Guitarist Chauntelle DuPree said her band Eisley needed a name change before it got too big.
"We were originally called Mos Eisley," said DuPree during a call from the road near Philadelphia. "For all you who aren't 'Star Wars' fans, Mos Eisley is the space port where Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi met Han Solo and Chewbacca. Anyway, we didn't want to be sued by George Lucas, so we dropped the 'Mos' from the name.
"Then someone asked us if we were related to the Isley Brothers," DuPree said with a laugh.
At any rate, Eisley is a young band that was discovered last year at the South By Southwest Music and Media Conference in Austin, Texas. Although Eisley hails from Dallas, it was the first time it had played in Austin.
"It was a little scary," said DuPree. "We were playing outside and there was a ton of people watching us. It was also intimidating because there were so many other bands there, too."
But Eisley — composed of DuPree, her brother Weston (drums), her sister Sherri (guitarist/vocalist), her other sister Stacey (keyboardist) and family friend Jonathan Wilson (bass) — was touted by Rolling Stone magazine as being one of "SXSW Music Festival's favorites."
That might have been because the band isn't your typical rock band. The average age is 18, with the youngest being 15 and oldest being 21. And there's the fact that it doesn't sound like a young band.
"Our main influences were the Beatles, Pink Floyd and Coldplay," said DuPree. "But when we decided to play our own music, we really didn't sit down and say we were going to be a progressive rock band. But it ended up becoming that way."
Songs such as "Telescope Eyes," "Tree Tops" and "Laughing City," from the band's debut extended play release feature fantasy imagery with sometimes dreamy musicality.
One of the reasons for the style was the types of literature each member of the band was reading at the time.
"We read 'The Chronicles of Narnia' by C.S. Lewis and, of course, 'Lord of the Rings' by J.R.R. Tolkein," DuPree said. "That explains some of the make-believe worlds we sing about."
While playing around Dallas, the band gained a huge following and support from the city's music scene.
"We've been kind of protected by the other bands there," DuPree said. "We had some concerns about playing in clubs because we were so young, but other bands helped us fulfill our goals. And we've also had some strong support from our parents (Boyd and Kim DuPree). In fact, our dad is our graphic designer who designs our CD covers.
"We really wouldn't be anywhere without all the support," she said. "And we hope we can do more in the future. We have accomplished so much that if it were to stop tomorrow, we'd still be happy. But we do want to do all we can."
If you go
What: Eisley
Where: Club DV8, 115 S. West Temple
When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
How much: $12
Phone: 467-8499 or 1-800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com
E-MAIL: scott@desnews.com