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The Weakerthans

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The Weakerthans perform "The Last Last One"

Few things are more entertaining than a talented, self-deprecating performer, and Winnipeg’s the Weakerthans have got both qualities down pat. The name alone is an admission of an inferiority complex. It’s actually taken from a movie, the film adaptation of Marguerite Duras’ The Lover, but it also stands as a deliciously sarcastic homage to the way us Americans tend to think of our neighbors to the north. And the wonderful wise-assery doesn’t end there; it’s a major player in the songs of lead singer/guitarist John K. Samson, who is one of the best lyricists in rock these days. “In the Dollar Store the clerk is closing up, and counting Loonies, trying not to say ‘I hate Winnipeg,’” sings Samson on the song “One Great City!” from 2003’s lovely Reconstruction Site. This alternately sad and hilarious ode to a dying city might make some Buffalonians squirm a little, but never fear. The Weakerthans’ mix of post-punk guitar, gentle alt-country nuggets and remarkable storytelling is straight-up fun. This is the most bizarrely eloquent band to come out of Canada since the Rheostatics, and by going to see them perform, you’re doing yourself a solid. The New Amsterdams, led by ex-Get Up Kid Matthew Pryor, will tag along as the opening act; apparently they’re a little less emo-tional, and a little prettier, than Pryor’s previous band. Raising the Fawn will also perform.

Sunday, July 9 at 9pm. Town Ballroom, 681 Main Street (852-3900).