Yeah, I've been hearing about them a lot lately. I saw them opening for another band a long time ago, and I used to be moderately into Propagandhi, which the singer used to be in/maybe still is or something, but never got so much into the Weakerthans. It's still neat that they are making it big though.
I didn't know there was any Propagandhi connection, but you're likely right, the music scene here is like the theatre scene - totally incest-y.
Propagandhi is perminantly tied in my mind to a sense of self-satisfied self-rightousness. Being that they were lefties like myself I though I might like their music, but before I ever heard anything by them my path in life crossed with different band memebers several times, and I found their actual behaviour in public to be just totally repugnant. All hanging out at the vegan restaurant, using tahani instead of butter and making a point to be sure that everyone was aware of it. Jeeze, just let me half-enjoy my half-decent carobe brownie in peace.
Also, I went to university with a girl who dated a guy in Propagandhi, and she was so snide, so very snide. I remember her glimpsing a book I was reading, Douglas Coupland's "Girlfriend in a Coma," and just totally rolling her eyes. I suddenly felt about a foot tall and like I was reading a Danielle Steel novel. I'd run into the two of them on campus all the time and they'd just sneer at me. I was totally puzzled by their dislike of me.