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bigideas
Vintage Newbie


Did they say Weston wasn't touring either?
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wilsmith
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Sherri mentioned that Remington would be in the touring line-up, and since he drums in Merriment I assume that meant he would be drumming on tour, but Weston is rehearsing with the band, so...???
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bigideas
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I think they actually played a gig yesterday, right?
No one has come here to report on it.

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keithabbott
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I watched that one Denton compilation on YouTube this morning. I don't see this working out very well. Without Chauntelle and Stacy there's no heart in the music. Christie sounds and looks like she's just along for the ride and the other two girls... have no stake in the music.

I think it's time. Close up shop and move on. As much as I love the band, without Chauntelle and Stacy it's not going to work live unless they stop playing the old material and write and perform as a new collaboration. This is turning into the 10,000 Maniacs kinda/sorta.

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Kappa962
I LIKE KNOBS, FADERS


You realize that's the second show those three have ever played with Eisley right? It seems a little early to make a judgement there. And, in person, I thought it was a pretty good show. Festival gigs have always been hard to pull off, and they did well.
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keithabbott
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I realize that. And i wouldn't make a statement unless I were confident in my convictions. There has been an evolution in this band..and this new incarnation is a huge step backwards from where things ended up in 2014. There are intangibles that are completely gone. I'm not saying they cannot take on a new identity, but trying to recreate the old one isn't going to work. if Stacy and Chauntelle are gone for good, they should pull the plug on this experiment and be done with it. I love what they've done up until this point, but this isn't working.
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Kappa962
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You are confident in your convictions that this isn't working because you watched a YouTube video of the 2nd show they've ever played with this set of musicians? Naysay much?
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keithabbott
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I'm a musician, composer, writer....and I've seen them perform enough times live to know that this encarnation will not resemble or ever eclipse the original line-up while performing the old material. I'm sorry but that's my opinion. If they would have released a new album first with the current band members and tour off that, I think that would have been a better solution. What you have now are three members that have no stake in the music and you can tell by their performance. Chauntelle lip syncing the lyrics..Stacy drowning her soul into her lyrics...that's all gone now. You could see how much love they put into the music. Those stakeholders are gone.
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wilsmith
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As I see a fan with knowledge about music argue with the sound engineer of the band, over who knows the potential of this line-up better, I lose any qualms about the demise of the LC as some of its worst qualities are at play.

A little patience and benefit of the doubt go a long way in life, especially with musical collaborations. Sentiment aside, music stands on its own. I would advise any fan who says they like Eisley's music to wait 7 or 8 weeks before passing judgement. Time to refine a setlist, and get comfortable on stage with each other, learning the group dynamic, takes time, but it's not a miracle. It's the product of talent and commitment. Touring with Copeland should inspire a wealth of that. A couple of nights of watching them play should bring out the best in any band. I saw them this spring, and they are sounding very good.

Artists have a knack for adjusting and growing, and it's not just DNA or time together. It's largely motivation. Some of Eisleys biggest leaps were a product of letting go of what they had been, and what everyone ought to be doing based on the past, and just going with what they are capable of. From that they cultivated some timeless and signature material over the last 3 releases.

I would argue that post WB Eisley's identity has continued to shift stylistically, and their might as well have been line up changes with each release given the dramatic departures from one to the next. That variety was a product of personal inspiration and growth. Having new players find their groove on old material will potentially revitalize it.

I remember when Weston and Garron jammed this wicked groove with a wild syncopation that sounded like the retro new-wave dance rock stuff coming out around 2000-2001 by bands like the Rapture and then transitioning out of it into The Valley on that Currents tour, and it was like a whole other band got their hands on the song for that 2 minutes, and it changed the energy of the song proper, in a GOOD way. It happened because they were free to do their thing. That is what musicians do, let's allow this touring line-up that opportunity before we write them off.

In a perfect world the touring line-up will be permitted to find their legs and get the opportunity to see how it turns out. I have a feeling this shift will be closer to Fishbone's line-up changes from the 90s to now, than any other act, as odd as that seems. But to me, that fits.

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bigideas
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Boyd posted a long bit on Instagram a week ago. Just saw it linked through the Eisley Facebook.

https://instagram.com/p/7rMAkeCxjy/

Did they play many Stacy centric tunes, or stick to ones mainly written/sung by Sherri?

Ps Is Kappa Mark the sound guy? Had no idea you played keys. Would like to hear more about the Rising Fawn sessions.

