Weep (band)
Encyclopedia
Weep is an American rock
band from New York City
whose music combines elements of Ethereal Wave
, gothic rock
, shoegazing
, post-punk
, and synthpop
. Formed in 2008 by singer and guitarist Doc Hammer
, formerly of Requiem in White and Mors Syphilitica
and writer and voice actor
for the animated television series The Venture Bros.
, the band's lineup also includes bass guitarist Fred Macaraeg, keyboard player Alex Dziena, and drummer Bill Kovalcik. Their debut EP
Never Ever
was released in 2008 through Hammer's Astro-Base Go company and Projekt Records
, followed in 2010 by the full-length album Worn Thin
and a remix
EP, 6 Interpretations
.
Weep's music has been described as dark and expansive, with "shimmering guitars and spacy synthesizers". Hammer's singing voice has been noted for its gravelly, robotic qualities which provide a counterpoint to the lush song arrangements. Critics have compared the band to a number of post-punk, alternative rock
, and shoegaze acts of the 1980s and 1990s.
had performed in the gothic rock
acts Requiem in White from 1985 to 1995 and Mors Syphilitica
from 1995 to 2002, both with his then-wife Lisa Hammer
on vocals. Over the next several years he continued to write music, while also working as a writer and voice actor
on the animated television series The Venture Bros.
beginning in 2004. In 2008 he was approached by keyboard
player Alex Dziena with the idea of starting a new band to perform songs Hammer had written. "[Starting Weep] was a fucking accident," said Hammer in 2009, "there was never supposed to be a Weep, I was just writing songs, because I do it habitually. My keyboard player that I had been in a band with previously called me up and asked what I was doing. I told him I was just writing my own shit, just to entertain myself, because it's what I do. And he was like... 'let's make a band. Dziena recruited bassist Fred Macaraeg and drummer Bill Kovalcik for the project, and the group began rehearsing. Hammer took on singing duties, a departure from his previous acts which had featured operatic female vocals: "I didn't know I was going to fucking sing... I can't fucking sing. I didn't care, I just wanted to write this crap."
Weep's debut EP
Never Ever
was released in 2008 through Astro-Base Go, the animation company of Hammer and Venture Bros. co-writer Christopher McCulloch
, and distributed by Hammer's former label Projekt Records
. The full-length album Worn Thin
was released in July 2010 through Projekt, followed by 6 Interpretations
, an EP of remix
es. "Weep has just become something that I am really interested in," Hammer remarked regarding the direction of the band, "I think it's a band of people that are capable of making a really good record. No one in the band cares about the things that ruin albums: we don't care about being popular, we don't care about being part of the zeitgeist, we don't care about sounding like another band, we just want to do our own weird thing."
In January 2011 Weep released a digital single
for "Lay There and Drown" and "The Hole", two songs from Never Ever that Hammer remixed, remastered
, and re-recorded some vocal parts for. The following month, on Valentine's Day
, the band gave away a free music download
of a cover version
of Bauhaus
' 1981 single "The Passion of Lovers
".
, shoegazing
, synthpop
, gothic rock
, post-punk
, indie rock
, and New Wave
. Gregory Heaney of Allmusic describes their sound as "dark and expansive, envelop[ing] the listener in a warm blanket of shimmering guitars and spacy synthesizers, setting them adrift while still maintaining enough drive to feel like substantial rock songs." Hammer's singing is noted for being gravelly and robotic but also relaxing and wistful, providing a counterpoint to the lush song arrangements. The band has drawn comparisons to Echo & the Bunnymen
, Kitchens of Distinction
, Interpol
, Siouxsie and the Banshees, David Bowie
, Roxy Music
, Air, My Bloody Valentine, The Sisters of Mercy
, Cocteau Twins
, The Cure
, Modern English
, The Psychedelic Furs, New Order
, The Comsat Angels, and Placebo
.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
whose music combines elements of Ethereal Wave
Ethereal Wave
Ethereal Wave, also called ethereal darkwave in Europe and ethereal goth or simply ethereal in the US, is a term that describes a subgenre of Dark Wave music...
, gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
, shoegazing
Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
, post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
, and synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
. Formed in 2008 by singer and guitarist Doc Hammer
Doc Hammer
Eric A. "Doc" Hammer is an American musician, actor, film and television writer, voice actor, and painter. He performed in the gothic rock bands Requiem in White from 1985 to 1995 and Mors Syphilitica from 1995 to 2002, both with his then-wife Lisa Hammer...
, formerly of Requiem in White and Mors Syphilitica
Mors Syphilitica
Mors Syphilitica is a Gothic rock/Ethereal band formed in 1995 in New York City by Lisa Hammer and Eric Hammer after the breakup of Requiem in White. Their music combines often-surreal lyrics with unusual instruments such as the mandolin and banjo, as well more conventional instruments such as the...
and writer and voice actor
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
for the animated television series The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros. is an American animated television series that premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on February 16, 2003. The series mixes action and comedy together while it chronicles the adventures of the Venture family: well-meaning but incompetent teenagers Hank and Dean Venture; their...
