Rock band Eisley will make their Richmond debut at Broadberry on Thursday night. The dreamy indie band from Texas has been around since the late 90s and has mostly been comprised of various members of the Dupree family over the years.
Rock band Eisley will make their Richmond debut at Broadberry on Thursday night. The dreamy indie band from Texas has been around since the late 90s and has mostly been comprised of various members of the Dupree family over the years.
With producer Will Yip (Circa Survive, Lauryn Hill, Balance & Composure), a new album is slated to arrive early next year with a slightly altered lineup. This will be the fifth Eisley record and the first and will find the band shifting the primary songwriting duties over to now frontwoman Sherri Dupree-Bemis.
We caught up with singer and guitarist, Dupree-Bemis, while on tour to get her thoughts on the band’s evolution, the new record, and how to keep busy on the road.
This is your first show at The Broadberry. Ever been to Richmond before?
Yes! I’m excited. I don’t believe we’ve played Richmond but I could be wrong. I know we’ve been to Norfolk and Charlottesville. Between all the touring my husband and I do between all of our collective bands, I have, most certainly, been to Richmond! I love Virginia, it’s gorgeous.
Eisley’s been around since the 90s, did you ever think it would have this longevity?
I always hoped! I love writing and playing music and am thankful we’ve had enough people care about what we do to keep touring and creating records! As long as I’m physically able in my life, I will always make music.
How has the music in Eisley changed? How has it stayed the same?
I feel like Eisley has done a good job of staying true to our core-sound throughout our career. It’s never been a super conscious effort as much as it’s just been us following our hearts and being inspired by a certain type of song and music and trying to stay true to that. I love melodies above all other things in music so that’s always my biggest challenge to myself (albeit a fun one) when I’m writing a song. “Is this melody the best I can do?” And if not, then I keep trying. I think that, though we all change and grow on a personal level every day and musically we hope to always be growing and pushing ourselves, the core sound of Eisley which fans have come to know and love will stay the same.
What music are you currently digging?
The new Balance and Composure! We worked with a producer called Will Yip on this last record we just wrapped and he also did their new album. It’s so good! Great melodies. And honestly, since I have two toddlers my Spotify is currently whatever they want to hear which is a lot of Sia, Adele and Katy Perry (also great melodies and super great vocal practice for me!)
The band has had a major shift in members for this new release, how much has that dynamic changed the process of writing and recording?
Well, I’ve only ever written with my sisters so when they moved on from the band, so if I’m being honest, I had to overcome a lot of self-doubt to push through! A lot of “Oh damn, can I handle this work load?”, but it was a really self-empowering and humbling experience. And I had my cousin/bassist Garron really step up and he brought music to the table that we made into some of my favorite songs on the record. We also collaborated pretty intensely with produced Will Yip on the record, so it was pretty awesome realizing that I could make music I loved outside of the safe-bubble I’d grown used to. It was a beautiful bubble! But things change and we adapt and grow or we give up…and I’m not into giving up.
Can you tell us a little about this new Eisley record? What song are you most excited by? Does any central thesis lie within?
I’m really excited about how much I pushed myself vocally on it, because singing some of the new songs live will be a learning curve but I love a good vocal challenge! Singing is my favorite. I tend to write fairly whimsical sounding lyrics that lean on the dark side and I think this record stays true to that. There are songs about love and parenthood and relationships and there are songs that are straight-up, dark fairytales.
2005’s Room Noises is over 10 years old, any reflections on that? I think it’s aged pretty well.
Thank you!! I’m happy to say I agree. I’m very thankful not to look back on our first record and think “….eh. What were we thinking?” We still play a ton of those songs live, and it’s so fun. I remember vividly – writing those songs – which were some of the very first songs I ever wrote…it was a very beautiful time; falling in love with songwriting and figuring how it all worked.
Opening is Merriment, which is another family affair; can you tell us a bit about them?
Their songwriting is so great! So effortless. My little sister, Christie DuPree, writes all of the songs and even though she’s years younger than me, I look up to her a lot… and what a beautiful singer too. They are writing now and will start working on a new EP soon. Definitely a band to fall I love with.
It seems musicians today have the luxury and burden of having an online presence, how do you balance that and has it impacted your life?
It’s really, only, been positive! I stick close to the safe ones – meaning my own social media and the band’s. And though a few wretched comments can sometimes ruin your day if you let it, I’ve found it to be an awesome experience. I guess our community is profoundly cool. They’re really nice and supportive. I think being transparent without over-sharing all of the time is the balance. I’m always trying to maintain that balance but, pretty much, what you see is what you get with me. I try to always be open and vulnerable; what’s the point of being anything else? The world has enough fakes in it without adding me to the pile. I’m a mom too, so my social media is mostly my sickeningly adorable kids anyway.
How has the music scene evolved since you first started and now?
That’s a question we could mull over for a full week and never come to an end on! Haha. I mean, it’s always changing to be sure, but I love being in the place where Eisley is now and how our business works within the scene. When we started out, major labels still controlled everything and it was a weird world for bands. Now I feel like so much more power is in the hands of the artists. That definitely means more work, but also – a bigger payoff as well as the satisfaction of knowing you have full, creative control of your product. As far as fans go…I think as long as there are bands playing live, fans are going to come out. Live music is too much fun. It brings us all together in a unique way.
You seem to really enjoy motherhood, being a touring musician and being a mom has got to be a challenge right?
Huge!! Haha. Being a parent, in general, is a challenge. But, I feel like, despite the challenges of dragging two toddlers across the country, I have it really easy; I’m getting to do what I love! And I think it’s also really awesome that I get to give my girls all of these cool experiences and introduce them to the music culture, enriching life experiences, travel, etc. They’re going to be better humans for it. I think, if you love something enough, you just find a way to make it happen. I’m very honored to have had so many people willing to help me continue doing what I do. We’ve had so much help. You can always find help if you just ask!
What’s a secret passion of yours?
Collecting children’s books with beautiful, weird /unique art! I use my own children as an excuse on a weekly basis to collect more, more, more! Children’s books are the best.
What’s the best way to kill time on the road?
Instagram! I’m happily obsessed. No shame. Also – reading. I just re-read my favorite Neil Gaiman novel (The Ocean at the End of the Lane) and I am also re-reading Harry Potter.
Eisley will perform at The Broadberry this Thursday, Oct. 6 along with Merriment and Captive. Show starts at 8:30 pm and tickets are $15 which can be purchased here.
