The Weepies Moving Forward

June 18, 2015

You can’t keep a good musician down – not for long, anyway. And, not when you’re one half of a musical couple as dedicated to each other, and to music, as The Weepies.

Steve Tannen and Deb Talan began writing music together the night they met. They’d soon form two long-term partnerships: one as a married couple and the second as the duo The Weepies, logging 20 million views on YouTube and more than 1 million records sold.

In 2013, Talan was diagnosed with cancer. After nearly a year of fighting, she went into remission in 2014 and was pronounced cancer-free.

This walk on the edge sharpened both their relationship and their musical skills. Through it all, they managed to record "Siren," the album critics are calling the best record of their career.

MAKING IT WORK

Unable to travel while Talan recovered, they decided to work remotely throughout her treatment, refusing to give up their music, even in the short-term.

They put together a long-distance "band," recording with guest musicians around the world via Skype collaboration.

And what a list of guests: Wallflower/Foo Fighter Rami Jaffee, Pearl Jam drummer Matt Chamberlain, legendary bassist Tony Levin and Elvis Costello drummer Pete Thomas, among others, including their long-term touring bandmates. "I was the very disorganized coordinator, so we relied on the engineers and these great musicians to make everything work," Tannen explained by phone from Seattle, where The Weepies were awaiting a gig. "And they did – wonderfully."

NO MORE TROUBLE

The songs on Siren both portended Talan’s illness and helped buoy the couple up through it. "No Trouble" was written before the shoe fell, with the lyrics "I don’t need no trouble." Talan eventually sang her vocals during her first weeks of treatment.

The prettily simple "River from the Sky" and "My Little Love" give us quieter moments on the set, while other songs seem to serve as an opportunity for them to temporarily escape their difficulties, such as "Early Morning Riser" with its horn section and "Fancy Things" with its cheerful rhythms.

Tannen said the album does have a chronology to it, but it’s their chronology alone, because he wants other people to find meaning for themselves.

"I feel like, yes, there is an arc to the album," he said, "but I don’t want to tell people what it is. I want them to hear it as they hear it. All I can say is that we tried to make as cohesive an album as we could, for us."

NEW TERRITORY

Now happily back on the road, The Weepies’ new songs are going over very well in a live setting as they travel the country.

"Our live band is just amazing and I’m so grateful for where we’re at," Tannen said. "We have a bigger catalog now – we have 37 songs on the table for this tour – so we can choose what we’ll play based on our sense of that night’s audience."

They’re also trying to get used to the idea of having a video audience. The Weepies were always represented by colorful graphics and puppets in their videos, but on the new "No Trouble" single, their label, Nettwerk, has insisted they appear in person.

"It’s the very first music video we’ve ever been in," Tannen said with a laugh. "I don’t know how many more videos like that we’ll make, though. That stuff is really expensive!"

WANDERING WEEPIES

Perhaps some of their standout live shows will help cover that bill. With a solid string of dates already booked between now and early July, it looks like The Weepies have made it through their difficult storm with a clear road ahead that includes a stop at Traverse City’s City Opera House.

"We’ve never been to Traverse City," Tannen said. "We played a fantastic show in Grand Rapids four years ago and one in Detroit, but we’ve never been that far north. It’s going to be great, though. We like to just walk around and see what there is to see."

Got a tip for the wandering Weepies? Tannen said to put it on their Facebook page before they arrive in Travere City – seriously.

"If people want to suggest places for us to visit, please do. We really actually will try to go and see some of these things. We love new places!"

The Weepies will be in concert at the City Opera House in Traverse City at 7pm on June 29 with special guest Lucy Wainwright Roche. Tickets are $31 at cityoperahouse.org. For more information on the band, visit theweepies.com or facebook.com/theweepies.