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keithabbott
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I would be happy to give them 8 weeks if either Stacy or Chauntelle were on tour with them. As much as I like Sherri as a person, my interest in her writing and performances has been declining ever since The Valley. I feel like Combinations contained some of her strongest vocals, but her voice/vocals have changed a lot since then. I'm willing to give the new album a chance but I really have no interest in this tour line-up. I hope it goes well though and hopefully the fan support continues through this transition. I do wish them all the best.

wilsmith wrote:
As I see a fan with knowledge about music argue with the sound engineer of the band, over who knows the potential of this line-up better, I lose any qualms about the demise of the LC as some of its worst qualities are at play.

A little patience and benefit of the doubt go a long way in life, especially with musical collaborations. Sentiment aside, music stands on its own. I would advise any fan who says they like Eisley's music to wait 7 or 8 weeks before passing judgement. Time to refine a setlist, and get comfortable on stage with each other, learning the group dynamic, takes time, but it's not a miracle. It's the product of talent and commitment. Touring with Copeland should inspire a wealth of that. A couple of nights of watching them play should bring out the best in any band. I saw them this spring, and they are sounding very good.

Artists have a knack for adjusting and growing, and it's not just DNA or time together. It's largely motivation. Some of Eisleys biggest leaps were a product of letting go of what they had been, and what everyone ought to be doing based on the past, and just going with what they are capable of. From that they cultivated some timeless and signature material over the last 3 releases.

I would argue that post WB Eisley's identity has continued to shift stylistically, and their might as well have been line up changes with each release given the dramatic departures from one to the next. That variety was a product of personal inspiration and growth. Having new players find their groove on old material will potentially revitalize it.

I remember when Weston and Garron jammed this wicked groove with a wild syncopation that sounded like the retro new-wave dance rock stuff coming out around 2000-2001 by bands like the Rapture and then transitioning out of it into The Valley on that Currents tour, and it was like a whole other band got their hands on the song for that 2 minutes, and it changed the energy of the song proper, in a GOOD way. It happened because they were free to do their thing. That is what musicians do, let's allow this touring line-up that opportunity before we write them off.

In a perfect world the touring line-up will be permitted to find their legs and get the opportunity to see how it turns out. I have a feeling this shift will be closer to Fishbone's line-up changes from the 90s to now, than any other act, as odd as that seems. But to me, that fits.

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tungsten
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I think it's too soon to pass judgment, I think we should see how they do touring before making blanket statements. From the YouTube clip, it seemed like vocally Sherri and Christie were doing well together but the overall stage presentation lacked energy. I'm sure everyone feels awkward (the ones stepping in for established members probably feel like understudies. I was pretty confident Eisley could still function without Stacy if it meant Chauntelle stepping up to a bigger role and Christie coming in for Stacys parts. Without both of them it's tough
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wilsmith
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keithabbott wrote:
I would be happy to give them 8 weeks if either Stacy or Chauntelle were on tour with them. As much as I like Sherri as a person, my interest in her writing and performances has been declining ever since The Valley. I feel like Combinations contained some of her strongest vocals, but her voice/vocals have changed a lot since then. I'm willing to give the new album a chance but I really have no interest in this tour line-up. I hope it goes well though and hopefully the fan support continues through this transition. I do wish them all the best.


I'm going to be blunt here in a way that I don't think I have been, or at least in a long time.

Chauntelle circa 2015 on Rising Fawn would be like adding a new member to Eisley. The album firmly establishes her a a front person for a band and lead vocalist on equal footing with all her sisters. Given the nature of the material on Sifting Through Sadness, she would effectively preempt Stacy & Sherri when it comes to mid-tempo and down-tempo songs of heavy pathos. These are areas where Stacy, Sherri, & Christie had previously done their best work. It honestly seems more natural for the timbre of her voice. She's writing great songs of that nature, and having them compete with Stacy & Sherri's and the sisters having to make decisions about who sings which would only further isolate and potentially alienate them towards collaborating. Somebody is going to get left out.

Stacy circa 2014-15 circa Loner is writing material that would be compromised if it were augmented to fit the band arrangements typical of Eisley. They simply haven't shifted that much. To force the band to go that direction to accommodate her widening palate of sounds and styles would compromise the rest of the band, and a part of the fan base that has no interest in hearing Eisley do music that broaches electronic or contemporary pop music, regardless of its sophistication. Interjecting that sound into the writing process would impose challenges on the cohesiveness and continuity of the sound. It would effectively be like having a new member in the band in effect as well. The new member would be less the person, and more the persona & style associated with it.

Like it or not bands with collaborating writers impose limits on said writers, and the desire for creative freedom is going to lead them down different paths. To be true to those paths, it requires a single-minded pursuit at times. For the vitality and longevity of a band, weathering those single-minded departures can leave other members in a lurch, creatively and financially.

