The band was started by singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer in 1993, when she was invited to fill in for the opening band at a Bag of Hammers concert in Ottawa, Ontario. Taking the name Weeping Tile from the clay pipes that are placed around the foundations of rural homes to draw groundwater away from the building, she did the show as a duo with Joe Chithalen, and later added other musicians to round out the lineup. The band released its debut effort, a seven-song cassette, in 1994, and was quickly signed to a major label. That cassette was re-released in 1995 with the title eepee, and in 1996 they released Cold Snap, their first full album. The band’s lineup changed several times, leaving Harmer as the only member who was part of the band for its full lifespan. When Chithalen left, he was replaced by Luther Wright. Harmer’s sister Mary also played with the band for a while. In 1997, they released their follow-up album, Valentino. Although they were a popular draw on the live music circuit and a regular presence on campus radio, Weeping Tile never broke through to mainstream success, and in 1998 they were dropped from their record label. Later that year they recorded another independent cassette, This Great Black Night, but shortly afterward the band broke up. Sarah Harmer went on to success as a solo artist. Composing and playing, she got success around the world with her strong and unpretentious voice. Although Weeping Tile have not recorded as a unit since the breakup, they still sometimes play together on stage in Kingston, Ontario, and sometimes perform on each other’s solo recordings.| |
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