John K. Samson
Encyclopedia
John Kristjan Samson is a musician from Winnipeg
, Manitoba, Canada. He is a singer-songwriter and currently the frontman of the Canadian folk punk
band The Weakerthans
. He also played bass in the punk
band Propagandhi
during the mid-1990s.
Samson is married to Canadian singer-songwriter Christine Fellows
.
. In 1995, six of these songs were featured on a split album
shared with the now-defunct punk band Painted Thin
. Following the critical success of The Weakerthans, Samson's side of the split was re-released online by G7 Welcoming Committee as a digital
EP
in 2006.
In 1995, also while still in Propagandhi, Samson released the song "Letter of Resignation
" on a split with F.Y.P
. Although credited to Propagandhi, Samson was the only band member to appear on the song. He later rerecorded "Letter of Resignation" on The Weakerthans' debut album, Fallow
.
In 2006, he and his wife Christine Fellows recorded The Old House, an album intended as a Christmas gift for friends and family. They eventually released two songs, "Taps Reversed" and "Good Salvage", for airplay on CBC Radio 3
in 2007. Fellows and Samson also performed live on the network on March 17, 2007, to mark the final night of the network's terrestrial simulcast on CBC Radio 2. Both Samson and Fellows also participated in writing and performing music for Clive Holden
's multimedia project Trains of Winnipeg
.
In 2008, Samson collaborated with electronic musician Blunderspublik and Inuit throat singer
Nikki Komaksiutiksak on the song "Keewatin Arctic", as part of the collaborative music project Record of the Week Club.
Shortly afterward, Samson announced his first solo project since 1995's Little Pictures
: a series of 7" releases about Manitoba roads, which he plans to release over the next 18 months. The first, City Route 85
, was released on November 3, 2009 through Epitaph
and ANTI-
. In August 2010, Samson announced his next EP, Provincial Road 222
, to be released on September 21. In December 2010, the Weakerthans performed four concerts in Winnipeg, one for each of their albums. In their final concert at the Burton Cummings Theatre, they performed all four of their albums in one night.
In 2011, Samson, Fellows and Sandro Perri
participated in the National Parks Project
, working with filmmaker Daniel Cockburn to produce and score a short film about Ontario
's Bruce Peninsula National Park
.
, a publishing collective.
In 2006, Samson championed Miriam Toews
' novel A Complicated Kindness
in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
's annual Canada Reads
, and the novel went on to win the competition. In the 2007 edition of Canada Reads—an "all-star" competition pitting the five winning advocates from previous years against each other—Samson returned to champion Heather O'Neill
's novel Lullabies for Little Criminals
, which also won the competition.
In 2008–09, Samson spent several weeks working at the CBC's Winnipeg studios as part of the production team for the CBC Radio 2 program The Signal
.
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba, Canada. He is a singer-songwriter and currently the frontman of the Canadian folk punk
Folk punk
Folk punk , is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was pioneered in the late 1970s and early 1980s by The Pogues in Britain and Violent Femmes in America. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in that decade...
band The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans are a four-piece Canadian indie rock band.-History:The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John K. Samson, after he left the punk band Propagandhi to start a publishing company. Samson joined forces with bassist John P...
. He also played bass in the punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Propagandhi
Propagandhi
Propagandhi is a Canadian punk band formed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1986 by Chris Hannah and Jord Samolesky. The band is currently located in Winnipeg, Manitoba....
during the mid-1990s.
Samson is married to Canadian singer-songwriter Christine Fellows
Christine Fellows
Christine Fellows is a Canadian folk-pop singer-songwriter from Winnipeg, Manitoba.-History:Born in Windsor, Ontario and raised in France and Kelowna, British Columbia, Fellows lived in Toronto, Vancouver, Guelph and Montreal before settling in Winnipeg in 1992.In 1993, she formed her first group,...
.
Music
In 1993, while still a member of Propagandhi, Samson released a fifteen-track solo album on cassette tape, entitled Slips and TanglesSlips and Tangles
Slips and Tangles is a rare early demo cassette by John K. Samson, released in 1993 when he was a member of Propagandhi. The song "Greenest Eyes" appeared in a different form on Propagandhi's album How to Clean Everything, which was also released in 1993; there, it was entitled "Showdown " in...
