the weakerthans

... is such an awesome band. I'd have to say John K. Sampson, the lead guitarist, vocalist and main creative force behind the band, to be my biggest influence on my writing, especially when it comes to writing songs and poems. He is amazingly articulate and innovative in his songwriting. I'm listening to this song called, "A Plea From A Cat Named Virtute", a lot of people think the cat's name is Virtue but that's incorrect. I think Virtute is actually a Latin word for strength, but I'm not sure if that's correct, and Virtute is actually an allusion to Sampson's hometown, Winnepeg, Canada; and the word appears on the city crest. Anways, the song is about this cat who's trying to persuade their owner, who's in a slump of depression and alcoholism, to shed their heavy heart and overcome their melancholy spirit. I think Jay-Z's said it best with the hook, "Brush the dirt off your shoulder". I actually am not sure if that phrase applies to the situation in the song, but, I mean, it could. Regardless of whether it applies or not, I strongly suggest listening to The Weakerthans and also a little Jay-Z. Jay-Z is nowhere near as deep or reflective as John K. Sampson, but I still recommend Jay-Z's The Black Album. I haven't listened to that album in a super long time but I can still remember the good songs on it. It's have to be: "99 Problems"; "Dirt Off Your Shoulder"; and "My First Song", which in my opinion is the best, the whole album is pretty decent though.



This is just some random dude covering the song, he does a awesome job though. Man, I'd love to be friends him, he seems like a really cool dude.



Here's Jay-Z's "My First Song". Awesome beats, good lyrics. Man, I haven't listened to this track in forever, I think it's been about two years since I last listened to this song. Really brings me back, I used to listen this song like everyday, coming home from wrestling practice. I can almost smell blunt aroma of sweat and wrestling mats.