Artist: John K. Samson, Album: Provincial Road 222, Song: Petition

"Where is Reggie Leach was born and played, minor hockey back in my hometown.  The Rifle fired his first 500 here, slapped his way into the NHL.  We the undersigned put forth his name."  John K. Samson is the front man for the band, The Weakerthans.  He is from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and has a long rock and roll history within the province.  He started his career in the early nineties, playing bass with the punk band, Propaghandi.  He also started writing and performing his own music around the same time.  Following his time in Propaghandi, he started a publishing company and formed the band, The Weakerthans, with some former members of the band, Red Fisher (see blog 11/29/10).  In a span of 14 years and counting, the band has recorded 6 albums and received 3 Juno nominations.  However, more recently, John K. returned to solo recording and released his EP, City Route 85, in 2009.  It is the first in a series of recordings that John plans to release about life in his home province of Manitoba.  The second instalment in that series is Provincial Road 222.  It only includes 3 tracks but I love the song, Petition, which is written about the former hockey player, Reggie Leach.  It is written about a town's petition to have him inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame.  You can check out the track on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYWeyl2qLIk&feature=fvst).  I'm a sucker for songs with sports references and John is a supremely talented songwriter.  If you enjoy this track, you should seek out the song, Tournament Of Hearts, by The Weakerthans.  Both John K. Samson and his band, The Weakerthans, are currently signed with the Anti-Records label out of Los Angeles (http://www.anti.com/artists/).  You can purchase the album, Provincial Road 222, on Itunes.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!