, the band's lineup also includes bass guitarist Fred Macaraeg, keyboard player Alex Dziena, and drummer Bill Kovalcik. Their debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Never Ever
Never Ever (EP)
Never Ever is the debut EP by the New York City rock band Weep, released in 2008 through Astro-Base Go Recordings and distributed by Projekt Records.- Background :...
was released in 2008 through Hammer's Astro-Base Go company and Projekt Records
Projekt Records
This is the article for the record label. You might be looking for Pro-jekt, ProjeKct, Project Pitchfork, or Projekt RevolutionProjekt is a Brooklyn, New York-based independent record label specializing in gothic rock, ambient, ethereal, darkwave, shoegaze, dream-pop, and dark cabaret created by...
, followed in 2010 by the full-length album Worn Thin
Worn Thin
Worn Thin is the debut album by the New York City rock band Weep, released July 13, 2010 through Projekt Records. It includes a remix of the song "Ever Shy" from the band's 2008 debut EP Never Ever, as well as cover versions of Jesus Jones' "Right Here, Right Now" and Rihanna's "Shut Up and...
and a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
EP, 6 Interpretations
6 Interpretations
6 Interpretations is an EP by the New York City rock band Weep consisting of remixed versions of songs from their 2008 debut EP Never Ever and their 2010 debut album Worn Thin. It was released in 2010 through Projekt Records...
.
Weep's music has been described as dark and expansive, with "shimmering guitars and spacy synthesizers". Hammer's singing voice has been noted for its gravelly, robotic qualities which provide a counterpoint to the lush song arrangements. Critics have compared the band to a number of post-punk, alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, and shoegaze acts of the 1980s and 1990s.
History
Prior to forming Weep, Eric "Doc" HammerDoc Hammer
Eric A. "Doc" Hammer is an American musician, actor, film and television writer, voice actor, and painter. He performed in the gothic rock bands Requiem in White from 1985 to 1995 and Mors Syphilitica from 1995 to 2002, both with his then-wife Lisa Hammer...
had performed in the gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
acts Requiem in White from 1985 to 1995 and Mors Syphilitica
Mors Syphilitica
Mors Syphilitica is a Gothic rock/Ethereal band formed in 1995 in New York City by Lisa Hammer and Eric Hammer after the breakup of Requiem in White. Their music combines often-surreal lyrics with unusual instruments such as the mandolin and banjo, as well more conventional instruments such as the...
from 1995 to 2002, both with his then-wife Lisa Hammer
Lisa Hammer
Lisa Hammer is a filmmaker, actress, composer and singer and is the sister of director James Merendino...
on vocals. Over the next several years he continued to write music, while also working as a writer and voice actor
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
on the animated television series The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros.
The Venture Bros. is an American animated television series that premiered on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on February 16, 2003. The series mixes action and comedy together while it chronicles the adventures of the Venture family: well-meaning but incompetent teenagers Hank and Dean Venture; their...
beginning in 2004. In 2008 he was approached by keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
player Alex Dziena with the idea of starting a new band to perform songs Hammer had written. "[Starting Weep] was a fucking accident," said Hammer in 2009, "there was never supposed to be a Weep, I was just writing songs, because I do it habitually. My keyboard player that I had been in a band with previously called me up and asked what I was doing. I told him I was just writing my own shit, just to entertain myself, because it's what I do. And he was like... 'let's make a band. Dziena recruited bassist Fred Macaraeg and drummer Bill Kovalcik for the project, and the group began rehearsing. Hammer took on singing duties, a departure from his previous acts which had featured operatic female vocals: "I didn't know I was going to fucking sing... I can't fucking sing. I didn't care, I just wanted to write this crap."
Weep's debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Never Ever
Never Ever (EP)
Never Ever is the debut EP by the New York City rock band Weep, released in 2008 through Astro-Base Go Recordings and distributed by Projekt Records.- Background :...
was released in 2008 through Astro-Base Go, the animation company of Hammer and Venture Bros. co-writer Christopher McCulloch
Christopher McCulloch
Christopher McCulloch , also known by the pseudonym Jackson Publick, is an American comic book and television writer, storyboard artist, and voice actor known for his work on several Tick properties and for the animated television series The Venture Bros. He authored the comic book miniseries The...
, and distributed by Hammer's former label Projekt Records
Projekt Records
This is the article for the record label. You might be looking for Pro-jekt, ProjeKct, Project Pitchfork, or Projekt RevolutionProjekt is a Brooklyn, New York-based independent record label specializing in gothic rock, ambient, ethereal, darkwave, shoegaze, dream-pop, and dark cabaret created by...
