iLike Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars


HIDEAWAY
2008 from NETTWERK

In 2006, THE WEEPIES’ big label debut Say I Am You came out on Nettwerk Records. After an initial hard-scrabble tour in their compact car as a duo, Deb Talan & Steve Tannen’s music appeared in more than a dozen TV shows, as well as several major motion pictures. Their iTunes sales topped the folk charts in eight countries. Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol nominated them for a Short List Music Prize, and Mandy Moore asked them to write with her and sing on her album. They were invited to open for the Indigo Girls and invited onto the Hotel Café Tour; they played the Oxegen Festival in Ireland, the Hurricane Festival in Germany, and T in the Park in Scotland. Their MySpace player hit 2 million plays. JCPenney and Old Navy used their tunes as the theme songs for their major holiday TV campaigns.

When The Weepies returned home in 2007, they were exhausted.

“2006 was amazing. Coming off the road in 2007 should have been this blissed-out time with so much to celebrate, but it was totally depressing. Our rented shack in the California hills was cold, it had a leaky roof and there were mice living in it. Our electric guitar had been destroyed on the last plane flight of the year. We hadn’t seen most of our close friends in months.”

“We were empty,” says Talan. “We both felt dark after being in the bright lights for a year. We were looking to reconnect with what moved us about music in the first place. We needed to hide out and write.”

HIDEAWAY is the result of their year-long struggle to get tapped in again. Another homemade gem, HIDEAWAY is a darker companion to their last album, with 14 new tunes ranging from the upbeat title track to the jangly rock of “Not Dead Yet” to gorgeously arranged meditations like “How You Survived the War” and “Little Bird.”

As with most of The Weepies’ music, there is a happy ending to all the struggle: Deb and Steve were married in 2007, and they had a baby boy, Theo, in October.

The Weepies sound on HIDEAWAY remains rooted in their unique writing and unusual harmonies. Their distinctive production is once again filled out by bass player and guitarist Whynot Jansveld, guitarist Meghan Toohey and drummer Frank Lenz. Additional musicians on this album include string player Oliver Kraus, keyboardist John Deley, guitarist Steve Walsh, and horn player/keyboardist Brad Gordon.


The Weepies ABC News Now Interview + Video Premier
November 2008, Rosebud News

The Weepies joined by their son Theo were interviewed by ABC News Now on Thursday, November 6th. The interview is available to view online at ABC News Video site. At the same time, MSN Music played host to the exclusive premier of the new video for "Can't Go Back Now" from their latest CD Hideaway. Please go to MSN Music Video site to view the video.


The Weepies Featured On ABC Hit Series "Dirty Sexy Money"
October 2008, Rosebud News

The Weepies (Deb Talan and Steve Tannen) will play themselves on the Wednesday, October 22 (10:00 pm et/pt) episode of the ABC hit television series "Dirty Sexy Money", performing the song “Somebody Loved” from their debut album, Happiness. The Weepies appear as the favorite band of character Nola Lyons, played by new cast member Lucy Liu. A second song from The Weepies, "All That I Want", will also be used as a background track during the same episode. This appearance follows nearly 50 major film and TV placements since the release of 2006's Say I Am You and 2008's Hideaway.


The Weepies New CD Debuts at #31 on Billboard Chart, Song Featured on Sex And the City Soundtrack
April 2008, Rosebud News

The Weepies new CD Hideaway (released 4/22/08) debuts this week at #31 on the Billboard Album Chart and #4 on the Billboard Digital Album Chart selling nearly 14,000 albums in its first week of release. In addition, the album peaked this week at #1 on eMusic, #2 on Amazon and #3 on iTunes. One track from the album "All This Beauty" is also featured on the original motion picture soundtrack to the upcoming Sex And the City movie set for release on May 30. The soundtrack also features songs by Fergie, Jennifer Hudson, Al Green and India Arie, among others. The Weepies have no immediate touring plans, but check back in the coming weeks for updates.