Eisley's show last Thursday at Swedish American Hall was a rare chance to see the family outfit perform completely acoustic in an intimate setting. They'd just come off a plugged-in tour with Gomez and The Fray playing enormodomes like the Shoreline and were joking about how playing acoustic guitars is a lot more physically demanding. The quintet (three sisters, a brother and a cousin) from the tiny town of Tyler, Texas, were in good spirits during the show, demonstrating their Southern charm with self-deprecating between-song banter:
Chauntelle: Next we're going to play a real old moldy for y'all, it's called "Telescope Eyes".
(Audience cheers)
Chauntelle, startled: Really? I'm glad y'all like that song because...I don't.
(Audience laughs)
Chauntelle: Seriously, I wrote that foreeever ago, when I was like...
Sherri: Sixteen?
Chauntelle: Yeah like 16 or 17.
Stacy: Someone came up to me at a show the other night and requested it but they thought it was "Tell Us Goodbyes".
(Audience laughs)
Chauntelle: Well that would make a whole lot more sense because the real title doesn't mean anything. I'm serious!
Their performance was laid back, but the harmonies were spot-on and angelic as usual. The setting of the Swedish American Hall was perfect for an acoustic show; with wood floors and beams and spare decorations, it felt like you were sitting inside the body of an acoustic guitar. The only downfall was the lack of security.
Now, I can't imagine an acoustic Eisley show getting out of hand, but I sure was wishing someone would crack down on the use of flash photography. It's like one guy got brave (or ignorant) enough to flip his flash on, and when he wasn't wrestled to the ground by a security guard (which would happen in better-patrolled venues) it was like a green light turned on and every kid with a cameraphone or digital camera (seemingly most of them) started going wild. Toward the end of the set, it felt like there were strobe lights in the room, and I got dizzy a few times. I just barely restrained myself from screaming at a dude setting off an enormous flash over and over right by my line of vision. I'm guessing the band was feeling blinded too, but were too polite to say anything. There's a reason why most flash photography is banned from shows, and photographers are generally only allowed to shoot during the first three songs.
Other than that, like I said, the show was great. And undoubtedly well-documented. Here's a video I found on YouTube:
Eisley's new album Combinations comes out on August 14th and you can catch them, plugged-in, on tour this fall with Mute Math.
