Happiness : iSOUND.COM™

Biography

Girl walks into a bar...
Her name is Deb Talan. She’s an up and coming singer/songwriter who has garnered tremendous word-of-mouth support and critical praise for her debut CD, Something Burning. Boston’s legendary music venue Club Passim has become her performing-home, but tonight she’s there to check out a new songwriter she’s been obsessing over, a musician from New York City named Steve Tannen. She’s been listening to his debut CD, Big Señorita, non-stop for about a month.

Guy walks into a bar...
His name is Steve Tannen. He’s at Club Passim in Boston to play a show supporting his debut release, Big Señorita. He’s been playing rock and roll in NYC dive bars for a couple of years, but since the release of his solo CD he’s garnered tremendous word-of-mouth support and critical praise. He’s nervous because Boston is a new town for him, but he’s even more nervous once he looks out at the crowded room and instantly recognizes the pretty young woman down front as singer/songwriter Deb Talan. In a word, he’s intimidated; he’s been obsessing over her debut CD, Something Burning, non-stop for about a month.

Deb Talan and Steve Tannen began writing together the first night they met and soon formed THE WEEPIES. “We were fans of each other. When we met, there was an electric connection that made us both nervous. After the show, when everyone went home, we stayed up all night playing songs for each other, drinking a bottle of wine and trading an acoustic guitar back and forth in a tiny apartment,” says Talan. "That night has lasted four years so far," adds Tannen.

A breath of fresh air for fans of songwriters, The Weepies features two unique voices and one unforgettable sound. Their first CD, Happiness (2003), built on what each had been creating as a solo artist. Called “sparkling jangle-pop nailed to perfection” (Really Rather Reviews-UK), Happiness was recorded quickly and independently released soon afterward.

In the summer of 2005, The Weepies caught the attention of Nettwerk Music Group after a sold-out show at the Living Room in New York City. Within a couple of months the band was signed to the label and preparing for the release of their second album, SAY I AM YOU. Recorded in their rented cottage house in Pasadena, CA, Say I am You catches THE WEEPIES collaboration in full-stride. With pop-spare beauty, the 13 original songs handily deliver on the promise of their 8-song debut Happiness.

Confident, lyrical and accessible, Say I am You has the taste of a classic pop album. With sunny, hook-laden tunes like “Take It From Me” and "Gotta Have You," lush meditations like “Citywide Rodeo,” dark charmers like “Suicide Blonde,” and new-standard melodies like “Nobody Knows Me At All,” the recording is a delight from start to finish.

The wistful 3rd track, "World Spins Madly On" from the new album, can be heard in the upcoming Jennifer Aniston film, Friends with Money, which opens the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. They have previously had tracks in Todd Solondz's Palindromes, and Nicole Holofcener's Lovely and Amazing.

“Happiness felt like a really good crush...that feeling you get when you are falling in love. Say I am You digs deeper; it covers more ground and touches on a more complex sort of joy,” explains Tannen.

Drawing on musicians from New York, Boston and LA, The Weepies put together a stellar supporting lineup, including guitarist Meghan Toohey (Lori McKenna), drummer Frank Lenz (Pedro The Lion) bass players Whynot Jansveld (Gavin DeGraw, Crash Test Dummies), Malcom Gold (Jim Weider, Morgan Hertiage) and Milo Decruz (Ryan Adams, Duncan Sheik). The resulting arrangements are gorgeous, and create richly subtle landscapes highlighted by THE WEEPIES' vocal harmonies.

Look for The Weepies on tour early next year. Their album, Say I am You, will be released March 7, 2006.