Eisley

by Heather PharesA vocally driven quintet featuring three sisters, their brother, and their first cousin, Eisley formed in 1997 when the DuPree siblings -- guitarist Chauntelle, singer/guitarist Sherri, singer/keyboardist Stacy, and drummer Weston -- began playing whimsical, dreamy alterna-pop with bassist Jon Wilson. Originally called the Towheads, they began playing local coffeehouse gigs in their hometown of Tyler, TX, during the following year, when Stacy was just eight years old. Over the next five years, the band wrote and played, expanding its touring area to the Dallas-Fort Worth region and ultimately winning a 2003 Best New Act Award from The Dallas Observer. A few months later, Eisley released their debut EP, Laughing City, on the indie imprint Record Collection, and toured that spring and summer with Coldplay and Ron Sexsmith. The Marvelous Things EP arrived later in 2003, and early in 2005 their first full-length, Room Noises, arrived. Jon Wilson left the band that summer, and the DuPree siblings enlisted their younger cousin, Garron DuPree, to fill the vacant position. Released in 2007, Combinations was Eisley''s first full-length album of entirely new material and featured a slightly darker, more rock-oriented sound.