Clevelanders might be mourning the departure of LeBron James, but they should really be saving their tears for The Weepies. SoCal’s most revered crooner couple (sorry, Jenny and Johnny) have announced that they’ll be pounding the pavement after a four-year break from touring and will hit the Forest City’s Beachland Ballroom in early November. To make things better, Steve and Deb Tannen (yes, they’re married) will also have a new album in tow since their fourth studio effort – Be My Thrill – drops on August 31st via Nettwerk Records.
The title track is an upbeat departure from much of the band’s über-harmonized, more subdued, strummy folk-pop. While the harmonies are still there, the bouncy backbeat and increased BPM seem to reflect the frenetic lifestyle that comes with becoming freshly minted parents. They released their latest album – Hideaway – in 2008, but the pair haven’t brought their sticky-sweet folk-pop on the road since they supported 2006’s Say I Am You on an exhausting tour. “Our son was born right after we finished Hideaway,” said Steve Tannen, “touring was out. It was a huge change from the 180 shows of the Say I Am You [tour].”
The upcoming trip is a 34-stop trek that starts with several shows in Southern California, then slinks up the Golden State to the Pacific Northwest before cutting across the Midwest en route to the eastern seaboard where the band will play a handful of cold-weather dates in Philly, New York, Fairfield, and Boston. It only goes as far south as Atlanta and wraps in Arizona with a pair of desert stops in Tucson and Phoenix. Support for all dates hasn’t been announced, but Parlor Hawk, Beth Amsel, and The Chapin Sisters will join The Weepies on select dates.
Peep the album’s tracklist and the video for “Be My Thrill” below, then check the band out at one of the stops below. Tickets for most dates are on sale now and available via Ticketmaster.com.
Be My Thrill Tracklist:
01. Please Speak Well of Me
02. When You Go Away
03. Red Red Rose
04. I Was Made for Sunny Days
05. They’re In Love, Where Am I?
06. Add My Effort
07. Be My Thrill
08. Be My Honeypie
09. Hummingbird
10. Hard to Please
11. Not a Lullaby
12. How Do You Get High?
13. Hope Tomorrow
14. Empty Your Hand
The Weepies 2010 Tour Dates:
10/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
10/13 – San Diego, CA @ Winston’s
10/14 – San Juan Capistrano, CA @ Coach House *
10/15 – Visalia, CA @ Fox Theatre
10/16 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
10/17 – Chico, CA @ El Rey Theatre
10/19 – Eugene, OR @ John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts
10/20 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre
10/21 – Seattle, WA @ City Arts Music Festival
10/22 – Boise, ID @ The Bouquet
10/23 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
10/24 – Englewood, CO @ The Gothic Theatre
10/26 – Iowa City, IA @ The Englert Theater
10/27 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Theatre
10/28 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
10/30 – Evanston, IL @ Space
11/01 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Ladies Literary Club
11/02 – Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark ^
11/03 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
11/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live
11/06 – Londonberry, NH @ Tupelo Music Hall
11/07 – Boston, MA @ Royale Nightclub
11/08 – Fairfield, CT @ FTC Stage One
11/10 – New York, NY @ Hiro Ballroom
11/11 – Falls Church, VA @ The State Theatre
11/12 – Norfolk, VA @ The Attucks Theatre
11/14 – Charleston, WV @ Mountain Stage
11/15 – Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head On Stage
11/17 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse $
11/19 – Dallas, TX @ Lakewood Theatre
11/20 – Austin, TX @ Momo’s
11/22 – Tucson, AZ @ Plush
11/23 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Rhythm Room
* = w/ Parlor Hawk
^ = w/ The Chapin Sisters
$ = w/ Beth Amsel
