Eisley is an American rock band from Tyler, Texas, originally consisting of siblings Sherri DuPree, Chauntelle DuPree, Stacy DuPree and Weston DuPree. Remaining recording/touring members are their sister Sherri DuPree-Bemis and their cousin Garron DuPree. Their name was inspired by the Star Wars saga (i.e. Mos Eisley). Since forming, the band has released five studio albums: Room Noises (2005), Combinations (2007), The Valley (2011), Currents (2013), and I'm Only Dreaming (2017) along with numerous EPs. Eisley has recorded videos for "Marvelous Things", "I Wasn't Prepared", "Telescope Eyes" (the version from Room Noises), "Invasion", "Memories", "Smarter", "The Valley" and "Currents".
History
1997–2004: Formation and early years
The band was formed in 1997 when Chauntelle and Sherri began creating music together after having been inspired by bands like the Beatles, Jeremy Enigk, and Radiohead. Younger sister Stacy (who was then 8 years old) became frustrated over their insistence that she was too young to be a part of the band and wrote her own song without their help before she was inducted. Their brother Weston (who was then 10 years old) soon joined the band as the drummer.
Boyd and Kim Dupree, parents of the four DuPree siblings, ran a venue called Brewtones Coffee Galaxy by occupying the space of their Vineyard church on days when it was not in use. Eisley, then known as the Towheads, began years of service as the house band, giving them their first exposure. At Brewtones, the band played with many other acts including Ester Drang, Midlake, and Waterdeep. Although the band was approached by Christian record labels early on, they preferred to avoid these as they did not consider themselves a Christian band. They soon became Moss Eisley, a reference to the Mos Eisley Cantina in the Star Wars trilogy. After signing to Reprise/Warner Records, the band shortened the name due to possible legal ramifications. The band played numerous weekend shows at the venue until they became too busy with other opportunities.
After emerging on the Dallas scene in 2001, playing hundreds of shows throughout Texas and garnering a fan base as an indie band, Eisley was signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2003. The same year, the band won "Best New Artist" at the Dallas Observer Music Awards. The band had some early radio success with the song "Telescope Eyes" from the Laughing City EP. It was ranked the top 25th most played song on FM 102.1 ("The Edge") in Dallas in 2003. Also in 2003, Eisley opened for Coldplay on the North American "A Rush of Blood to the Head" tour.
2004–2006: Room Noises
During the majority of 2004, the band spent most of their time recording their debut album. During the first part of 2005, the band toured extensively with New Found Glory. In June 2005, Eisley embarked on their first headlining tour, The Summer Scenic Tour, to support their debut album Room Noises with Lovedrug and Pilotdrift as opening acts. On June 10, they performed a sold out show at The Troubadour in California. The recording of The Troubadour show was to be released as a live DVD; however, the band was not pleased with the footage or audio so nothing ever came of it.
The band went on to tour with Hot Hot Heat in July. During this tour Eisley's then bassist, Jonathon Wilson, announced he was leaving. He was replaced as bassist by Garron DuPree, the DuPrees' then fifteen-year-old cousin in 2005.
In August, after the Hot Hot Heat tour, the band went into the studio in Seattle for a day to track Head Against The Sky. The song was later released in October of that year on the Head Against The Sky E.P. with three songs from the cancelled Troubadour DVD. In October and November 2005, Eisley went on tour with Switchfoot as openers. Around this time, the band started playing new, unrecorded material for their second album. In March 2006, the band did a small tour in Australia as main support for Taking Back Sunday. Following that, Eisley headlined their last tour in support of Room Noises, The Final Noise Tour.
2006–2010: Combinations and label issues
In September 2006, Eisley headed back to the studio to record their follow up to Room Noises. While tracking for their second album, Sherri and Stacy also recorded vocals for Bright Eyes's album Cassadaga. The band finished recording the album in November 2006, but due to assumed conflicts with their label, the album was delayed. Combinations was finally released on August 14, 2007.