For their first album in five years, beloved folk duo The Weepies are promising a life-affirming hour-long set entitled Sirens to commemorate the turbulent year they’ve witnessed together.
Fans of the husband and wife duo that comprises the Weepies–Deb Talan and Steve Tannen–are likely eager for new music from the Amherst, MA natives. But, apparently, the past year for the two has been particularly trying, as Tannen clarifies:
This was a helluva a year for us Weepies. Frightening dire diagnoses, hospitals, and helping angels everywhere, but it seemed like maybe this was also the end of everything — like the journey was over. Sirens were mermaids that led sailors to their doom with their sweet voices. It’s also a reference to an ambulance siren, and together they summed up the feeling of the year: otherworldly, hopeful, terrible.
Following Talan’s diagnosis of stage 3 brest cnacer, the band continued to write and record material out of their Iowa home while she received treatment. In the Summer of 2014, Talan discovered that she had beaten the cancer. As you might imagine, such a horrowing experience for the couple have given them quite a bit of purpose, as well as affording them ample material to cover. Accordingly, the album spans 16 tracks and nearly an hour in length, leaving no life experience or emotion unexplored by the two.
Still, Talan’s treatments limited her ability to travel or contribute at times during the production of the album. Fortunately, the band had support from plenty of friends: Pete Thomas and Steve Nieve (Elvis Costello), Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters), Gerry Leonard (David Bowie), Oliver Kraus (Sia), Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel) and Matt Chamberlain (Pearl Jam). The family even invited a New Orleans horn section at one point. Weepies fans will also recognize veteran contributers like Frank Lenz, Eli Thomson, Jon Flaugher, Meg Toohey and Whynot Jansveld.
Sirens
01. River From The Sky
02. No Trouble
03. Sirens
04. Learning To Fly
05. Never Let You Down
06. Wild Boy
07. Ever Said Goodbye
08. Fancy Things
09. Early Morning Riser
10. Boys Who Want To Be Girls
11. Crooked Smiles
12. Brand New Pair Of Wings
13. Sunflower
14. Does Not Bear Repeating
15. My Little Love
16. Volunteer
Here’s the album art work from the band’s first collection of original material in half a decade:
In addition to the album, the band has also undertaken a 28-city U.S. tour to bring their new album to their fans.
The Weepies Sirens Tour Dates
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May 29: Madison, WI – The Majestic Theatre
May 30: Chicago, IL – Park West
May 31: Minneapolis, MN – Fitzgerald Theatre
Jun 02: Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
Jun 03: Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Concert House
Jun 04: Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
Jun 05: Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
Jun 07: San Francisco, CA – Fillmore
Jun 09: Los Angeles, CA – Fonda Theatre
Jun 10: Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
Jun 11: Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom
Jun 12: Albuquerque, NM – BioPark Zoo (Zoo Music Concert Series)
Jun 13: Boulder, CO – TBA
Jun 15: Dallas, TX – Granada Theatre
Jun 16: Austin, TX – Paramount Theatre
Jun 18: Nashville, TN – City Winery
Jun 19: Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
Jun 20: Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre
Jun 21: Falls Church, VA – State Theatre
Jun 22: Annapolis, MD – Rams Head On Stage
Jun 23: Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
Jun 25: Norwalk, CT – Norwalk Concert Hall
Jun 26: Boston, MA – Wilbur Theatre
Jun 27: New York, NY – Town Hall
Jun 28: Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
Jun 29: Traverse City, MI – City Opera House
Jun 30: Detroit, MI – Magic Bag
Jul 01: Iowa City, IA – Englert Theatre
Though the band hasn’t been too active in recent years, they did see lots of positive feedback for 2008’s Hideaway, in addition to making mxdwn’s Top 50 Songs of 2008 for the title song. The band also offered fun contest for their fans to design a video for the song that garnered them lots of positive attention.
A bittersweet lullaby, the title track off the forthcoming album Sirens is available to stream below. (Courtesy of Billboard.)
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