The Weepies are an alternative folk duo from Iowa. The two love birds Steve and Deb have been one of my favorite bands since I was in high school. Their precious melodies and delicate lyrics pull on the heart of many listeners.
The Weepies have released five albums over a seven year span and sold more than 1 million records! Steve responds, "When you put it like that, it seems like I shouldn't be driving a Toyota." Steve immediately shows his bubbly personality over the telephone, which I would not have guessed he had, judging from his soft spoken vocals on all of their songs.
In 2013, Deb was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer right before Christmas. It was a shock to their entire family. During her time to recovery, Steve and Deb were writing and recording their new album "Sirens". Deb giving her energy toward their music, (sometimes only being able to do a few vocals takes per day in the studio), home schooling their 3 children and receiving chemotherapy treatment all at the same time. Talk about a strong-willed woman!
The Weepies did not have a manager or publisher on their backs with a deadline to finish the album, so Steve and Deb were able to organize their lives around their children, debs recovery and the record appropriately.
Steve also talks about how they learned how to ask for help during this time. Family and friends visited every single week.
"Our guest room was full all the time."
Luckily, their family had insurance, which is not common for musicians to have. Chemotherapy is almost an impossible option for some who don't have health insurance. He then opened up about Deb's use of medical marijuana during battle with Breast Cancer.
"We traveled to Colorado to do it. We did not do it in Iowa, otherwise it would have turned us into felons in order to manage Cancer, which is just wrong."
I suggest listening to the phone interview with Steve. We touch on much more of the essence of what is, The Weepies.