. The full-length album Worn Thin
Worn Thin
Worn Thin is the debut album by the New York City rock band Weep, released July 13, 2010 through Projekt Records. It includes a remix of the song "Ever Shy" from the band's 2008 debut EP Never Ever, as well as cover versions of Jesus Jones' "Right Here, Right Now" and Rihanna's "Shut Up and...
was released in July 2010 through Projekt, followed by 6 Interpretations
6 Interpretations
6 Interpretations is an EP by the New York City rock band Weep consisting of remixed versions of songs from their 2008 debut EP Never Ever and their 2010 debut album Worn Thin. It was released in 2010 through Projekt Records...
, an EP of remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es. "Weep has just become something that I am really interested in," Hammer remarked regarding the direction of the band, "I think it's a band of people that are capable of making a really good record. No one in the band cares about the things that ruin albums: we don't care about being popular, we don't care about being part of the zeitgeist, we don't care about sounding like another band, we just want to do our own weird thing."
In January 2011 Weep released a digital single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
for "Lay There and Drown" and "The Hole", two songs from Never Ever that Hammer remixed, remastered
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
, and re-recorded some vocal parts for. The following month, on Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
, the band gave away a free music download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
of a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Bauhaus
Bauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
' 1981 single "The Passion of Lovers
The Passion of Lovers
"The Passion of Lovers" is the sixth single released by British gothic rock band Bauhaus. It was released in 7" format on the Beggar's Banquet label. The initial copies came with the lyrics on a printed insert...
".
Musical style
Weep's music combines elements of Ethereal WaveEthereal Wave
Ethereal Wave, also called ethereal darkwave in Europe and ethereal goth or simply ethereal in the US, is a term that describes a subgenre of Dark Wave music...
, shoegazing
Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
, synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
, gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
, post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
, indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
, and New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
. Gregory Heaney of Allmusic describes their sound as "dark and expansive, envelop[ing] the listener in a warm blanket of shimmering guitars and spacy synthesizers, setting them adrift while still maintaining enough drive to feel like substantial rock songs." Hammer's singing is noted for being gravelly and robotic but also relaxing and wistful, providing a counterpoint to the lush song arrangements. The band has drawn comparisons to Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
, Kitchens of Distinction
Kitchens of Distinction
Kitchens of Distinction were a three-person alternative rock/dream pop band formed in Tooting, South London, England in 1986...
, Interpol
Interpol (band)
Interpol is an American indie rock and post-punk revival band from New York City. Formed in 1997, the band's original line-up consisted of Paul Banks , Daniel Kessler , Carlos Dengler and Greg Drudy . Drudy left the band in 2000 and was replaced by Sam Fogarino...
, Siouxsie and the Banshees, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
, Air, My Bloody Valentine, The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
, Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...
, The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, Modern English
Modern English (band)
Modern English are an English rock band best remembered for their songs "I Melt with You", "Hands Across the Sea", and "Ink and Paper". The group disbanded for a period in 1991, but later recorded in 1995 and 2002 with new members...
, The Psychedelic Furs, New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
, The Comsat Angels, and Placebo
Placebo (band)
Placebo are a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1994 by singer and guitarist Brian Molko and bass guitarist Stefan Olsdal. The band was joined by drummer Robert Schultzberg, who was later replaced by Steve Hewitt after conflicts with Molko. Hewitt left the band in October 2007 and...
.
Personnel
- Doc HammerDoc HammerEric A. "Doc" Hammer is an American musician, actor, film and television writer, voice actor, and painter. He performed in the gothic rock bands Requiem in White from 1985 to 1995 and Mors Syphilitica from 1995 to 2002, both with his then-wife Lisa Hammer...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Fred Macaraeg – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Alex Dziena – keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s - Bill Kovalcik – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Discography
- Never EverNever Ever (EP)Never Ever is the debut EP by the New York City rock band Weep, released in 2008 through Astro-Base Go Recordings and distributed by Projekt Records.- Background :...
(2008) - Worn ThinWorn ThinWorn Thin is the debut album by the New York City rock band Weep, released July 13, 2010 through Projekt Records. It includes a remix of the song "Ever Shy" from the band's 2008 debut EP Never Ever, as well as cover versions of Jesus Jones' "Right Here, Right Now" and Rihanna's "Shut Up and...
(2010) - 6 Interpretations6 Interpretations6 Interpretations is an EP by the New York City rock band Weep consisting of remixed versions of songs from their 2008 debut EP Never Ever and their 2010 debut album Worn Thin. It was released in 2010 through Projekt Records...
(2010) - "Lay There and Drown" / "The Hole" (2011)
- "The Passion of LoversThe Passion of Lovers"The Passion of Lovers" is the sixth single released by British gothic rock band Bauhaus. It was released in 7" format on the Beggar's Banquet label. The initial copies came with the lyrics on a printed insert...
" (2011)
External links
- Weep at Projekt RecordsProjekt RecordsThis is the article for the record label. You might be looking for Pro-jekt, ProjeKct, Project Pitchfork, or Projekt RevolutionProjekt is a Brooklyn, New York-based independent record label specializing in gothic rock, ambient, ethereal, darkwave, shoegaze, dream-pop, and dark cabaret created by...