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 Post subject: eisley is... hard rock?Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 3:28 pm 
So I bought a copy of "Hard Rock Magazine" a few days ago, and yep, Eisley was in it! I'm not sure how they got THAT, but here's the article: Eisley: Normal is Relative Combinations, the long-awaited new album from Tyler, Texas' power-rock band, Eisley, is sterling. It delivers complex, girly harmonies all loaded up with counterpoint that waft up and around the top of your bedroom. The record is engineered to a pristine point, shuttering with top notch drums, massive BGVs, and stop-on-a-dime arrangements that remind me of the poet Wallace Stevens' musing, "I do not know which to prefer, the blackbird singing or just after." Which is to say that even the spaces between the songs on Combinations are highlighted by Richard Gibbs' masterful production. Which isn't to say that this is a great album. It is tidy, even if unbalanced in track order (side A is the rocking side, which was a cool thing to do back when albums actually had sides). Songs like the title track are startling in their execution, like when you hear the trumpet fade at the end and then think, "Wait, there was a trumpet in that song?" I mean, I dig that. And I dig some of the toss-off lyrics, like the line in "Invasion," which gives away so much: "This won't hurt a bit." It sure doesn't, but I want it to sting just a little. I'd prefer a twinge of pain to the barrage of syrupy, cloying vocals that start and start and just don't stop. Too much beauty brought in rondo format (you, round, as in "Row, Row, Row Your Boat") makes me wonder if these songs were written in the back seat of the family wagon. But it was a real treat and a pleasure to call up the DuPree household and find three-fifths of the Eisley members on hand to chat it up. And after the good people at Warner Bros made sure we had the best possible phone connection, it came across loud-and-clear that this outfit wasn't toting the traditional band bad. They're the family that plays together - so I guess that means they stay together, too. But they ain't stuck together; they really like each other. Eisley (named, somewhere along the way, after the space town in Star Wars [That's a little nugget I dug up from the halls of Wikipedia]) consists of three sisters, a brother, and a cousin - a family band. Given the quintet's heredity, combined with their young age, I initially thought they were the quintessential "manufactured pop band." Get it? Manufactured, as in birthed, by Ma and Pa DuPree. In fact, father Boyd DuPree's role continues past conception; he's the tour manager and his "Tales from Trolleywood" blog is a treasure trove for all things Eisley. (He even offers journalists a talking point with which to begin articles about the band. I'm going to resist using it though, on account of there's gambling involved.) The truth is that the members of Eisley have a geunine and appealing fondness for the each other, and they look forward to the occasions when they hang out - which apparently is all the time. Weston (21, drums) says that he's been around his sisters his entire life, that it's all he's ever known, and so the only thing that would be weirder than hanging out with his sibs constantly would be not hanging out with them. He's even spent his last five or six birthdays on tour, he notes. So I hope it's not gonna start a feud when I quote Sherri (23, guitar) who confirmed, laughing, "We hang out every day. It's pretty sick." But it doesn't seem that sick. I mean, sure, they were homeschooled, Stacy (18, keyboards) revealed, and they share the same friends, notes Sherri, but I was relieved to hear that they do still argue and disagree sometimes. It's not like that's a badge of honor, of course, but for a group of people who share so much, so totally, it's affirming to know that they aren't candy coated freaks, but that they can be real, too. And such a way of life is attractive. For behold: two of the sisters, Sherri and Chauntelle, are on the verge of new unions. In a much-discussed rock wedding, Sherri married Chad Gilbert, of New Found Glory fame, in March. Chauntelle (25, guitar) has plans to yoke up with Adam Lazzara, from Taking Back Sunday, next year. Sherri reports that Chad, who's from Coral Springs, is adjusting to the DuPree lifestyle in Tyler just fine, thank you; although naturally it's a drag for the young couple to endure tours apart. But true to form, when Chad and NFG are on the road, Sherri turns to her sisters for company. They watch DVDs together at Sherri's house, and swim at the parents', and they hang out in the quiet town of Tyler. And they like to rock. (Phew! I'm glad to escape the paparazzo stuff of that last paragraph with my fingers intact. I'm sure the marriages of rock stars is infinitely interesting, but it doesn't really seem like our business, huh? Sure Sherri wasn't at all hesitant to discuss her relationship with Chad - she pointed out that around Tyler, her hometown of 17 years, she can move incognito, while Chad gets recognized often - but, I make it a point of pride that HM readers are typically more interested in the music than the buzz.) Friday nights Eisley set up their gear in their church and do what they get paid for, working up new material as they prepare to hit the road again. Yep, that's right - they rehearse in their church. There's a nugget you won't find on Wikipedia, but I think it's one of the most interesting, likable things about Eisley. I find it affirming that a band with more myspace page views than the population of some small countries, that a band with the funds of a magor label (whom they pretty openly adore - see "Tales of Trolleywood"), that jets first-class to creme da la creme photoshoots, still used their church as their practice space. Eisley are excited about the new album. It means new, fresh songs to take out on the road to supplement the last record cycle, as Weston put it. It means getting out on the road. The release of Combinations has been delayed a few times, which has afforded the DuPrees more time with their feet eager to get in the van. I'm sure it'll be a fun trip, filled with family singing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _________________ **Dear, did you know that people love each other** **Just like we do?** |
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Joined: 24 Apr 2006 | Posts: 272 | Location: my own little world, most of the time
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Post subject: Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 4:00 pm
I WISH we (the parents), had a swimming pool! That would be Sherri and Chad's pool. 
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Joined: 11 Nov 2002 | Posts: 3695 | Location: Tyler, TX
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Post subject: Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:45 am
I kinda liked that article, as a whole. Some of it made me shrivel my nose cause it seemed like it was headed down a negative road, but overall I was pleasantly surprised! _________________ guitarfreak217 wrote: Everyone, listen to Leigh. She knows what's up. theantrider wrote: My jaw hurts and I have an ulcer. That's what spending time with Kylee gets you |
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Joined: 25 Apr 2004 | Posts: 6183 | Location: Lake Jackson, TX
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