Rocking out with The Trews helps W3apons find their sound – CBC.ca

They may be fairly new to the Canadian rock scene but Saskatoon rock trio W3apons is planning to use their new platform to share music that focuses on the social injustices they see around them.

If you make it to one of their live shows, you might hear a heavier rock sound. This is inspired, in part, by the rock musicians who came before them, who also used their platforms to speak out.

W3apons aims to write music that feels true to them. 0:41

Member Jordan Welbourne initially started out as a solo musician but he “actually always felt weird about performing as a rock band under my own name.”  He eventually connected with Tallus Scott and Myk Ulan-Hohol, and they all agree it was an instant friendship.

The band banters on the energy they felt as their music started to come together. 0:52

When they were still in the beginning stages, Welbourne took a chance and reached out to one of his musical idols — John-Angus MacDonald from The Trews.  This paid off in a big way.

After reaching out to The Trews guitarist John-Angus MacDonald, W3apons went on to co-write and co-produce a song together with them. 1:00 

“I was really working hard to keep it together,” Welbourne said about first meeting MacDonald.  All three W3apons members grew up listening to The Trews and enjoyed getting the opportunity to co-write a song with them.

W3apons has a heavier rock sound. (Niki Hartmann/Raw Photography)

So far W3apons has released one radio single, “Off the Top of My Heart,” and it’s received significant buzz across Canada.  Despite the fact W3apons is an independent band, their song has risen to the top 20 in the Canadian rock charts. They don’t have the same budget for promotion as other signed bands, so “even to be able to break onto the charts was crazy,” Scott said.  

Over the past weeks W3apons has slowly risen on the Canadian rock charts 1:14

Listen to the W3apons’ custom playlist, featuring songs that inspire them.