The folk duo TheWeepies recently released their fifth studio album Sirens. They’re currently on tour for the record which brings them to the NeighborhoodTheatre in NoDa tomorrow. WFAE’s Sarah Delia spoke with Deb Talan of The Weepies about their latest record which was recorded during an especially difficult time in both their lives.
For over a decade Deb Talan and Steve Tannen have been making music. Five albums and three kids later they’re back on the road. They haven’t toured all that much throughout the group’s career—they’ve had a pretty good run licensing their music in movies and commercials.
And the chemistry between the husband and wife pair is evident. They’re known for these sweet love ballads and charming melodies. But this latest album was their toughest yet to record.
At the end of 2013, Deb was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. Instead of delaying production, they decided to record at home.
"I was sick and in treatment for a good part of the recording process. So there was this strange budgeting of energy we've never had to do before...we had to gage it day by day," she says.
Talan says when she looks at the record as a whole, songs like No Trouble, sum up what they were going through.
"There was some kind of existential discomfort," she says.
The album has 16 tracks, almost enough for two records. She says it was hard to narrow it down.
"We wanted to get that range of joy, exasperation, and sorrow, and loss...all of it."
The Weepies have gone long stretches without touring. They've got three children who they've brought along for this tour.
"We do enjoy touring. There are some amazing things about it...going from different place to different place, being able to have this connection to people who have taken our music into their lives. To see them singing and simling...there's nothing really like that," she says.
The group has been successful in licensing their music--which has been helpful since they don't tour regularly. Their music has been featured on shows like How I Met Your Mother, Grey's Anatomy, and Scrubs as well in commercials for Old Navy and in movies like Morning Glory with Rachel McAdams and Harrison Ford.
Deb has been cancer free for over a year.