. In 1995, six of these songs were featured on a split album
Split album
A split album is a music album which includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There have been singles and EPs released in the same nature, which can be referred to as split singles and split EPs respectively...
shared with the now-defunct punk band Painted Thin
Painted Thin
Painted Thin was a Canadian hardcore punk band, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba and active from 1994 to 1999. The core of the band consisted of vocalist and guitarist Stephen Carroll and bassist and vocalist Paul Furgale, with a variety of guest musicians, including James Ash, Dan McCafferty and Jason...
. Following the critical success of The Weakerthans, Samson's side of the split was re-released online by G7 Welcoming Committee as a digital
Digital audio
Digital audio is sound reproduction using pulse-code modulation and digital signals. Digital audio systems include analog-to-digital conversion , digital-to-analog conversion , digital storage, processing and transmission components...
EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in 2006.
In 1995, also while still in Propagandhi, Samson released the song "Letter of Resignation
Propagandhi/F.Y.P.
Propagandhi/F.Y.P is a 7" split between Propagandhi and F.Y.P, released in 1995.-Track listing:#"Mate Like Porcupines" - F.Y.P#"Dinky Bossetti" - F.Y.P#"Glamourettes" - F.Y.P#"Letter of Resignation" - Propagandhi-Miscellanea:...
" on a split with F.Y.P
F.Y.P
F.Y.P was Todd Congelliere's punk rock predecessor to his current bands Toys That Kill and Underground Railroad to Candyland...
. Although credited to Propagandhi, Samson was the only band member to appear on the song. He later rerecorded "Letter of Resignation" on The Weakerthans' debut album, Fallow
Fallow (album)
Fallow is the debut album by The Weakerthans.It was released in 1997 on G7 Welcoming Committee Records in Canada, and in 1999 on Sub City Records in the United States....
.
CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3 is a radio station that consists of two parts devoted to Canadian arts and music: a radio service which is available on Sirius Satellite Radio and streaming audio, and several daily and weekly podcasts from the CBC Radio 3 website...
in 2007. Fellows and Samson also performed live on the network on March 17, 2007, to mark the final night of the network's terrestrial simulcast on CBC Radio 2. Both Samson and Fellows also participated in writing and performing music for Clive Holden
Clive Holden
Clive Holden is a Canadian multimedia artist and poet from Victoria, British Columbia, he is currently living in Toronto with his wife, writer Alissa York....
's multimedia project Trains of Winnipeg
Trains of Winnipeg
Trains of Winnipeg is a film and multimedia art project by Clive Holden, released in stages between 2001 and 2004. The final project included a series of 14 short films, designed as visual representations of Holden's poetry, as well as a soundtrack CD and a book.The short films were scored by Emily...
.
In 2008, Samson collaborated with electronic musician Blunderspublik and Inuit throat singer
Inuit throat singing
Inuit throat singing or katajjaq, also known as the generic term overtone singing, is a form of musical performance uniquely found among the Inuit...
Nikki Komaksiutiksak on the song "Keewatin Arctic", as part of the collaborative music project Record of the Week Club.
Shortly afterward, Samson announced his first solo project since 1995's Little Pictures
Little Pictures
Little Pictures is a solo record recorded between 1993 and 1994 by John K. Samson, then of Propagandhi. It was released in 1995 as a split album with Painted Thin's Small Acts of Love and Rebellion. It was one of G7 Welcoming Committee's first releases, in a PET film pouch. Samson later left...
: a series of 7" releases about Manitoba roads, which he plans to release over the next 18 months. The first, City Route 85
City Route 85
City Route 85 is a solo EP by John K. Samson of The Weakerthans, released October 30, 2009 on Grand Hotel van Cleef in Europe, and November 3, 2009 on ANTI-/Epitaph in North America...
, was released on November 3, 2009 through Epitaph
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
and ANTI-
ANTI-
ANTI- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label of Epitaph Records.While Epitaph's focus has shifted over the last decade from mostly punk rock, nowadays ANTI- has a more diverse roster, ranging from country , hip hop , reggae , Soul , folk , rap-rock , indie rock...
. In August 2010, Samson announced his next EP, Provincial Road 222
Provincial Road 222
Provincial Road 222 is an EP by Canadian musician John K. Samson, released on September 21, 2010. The second in a series of EPs thematically inspired by roads in Samson's home province of Manitoba, the disc is named for Manitoba Provincial Road 222, which links the towns of Gimli and Riverton.The...
, to be released on September 21. In December 2010, the Weakerthans performed four concerts in Winnipeg, one for each of their albums. In their final concert at the Burton Cummings Theatre, they performed all four of their albums in one night.
