The Weepies

The Weepies
Student Activities Office

Links:
- Website

About

The Weepies represent the musical world we live in. Deb Talan and Steve Tannen, who each had solo careers before connecting at a gig in Boston, came together and started writing songs they wanted to have played on the radio. They call their music “Songwriterly radio music."

While their catchy, indie-pop folk style is certainly radio friendly, it is not through the speakers of your car radio where you have most likely heard their tunes. No, The Weepies are being played where more and more people are finding their new favorite bands: on TV. Grey’s Anatomy,Everwood, One Tree Hill, Scrubs, The Riches, How I Met Your Mother, Gossip Girl, GR??K, Kyle XY, Life Unexpected, Dirty Sexy Money—the list goes on. Their first two albums landed them near 50 placements on TV, including an ad for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

Welcome to the new reality. TV is the new radio. Maybe they should have named their band Radio on the TV.

The Weepeis are committed to walking the fine line of being popular and “selling out.” Their hope is to “reach as many people as possible with music that’s catchy while maintaining its integrity, its honesty, and its emotional impact.”

Their name is a reflection of this commitment. Talan and Tannen desire to make music that reaches people in that “feelingful place where tears come from…for joy or sorrow.” It’s no wonder they have been looked to by producers of shows like Grey’s Anatomy. Their honest, sweet, introspective harmonies are just what creators of drama need to draw their viewers in and get them to cry.

”Can't Go Back Now," the song used by Obama’s campaign, is a good example of The Weepies’ blend of honesty and optimism:

Yesterday, when you were young, Everything you needed done was done for you. Now you do it on your own But you find you're all alone, What can you do?

You and me walk on Cause you can't go back now.

If you are a college student, these lyrics make sense to you. Adulthood: here it comes. The long walk of adolescence is one we all face, but we pray we don’t have to do it alone. Many are filled with excitement about what lies ahead and many are filled with a fear of the unknown. Joy and sorrow, both produced by the same reality and both can make you weep.

On Nov. 1, join The Weepies in the Covenant Fine Arts Center for an evening of honest emotion delivered through warm harmonies. Get ready to feel.

- Eric Kuiper

Presentations at Calvin University

The Weepies
Monday, November 1, 2010 08:00:00 PM
Covenant Fine Arts Center