The Weepies

All Music Guide:

Singer/songwriters Deb Talan and Steve Tannen, both of whom had released solo material before banding together to form folk-pop duo the Weepies, first met at one of Tannen's shows in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At the time, Tannen was touring in support of his debut record, Big Señorita. Mutual admirers of each other's music, the two musicians started writing songs together, and soon the Weepies' whimsical, acoustic-based sound took shape. The pair released an independent album, 2003's Happiness, before signing with Nettwerk Records in 2005. That December, the label digitally pre-released Say I Am You, which the duo had recorded in a rented cottage in Pasadena, California, and the physical album version followed in March 2006.

After spending the rest of that year on the road, Talan and Tannen returned to California and spent the entirety of 2007 in a flurry of activity: they got married, worked on new material, wrote songs for Mandy Moore's Wild Hope, and had a baby. The following year saw the release of their new record, Hideaway. The duo hardly toured at all in support of Hideaway, preferring instead to focus on raising their new son, but a flurry of TV placements and commercial advertisements kept their music in the public eye. Meanwhile, Talan and Tannen continued writing music together, and Be My Thrill was released in 2010.

Wikipedia:

The Weepies are an indie pop-folk duo of married singer-songwriters Deb Talan and Steve Tannen. Their music has been described as "subtly intoxicating folk-pop".

History

Formation and early years (2001–2005)

In 2001, Talan and Tannen were individually active as singer-songwriters but mutual fans of each other's music; Tannen played Talan's album "constantly", even singing along in harmony, while Talan in turn was captivated by and had "formed a kind of a relationship" with Tannen's music. After eventually meeting at one of Tannen's shows at Club Passim in Cambridge, Massachusetts, they quickly discovered a deep musical bond and began playing music together. According to Talan, the band's name

...came about from a few different sources, but one was, you know, those sort of old movies that were called weepies, where you could basically be guaranteed that if you needed a good cry, you could go and see one of these and bring your hanky and have a good time. And we want to be able to provide that for people. We want to make music that touches them and moves them in that way, the place where tears come from, for joy and for sorrow.

The Weepies' first album Happiness was released at Club Passim on November 29, 2003, and though they were unsigned by a label it sold over 10,000 copies.

Nettwerk (2005–2011)

In 2005, The Weepies recorded a second album, Say I Am You, in their bedroom of their home in Pasadena, California; the occasional motorist can be heard passing by in the background of some of the tracks. In May 2005, after a sold out show at The Living Room in New York City, The Weepies were approached by Nettwerk Records and signed by the label later that year. The album was released digitally in December of that year and physically on March 7, 2006. By February 2006, the album hit number one the iTunes Store list of most-downloaded folk albums in eight countries, with the single "World Spins Madly On" also topping the list of most-downloaded folk songs in the United States. Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody nominated the album for the Shortlist Music Prize, awarded to the year's best album released in the United States selling fewer than 500,000 copies, though it failed to reach the ten-album shortlist.

The band played 180 shows in 2006 and toured Europe for the first time, playing at Oxegen, T in the Park, and the Hurricane Festival.

In 2007, the band collaborated with Mandy Moore, playing and writing on her new album, Wild Hope.

The Weepies recorded their third album, Hideaway, in a small rental house in Topanga, California. Released in April 2008, it sold 14,000 copies in its first week and was the band's first entrance on the Billboard Top 200, charting at number 31.

The Weepies' fourth full-length album, Be My Thrill, was released in August 2010, and featured Colbie Caillat in back-up vocals on the track "I Was Made for Sunny Days." The album topped the Top 200 Billboard Charts at #34 and remained at #3 on Billboard's Top Folk albums for nine weeks. The band's subsequent supporting tour had 26 sold out shows across the United States.

Post-Nettwerk (2011–present)

After three records with Nettwerk, the band departed the label on good terms in 2011. According to their Twitter and Facebook accounts, they have been recording independently and gearing up for additional touring.

Licensing

Many songs by The Weepies have been licensed for use in films, television shows, and advertisements, including the films Sex and the City, Morning Glory, Adam, and Prom, as well as episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Everwood, One Tree Hill, Scrubs, The Riches, How I Met Your Mother, Gossip Girl, Kyle XY, and Life Unexpected. The band was prominently featured during an episode of Dirty Sexy Money with an on-screen performance as an episode subplot. Songs by the band have also appeared in advertising campaigns, include spots for Old Navy and J. C. Penney, as well as a campaign advertisement for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.