Weaves Ventures into ‘Wide Open’

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Courtesy of Brendan George Ko

Weaves is an indie-rock band from Toronto, Canada, and will play at Rough Trade in Brooklyn on Wednesday, Oct. 18.

Robert Frezza, Contributing Writer

Canadian indie-pop group Weaves hails from Toronto with lead vocalist Jasmine Burke, guitarist Morgan Waters, bassist Zach Bines and drummer Spencer Cole all in the mix. Burke, who was a bit shy of her own voice at first, overcame her fear while singing for other bands prior to joining Weaves.

“I met Jasmine while she was performing a solo set at one of my friend’s shows,” Waters said in an interview with WSN. “She was playing with a looping pedal and was singing to it. I went up to her and asked if she wanted to make music together. Her voice was just so captivating.”

Her raspy, husky voice has proven to be a valuable asset for the band to this day. Burke is the emotional center of the band, as she is the main songwriter.

“I work on the lyrics with her when the song is more developed,” Waters said. “The songs take even more shape when the entire band jams together.”

The quartet’s DIY sound started off very organic and refreshing with their self-titled EP, which was released in 2014. Its sound initially stood out due to its eccentric, quirky blend of folk music. The band’s influences run the gamut.

“The rhythm section is more influenced by R&B since they went to music school,” Waters explained. “I am into Ween and PJ Harvey. Jasmine is into Bjork too. We like pop music too. It goes into the caldron and we stir it up.”

The band has definitely evolved with its new, poppier LP “Wide Open,” which has an ‘80s flair.

“I think our new album is more direct emotionally and simpler in terms of the songs rather than the arrangement,” Waters said. “With this record we broke it down to something more timeless and classic in terms of the songwriting.”

Weaves definitely wants to see success in the United States and cross it off its bucket list, but admits that it is an interest in other territories too.

“The music market [in the U.S.] is huge,” Waters said. “There are more venues. Everyone wants to break into the States. We got to tour Europe. They have an appreciation for the arts overseas. They really love rock music in England as well and that really fuels the music scene.”

Waters disagreed with the opinion that there is more pop sound across the U.S. border than what is found on Canadian radio these days.

“I don’t think it’s more pop orientated in the States than it is in Canada right now,” she said. “I think it’s about the same, but hip-hop is definitely a driving force of pop culture right now. We are just trying to cut through and do something different with guitars, bass and vocals.”

Weaves play Rough Trade Tuesday night in Brooklyn.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Oct. 16 print edition. Email Robert Frezza at [email protected]