reputation for garish, brutish behavior sometimes, and it’s not something that I identify with. I like seeing a band that has a person like John, who has a real humility. That’s what the Cons have always tried to do, bring a little humility to rock and roll.”
The Weakerthans and The Constantines play three consecutive nights at the Phoenix (410 Sherbourne Street), March 31 to April 2. Tickets are $25, and doors open at 7:30 p.m.