To most fans, a band is not just the members, but their ownership and performance of the material they have created. For artists, that very same material can be an anchor. Those performances and expressions are of the past, and a fans attachment to them prevents the artist from moving forward in their creative process for the sake of honoring the will of fans who have sentimental attachments to the preservation of things as they knew them. To many that is like being stuck in stasis, a stagnant prison.

Sometimes the best thing that can happen to a song or band, is having the material passed along to a new performer whose connection is more vital, and inspiration more immediate (like, for instance, trying to prove to fans that they can do the songs justice win them over). Often times in bands, the best work of new blood comes in their contributions to new works. It varies. In some cases the new works feel like attempts to recapitulate the "classic" works to validate their participation. Other times bands are pulled into new territory and the fan base is divided further.

Anyway, right now we have a line-up that is committed to being Eisley, and finding out how to sound their best as Eisley. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that might not have been the case with the original line-up intact, and that's why that line-up is not touring at this point. I respect them being honest with the fans and true to themselves in letting the fans know their intentions and following through with them.

I felt like you did when Chris Walla left Death Cab. My enthusiasm for the band shifted and I have the new album and have liked the singles. I still have yet to play the album and haven't rushed out to see them live. Then Chris Walla announced an instrumental album, which furthered my sense of disarray, given my fondness for Field Manual, his first solo album. That is where his muse took him, and had Death Cab followed that muse rather than the one that inspired their release I might be beside myself rather than pleased by what I heard, but reluctant to hear it all.

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keithabbott
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I'm one of those fickle fans I suppose. I'll give you three examples.

#1 My favorite band since 1989 has been the Innocence Mission. When their drummer left after their 4th album, their sound completely changed. They never replaced him and ever since it's been the same kind of songwriting over and over again. They all had kids and completely stopped touring. As much as I love and respect their talent, there is only so much they can do as a three piece unless they completely change their style which doesn't appear like it will happen. Perhaps I've stuck with them too long, but it's not what I'm really into.

#2 Over The Rhine...they lost their drummer and bassist and came out with a couple of good albums with replacement artists but their shift to a completely different style of music lost me...I've not bought any of their music since that shift.

#3 10,000 Maniacs when Natalie Merchant left, I gave the new album a try with the remaining members and a new lead singer Mary Ramsay. It was far too different. Not terrible, but not what I was into. That was the last album I bought of theirs.

For me, I like what I like and when a band strays too far from where they've been....I either lose interest and move on or stay with some sort of hope of things returning to where they've been. I wish I could like where Sheri is headed but I tend to believe she over sings her lyrics. When she restrains her voice and doesn't push too hard, it's gorgeous. But she really seems to be a rocker and as much as I agree that Chauntelle is coming into her own, I like her more as a pop rocker than what she and Todd are doing. She fits into Eisley quite nicely when she's rocking out on the guitar.

Oddly enough, and as strangely as this sounds I'm more into Merriment than any of the solo stuff from the older sisters. Usually I know the first time I hear a song if I love it or not. Some songs have to grow on me, but most of the time I know as soon as I hear it. *shrug*

I'm fickle.

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wilsmith
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That happens with a lot of bands, and it's not fickle when the change ultimately proves to be significant. It's all about time tables though.

If someone were to say they had issues with the sound of the band because they expect it to be more of a vehicle for Sherri, and their apprehension about that based on what they've heard before, I can understand that. I just think that's a different argument than saying the new members won't be up to snuff or contribute something worthwhile going forward.

For me, it's not a stretch to say that I've heard several artists, two being Merriment and Rising Fawn, that make me think of the Eisley people expected coming out of Room Noises and Laughing City & Marvelous Things EPS respectively. Going outside of the Duprees, Cynlovescandy's band Merdog released an EP that wowed me, as well as an artist Stuart Buck just posted here, Billie Marten. Aspects of what we might have foreseen for Eisley are being delivered upon by others.

That could serve as justification for members of Eisley to push in other directions. It could be motivation to refine and improve upon that template, and take ownership of it as the band's signature sound. Who knows until we hear it? Meanwhile, allowing them to get their "sea legs" on this tour is a courtesy worth extending.

I don't know if I posted this here, but once I heard the new members had their own band I went to hear something of theirs. I heard this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rD5UIVbLcA and the first things that struck me was the vocal resemblance to Chauntelle, and the great guitar tones, all the while in the midst of that 70s AM radio vibe that Stacy seems to thrive in when writing with Eisley; in short, things people seemed to love a lot about Eisley that they don't associate with Sherri. So I have high hopes for this touring line-up. And that's without even considering Christie's potential contributions.

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Last edited by wilsmith on Tue Sep 29, 2015 6:48 am; edited 1 time in total
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