Back on April 18, 2008, I sat down with the Dupree sisters of Eisley in their swank tour bus and had a chat before their show in St. Pete. This, along with the concert review following the interview below, has been offline for a while and I wanted to bring it back.

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Eisley, a five piece from Texas producing fabulous and complex pop songs, is a true family affair. The band, currently on tour promoting their new album Combinations, is made up of sisters Stacy Dupree (piano, vocals), Sherri (guitar, vocals), Chauntelle (guitar), brother Weston (drums), and cousin Garron (bass).

Before I was struck down with flu, I had the very welcome pleasure of chatting with the Dupree sisters before their show in St. Pete. Read what they had to say, along with an exclusive photo from uber-talented Jennifer Maihack.

Keath: New album – totally diggin’ it!

The Duprees: Thank you!

Keath: I think the sophistication of the songwriting has gone way forward too – is that something you’re deliberately trying to do or just natural evolution?

Sherri: I think both. It’s natural – we’ve obviously grown in age as well as life experience so whenever you’re writing it puts you forward. As far as it being a conscious thing – a little bit. We try to make sure we’re never doing the same thing over and over. Trying to change what we’re doing and reinvent it and make sure it’s progressing, not becoming …

Stacy: Boring.

Sherri: Yeah, stagnant and boring.

Keath: So growing up – obviously I’m not a girl so I don’t know much about girl things [band laughs] but my wife tells me – the age you’re going through right now is so pivotal and you’re spending it on the road. Most girls are worried about “Who am I going to go to the dance with Friday night?” You guys are like, “I’ve got to open for Coldplay Friday night – what am I going to play?” Is it a blessing or a curse to live all this out on the stage?

Sherri: I think it’s really a total blessing.

Stacy: I feel we’re getting off easy

Chauntelle: We’re not in the normal world – we have this different touring world. We’re not under peer pressure, we’re around each other, so we get to have fun with each other and have fun playing music every night. You also get the high of getting to encourage people and see how your music effects them. That makes it worth it.

Sherri: Doing something you love to do and have people appreciate it!

Stacy: It’s the ultimate fulfillment!

Keath: You guys have some great fans up front -

Sherri: Some brought us bubble shots today! [They cheer]

Keath: They talk about how easy it is to email Boyd (Dupree, the band’s tour manager and the girls’ father) and talk to you guys. You have a real open relationship, a community with your fans. Is that something you thrive on?

Chauntelle: Totally – it’s always been very important to us, ever since early on when we started doing this, that we didn’t become one of those bands who’s really stand off with their fans, you know “I’m unattainable” – you can’t touch them. We’re just kids. We’re kids just like our fans – it’s ridiculous to think that because you’re a band on stage that you’re any cooler. It sounds cliche to say that stuff but it’s true. So many bands just forget that.

Keath: All the bands you tour with are friends too. It struck me, with the way the whole music industry is turned upside down now, do you think this is the future – this community approach? [Band laughs] Let’s all get together and go on tour – you have your dedicated fans out there who’ll come out and see you.

Cauntelle: Definitely!

Stacy: I think so – with the bands we tour with we feel like we’re all part of doing something.

Sherri: This tour especially. We knew The Envy Corps guys really well and we knew some of the Myriad guys well so from the start it felt like this was a big family. I think it comes from the family.

Chauntelle: Definitely. It also feels like a family. It’s so awesome – it makes touring so much fun. I think I could do this the rest of my life and I’d never complain.

Keath: Okay, so community time: Any bands you want to give a shout out to?

Chauntelle: There’s so many! Midlake – they’re friends of ours. We love them.

Sherri: The bands on this tour for one thing. There’s a band called Hail Social we discovered by accident. That band Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin.

Keath: So you guys now have two albums and a whole bunch of EPs. I know at first you said sometimes you’d go on stage with three blond girls and the audience would turn off or just didn’t know what to expect – do you find that lessening now?

Sherri: It definitely lessens over time because you gain respect when you stay in the business for longer than a couple years. These days because everyone just – they don’t stick around. We’re finally getting to the place where people are less responsive to the fact we’re just three girls up there and they react to our music and pay attention to what we’re doing.

Keath: I read an interview where you said the one question you wished people would ask is “when are you going to tour with Coldplay again?” So – are we going to see a Coldplay tour again anytime?

Sherri: I doubt it.

Stacy: Who knows? If they want to take us out on tour …

Chauntelle: Yeah, we’d definitely do it!

Stacy: I’d love to tour with Stevie Nicks.

Sherri: I really would love to tour with Arcade Fire.

Chauntelle: Or Radiohead!

Sherri: Yeah Radiohead!

Chauntelle: The complete unattainable dream.

Keath: Radiohead will be here in May.

Sherri: [frowns] We’ll be on tour when they come to Houston.

Keath: I guess it’s tough for you to actually catch bands.

Sherri: We never get to see shows!

Chauntelle: We don’t.

Keath: One thing I really dig about the band is you’re three beautiful girls and when you go out there it’s not exploitative, you do such good songs, and I think it’s such a positive message. Is that just being who you are?

Sherri: It’s who we are.

Chauntelle: We were raised to be this way.

Sherri: To be ladies! [laughs]

Chauntelle: It’s in our heart and in our nature, so we don’t have to try to not be slutty – if i can say that?

Sherri: And there’s no fear of that ever happening to us either. No leather miniskirts!

Chauntelle: It’s not just because we’re too insecure to show off our body – it’s just that we’re comfortable with who we are. We’re happy with it.

Sherri: Some of that stems from girls being so insecure.

Chauntelle: It means a lot to us when people notice that and are touched by that. We desire for every girl and every person to be comfortable with who they are and to be themselves.

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Eisley
April 18, 2008
State Theater, St. Pete, FL

Whether it’s due to being inevitably regarded as “kids” during their first tours or a lack of patience from unruly punters seeing a group of girls walk to the front of the stage, Eisley has learned the best way to hold a crowd is to not make mistakes. The key word for an Eisley concert is professionalism. Sadly, as many who’ve been to large stadium tours where bands coordinate their performance for the big screens can attest, professionalism often equates itself with boredom.

Eisley, fortunately enough, is blessed with the cyclone of stage presence and charisma that is Sherri Dupree. From opener “Go Away” to a closing duet with sister Stacy of “If You’re Wondering,” Sherri whirled, jumped, flailed, lost her breath, charmed, and generally served as the central focal point.

That’s not to say the rest of the band, from the bear at the merch booth to bassist Garron’s amp riser climbing encore antics, sat around twiddling their thumbs, but it does seem Eisley has figured out what works best for them. If it lacks in spontaneity, it exceeds in the magic it spreads over its audience, comprised mostly of younger teens for which this is their first concert. It’s a wonderful way to start.