I'm happy to live in a world where there is an Eisley.
Eisley is a family band- sort of like the Partridge family, but without the psychedelic tour bus, sequins, or David Cassidy's mullet. The DuPree family, fronted by an adorable trio of sisters, has blasted through the noise of the modern rock scene to establish themselves as a major label force to be reckoned with. With unmistakable, haunting melodies and incredibly powerful voices, the sisters weave a unique sound which distinguishes them from the din of rock radio.
I caught the Eisley performance at Irving Plaza last Thursday during CMJ, and was lucky enough to sit down with the band before the show. I was blown away not only by their maturity for a young band (with ages ranging from 17-25), but also their awareness of rock vernacular, attention to the craft and detail of songwriting, and enthusiasm for what they do.
While watching the band's performance, there was a clear and comforting absence of ego from both the stage and audience. The crowd (comprised primarily of Eisley and Mute Math fans) lacked the hipster posturing one might expect at a CMJ show, and the sisters tastefully adorned plaid, stripes, and argyle from left to right (Chauntelle, Stacy, and Sherri, respectively -- though pictured above it's Garron, Chauntelle, Sherri, Weston and Stacy, from left to right). One might have thought they'd walked into an unassuming high school talent show until they heard the tight, professional rhythm section created by the men of the band, matched wtih the majestic, other-worldly harmonies that could only be produced by family. This family. The above-the-trend crowd rushed the band afterwards for autographs with the most genuine appreciation I've seen in a long time.
Before the band took to the stage, I asked them some questions:
iDrew: I've been a fan of Eisley since 2005. I stumbled across your [first] album on iTunes, I'm not even really sure how.. but I downloaded it, and the melodies were just amazing. That's actually what my first question for you is about - how do you view the importance of melody to your band and your creative process?
Sherri: Melodies are everything for us.
Weston: Yeah, if there's a band that we're listening to that has crappy melodies, we're like "ehh, no thanks." [laughter]
Stacy: When we first started listening to music, that's what was important to us.
Chauntelle: It's everything. Garron and Weston and I don't write for the band, but we all notice right away when the melody is awesome... it hooks you and then you go, "Well, there's your song!"
iDrew: Cool. So it's a conscious decision.
Sherri: Oh definitely. I know when I'm writing - I know Stacy does it too - we focus on every part of the song, and make sure the melody has something that's unique about every part - I'm really picky about any part of the song that has a wishy-washy melody that doesn't get your attention.
iDrew: On the new album, do you feel that melody has stayed as important - that you've honed that approach to melody?
Chauntelle: I hope so.
Stacy: I like the melodies.
iDrew: Would you say that you have a signature sound?
Sherri: I think we have a pretty unique sound. I mean - there's not a lot of bands that you can compare us to.. not like we're so different, but ...we draw a lot inspiration from a lot of bands, so I think that is what helps us to be unique...we don't try to rip anybody off, we just try to take the best parts that inspire us and make our own thing.
iDrew: You guys just did [Late Night with] Conan [O'Brien]. What was that like, that was your TV debut, right?
Sherri: Yes, it was.
Chauntelle: It was really fun, exciting, nerve-racking...all together, and then it was over. Just like...
Sherri: The blink of an eye
Chauntelle: Three minutes, the song was over and..
Stacy: You wanted to do it again immediately. Like, "I know I could have sung that better, I know I could have played that better..."
iDrew: I think you guys did a really good job. You started playing when you were very young. Did you know right away you wanted to be musicians and pursue that?
Sherri: I don't know if we ever thought about it consciously. We started writing songs, and we started playing together, and what else could we do but start playing shows? When I was little, I didn't even know girls could be in bands. We just started learning about it once we got into it, and it was like..ok..well... we're a band! ...and now we're touring!
Stacy: ...like 'this is what you do, I guess'
Chauntelle: Maybe it sounds ignorant of us to say that we didn't know that stuff, but being a home-schooled family, all we had was each other. We were a ways out of town, and Stacy was 8 when she wrote our first song. I was 14, 15...we were just young.
iDrew: Does it get rough being with family on the road all the time?
Chauntelle: It gets a little crowded, we get a little grumpy sometimes but we all get along pretty well. I think we're all pretty good at giving each other space.
iDrew: You are about to take the stage in a few hours. Is there a song you're looking forward to playing tonight- a little more than the rest?
Chauntelle: I always like playing "A Sight to Behold" and "Invasion"
Sherri: I like playing any new songs, I don't really have a favorite one.
Stacy: I like "I Could Be There For You"
iDrew: Cool. Well have a great show tonight!
Eisley: Thanks!