In 2011, Samson, Fellows and Sandro Perri
Sandro Perri
Sandro Perri is a musician and producer from Toronto, Canada. His music has been called post-rock, electronic, experimental, ambient, folk among others....
participated in the National Parks Project
National Parks Project
The National Parks Project is a Canadian music and film project. Released in 2011 to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Parks of Canada system, the project sent three Canadian musicians and a filmmaker to each of 13 Canadian national parks, one in each province and...
, working with filmmaker Daniel Cockburn to produce and score a short film about Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
's Bruce Peninsula National Park
Bruce Peninsula National Park
Bruce Peninsula National Park is a national park on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. Located on a part of the Niagara Escarpment, the park comprises 156 square kilometres and is one of the largest protected areas in southern Ontario, forming the core of UNESCO's Niagara Escarpment World...
.
Other activities
Samson is also a founding member of Arbeiter Ring PublishingArbeiter Ring Publishing
Arbeiter Ring Publishing is a worker-owned and operated independent book publisher and distributor that specializes in progressive, radical and anarchist literature . Founded by Todd Scarth and John K...
, a publishing collective.
In 2006, Samson championed Miriam Toews
Miriam Toews
Miriam Toews is a Canadian writer of Mennonite descent. She grew up in Steinbach, Manitoba and has lived in Montreal and London, before settling in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She moved to Toronto in 2009....
' novel A Complicated Kindness
A Complicated Kindness
A Complicated Kindness is a novel by Canadian author Miriam Toews.Originally published in 2004 by Knopf Canada, it was the winner of the Governor General's Award for English Fiction, and was nominated for the Giller Prize. It spent over a year on the Canadian bestseller lists...
in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
's annual Canada Reads
Canada Reads
Canada Reads is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC.-Overview:During Canada Reads, five personalities champion five different books, each champion extolling the merits of one of the titles. The debate is broadcast over a series...
, and the novel went on to win the competition. In the 2007 edition of Canada Reads—an "all-star" competition pitting the five winning advocates from previous years against each other—Samson returned to champion Heather O'Neill
Heather O'Neill
Heather O'Neill is a Canadian novelist, poet, short story writer, screenwriter and journalist. She was born in Montreal, but spent part of her childhood in the American South. She currently lives in Montreal....
's novel Lullabies for Little Criminals
Lullabies for Little Criminals
Lullabies for Little Criminals is a 2006 novel by Heather O'Neill.The book was chosen for inclusion in the 2007 edition of Canada Reads, where it was championed by musician John K. Samson...
, which also won the competition.
In 2008–09, Samson spent several weeks working at the CBC's Winnipeg studios as part of the production team for the CBC Radio 2 program The Signal
The Signal (radio program)
The Signal is a Canadian radio program, which debuted on CBC Radio 2 on March 19, 2007. Devoted to contemporary music and airing from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m., the program is hosted by Laurie Brown Mondays to Saturdays...
.
Solo albums
- Slips and TanglesSlips and TanglesSlips and Tangles is a rare early demo cassette by John K. Samson, released in 1993 when he was a member of Propagandhi. The song "Greenest Eyes" appeared in a different form on Propagandhi's album How to Clean Everything, which was also released in 1993; there, it was entitled "Showdown " in...
– 1993 - Little PicturesLittle PicturesLittle Pictures is a solo record recorded between 1993 and 1994 by John K. Samson, then of Propagandhi. It was released in 1995 as a split album with Painted Thin's Small Acts of Love and Rebellion. It was one of G7 Welcoming Committee's first releases, in a PET film pouch. Samson later left...
– 1995 - City Route 85City Route 85City Route 85 is a solo EP by John K. Samson of The Weakerthans, released October 30, 2009 on Grand Hotel van Cleef in Europe, and November 3, 2009 on ANTI-/Epitaph in North America...
– 2009 - Provincial Road 222Provincial Road 222Provincial Road 222 is an EP by Canadian musician John K. Samson, released on September 21, 2010. The second in a series of EPs thematically inspired by roads in Samson's home province of Manitoba, the disc is named for Manitoba Provincial Road 222, which links the towns of Gimli and Riverton.The...
- 2010 - ProvincialProvincialProvincial may refer to:* Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country.* Provincial examinations, a school-leaving exam in British Columbia, Canada* A provincial superior of a religious order...
- 2012