"Sparking" by Eisley, Saturday, July 3, 2021

Starting in 1997, Eisley originally consisted of three sisters: Sherri, Chantaulle, and Stacy DuPree. Later they added their younger brother, Weston, and their cousin Garron. Forming in Tyler, Texas and performing at their parents' Christian coffee shop got the DuPree family band early exposure to the Christian music scene. But Eisley set their sights higher. While Eisley may not be a well-known band, they certainly have racked up indie cred over the years. Starting with opening for Coldplay to touring to playing SXSW, playing Conan, touring with the likes of Switchfoot, MuteMath, New Found Glory, Lovedrug, and Taking Back Sunday. All but cousins Sherri and Garron DuPree remain in the band as one by one the siblings married and/or moved onto other music projects.

FALL...LIKE A SPARROW. When you hear a DuPree sister singing, you instantly know it's a DuPree sister. However, you probably can't figure out who is who. The sisters have contributed to quite a few pop-punk and Christian records including The Maine, Say Anything, Fair, and Anberlin. With 2017's I'm Only Dreaming, Eisley is now a duo with Sherri DuPree at the microphone. However, both official members of Eisley are also entangled in other musical acts. Sherri works with her husband, frontman of Say Anything, Max Bemis, on a project called Perma. Garron works as a musical engineer and a music video director for Eisley, Say Anything, and on other projects such as Anberlin's Vital. An episode of Lead Singer Syndrome gave an interesting window into Sherri and Max's marriage and family life. A house full of children, a few moments of peace when after bedtime to write and play music and escaping to her car for moment of peace to record the interview, Sherri and Max are continuing the rock 'n' roll family Sherri was raised in. "Sparking" reminds me of listening to that interview. Eisley's lush music and instruments are usually quite positive. The poetry of "Sparking" depicts falling and being broken, but healing because of the one who loves you. Sherri's divorce from New Found Glory's Chad Gilbert (who later went on to marry and divorce Paramore's Haley Williams), may have left her broken, but her life with Max, motherhood, and music beams in this beautiful Eisley track.

SITTING HERE ON THE FRONT PORCH. The weather forecast predicts that sometime this weekend the rainy season will begin. While climate change is making  the rainy season more unpredictable, we can typically count on at least two to four weeks of heavy rain at the end of June or early July. It's nice because it breaks up the scorching summer to before the rainy season (dry heat) and after the rainy season (Oh, God, the humidity!) For almost a month, you can run the fan and open the window during the light rains. It kind of feels like a front porch, like on a rare summer rainy day listening to the rain at my parents' home back in North Carolina. When the rainy season strikes Korea, you want to be at home. Even when you think it's cleared up and the rainy season has passed, you can easily get caught out in the rain. This is particularly no fun if you rely on public transportation and you live about a kilometer away from the stop. In 2015 I was caught in the rain many times, trying to chase the end of my fading youth. How I found shelter in your room on the first floor of your parents' apartment. We spent all day listening to the rain falling, your windows open. We'd drink cheap Korean beer at night and continue to watch television. Your parents were at home, never questioning about the "friend" in your bedroom. It was a strange story and a strange affair that blew over as the rains stopped falling on Korea.

https://genius.com/Eisley-sparking-lyrics