1. The Band: Questions about the DuPrees, Jon Wilson, their family, and their life.
3.01. Who runs OGG?
The Band
1.01. Who's Boyd DuPree?
Boyd is the father of four Eisley members (Stacy, Weston, Sherri, and Chauntelle). Not only did he create Eisley's website and the Laughing City forum, he also manages almost all aspects of their tours. Boyd has filmed almost every show Eisley has ever done, and posts most of those videos on the forum for fans to enjoy, along with the occasional MP3 of a performance, pictures from life on the road, and promo videos he produces for the band's songs. Boyd created the packaging for all of Eisley's recordings, not to mention the rest of their merchandise (though most Eisley shirts and prints utilize Sherri's artwork). With all he does, it's a wonder Boyd still finds time to chat with fans over coffee after Eisley's show--but he's just that nice.
1.02. How many DuPrees are there, anyway?
The short answer: lots. Kim and Boyd have six children--Chauntelle, Sherri, Weston, Stacy, Christie, and Collin. (Garron DuPree, who started playing bass after Jon's departure, is a cousin.) There are also a couple more people occupying the DuPree household.
1.03. Does Chauntelle really have a daughter? Is there any more information on her?
Yes, Chauntelle has a young daughter named Kayla, and she has been mentioned briefly in a couple articles on the band. The DuPree family likes to keep that portion of their lives as private as possible, so no information has been publicized. However, on the Eisley forum, Kim DuPree has suggested sending Chauntelle a private message if you want to know more. Please be respectful when you ask for information; the DuPrees' private lives are their own.
1.04. When and why did Jon Wilson leave the band?
Jon's departure from Eisley was made public here in late July of 2005 during Eisley's tour with Hot Hot Heat, though Jon had been considering the move for several months. He left the band in part because he believed it was time to move on, and he had responsibilities to his family and himself that needed to be fulfilled. His relationship with his bandmates has not changed; they remain very close, and the DuPrees (and the Eisley community) wish Jon the best in all his future endeavours.
1.05. Did the band used to be called The Towheads / MossEisley / Neverland / Sinclair?
Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Eisley has gone by all of those names at some point or another in the past. Back when the kids first started playing shows, they were known as The Towheads. Later they became MossEisley, then a lawyer advised the band that they could be sued for using that name, so they tried out several different names before settling on the shortened Eisley.
1.06. Is Eisley a Christian Band?
This question is asked so frequently that it was given an FAQ entry of its own on the Laughing City. Yes, the members of Eisley are Christian; they attend the Tyler Vineyard Church. However, Eisley's music is not intended to be "Christian," and the band never wanted to be marketed to or associated with the contemporary Christian music world. They have played at Christian music festivals, Christian events, and in churches in the past.
1.07. I found Sherri/Stacy/Chauntelle/Weston/Garron DuPree's weblog/Myspace/Xanga. Is this real?
Almost certainly not. Some of the members of Eisley keep online journals, but they do not publicize their location. Sherri used to have a Xanga site, but she shut it down. If you find a blog that claims to be written by an Eisley member or relative, but divulges private information or speaks at length about the members' lives, it's safe to assume that it's fake. Telltale signs include posts about drinking and partying, hanging out with prominent celebrities, and the use of profanity--three activities in which Eisley members generally do not participate. There are official Eisley journals in the Journals section of the official site.
1.08. Can you give me a link to any other websites created by an Eisley member?
Sure. Here's some of Sherri's excellent artwork.
1.09. Were the DuPrees really all homeschooled?
Yes, and so was Jon Wilson.
1.10. Who is Chauntelle/Sherri/Weston/Stacy/Garron/Jon dating?
That's another part of their lives the band likes to keep private (though Sherri is engaged to New Found Glory guitarist Chad Gilbert).
1.11. How do I contact the band?
See the Contact page.
1.12. How do I meet the band?
The members of Eisley always make an effort greet their fans after shows (and before, if you're lucky enough to bump into them). They're gracious, humble people who are happy to sign merchandise and talk with you.
1.13. Where can I find clothes like those worn by the band?
There are several online communities dedicated to tracking down the great clothes Eisley members wear. LiveJournal members discuss Sherri's fashion on this community, and Stacy's style here, and there's also an LJ community for the whole band.
1.14. Why did Jon leave the band?
Jon posted this explanation of his departure from Eisley on his Xanga site.
"Well...I wanted to give a more clear explanation about why I quit Eisley. I think we hesitated to give too much detail in the beginning, or at least on the Forum, because we didn't feel it was that neccessary. But I've noticed there have been several different reasons floating around, all kind of vague.
So first of all I want to thank everyone again for all the love and support over the last several years. It's been an invaluable source of joy, comfort and inspiration for me personally.
As my worldview/mission statement/calling has a reasonable amount to do with my decision to leave, I will include it here as the following:
I am a believer in Jesus Christ as the Messiah of the God of the Bible, the only true God and sole creator, judge and savior of all who are justified by faith in Him.
Salvation is through Him alone, and as his disciple, I find my identity in imitating His lifestyle, memorizing His words, becoming fully versed in the content and manner of His interpretation of scripture, and in making disciples for Him.
The Spirit of God indwells believers today, enabling us to obey His Word (the Torah). His salvation is the provision of forgiveness, healing, deliverance and the prosperity of heart needed to be givers and a blessing to others.
The Torah (Genesis to Deuteronomy),which means "teaching and instruction", forms the basis and reference for interpreting and understanding God's message in the rest of Holy Scripture (up through Revelation). Those who would know and obey God, would therefore know and obey Torah.
All men have disobeyed God's law, severing relationship with Him and breaking covenant. This broken relationship to God is restored by repentance and through the blood atonement of Yeshua. This is the grace of God. No one may earn, merit or keep his eternal salvation by his own efforts.
Those redeemed by faith are grafted into the commonwealth of Israel and are full and equal participants in the covenants of promise.
The mission of God on the earth is to establish His Kingdom and do His Will. This is being accomplished through a trusting and obedient body of Messiah and will culminate in the literal, physical return of Messiah to rule and reign the whole earth from the throne of David in Jerusalem.
Therefore to glorify God through a spirit-filled lifestyle of submission to the Torah comes first and foremost in my life. This includes remembering the biblical Sabbath and keeping it holy, as well as celebrating the Feasts of the Lord.
This obviously puts me in a conflicting situation with regards to playing shows on Friday nights or doing any sort of work between the time of sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. Only in the past year or so have I come to the realization that this is part of God's schedule we are to live by. I had to make a choice between what I wanted to do, and what I knew to be God's will. It took me several months before I made the decision that I could no longer live by my will if it was going to conflict with God's. I believe that only by obeying God's Word can we receive true blessing. I'm not talking about gaining salvation, for you who mistakenly think I am talking about legalism. Nor do I want to come across as condemning to anyone else's views or beliefs. But I want to make mine clear, as they pertain to the subject at hand. The decisions I have made out of obedience to my Master have strengthened and deepened my relationship with Him. It is a daily reality. This is my testimony. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to share this. Thank you Xanga."
1.15. Stacy/Sherri/Chauntelle/Weston/Garron, will you marry me?
All proposals to members of the DuPree family must be directed through Boyd.
The Music
2.01. What kind of instruments do the band play?
Glad you asked. Visit the Gear page to find out.
2.02. Who writes all the songs?
Stacy and Sherri split the songwriting duties pretty evenly. Chauntelle wrote a few songs when the band was starting out ("Pretender," "Sleepy Head," and some others).
2.03. Who sings on ________?
Stacy and Sherri also split vocals pretty evenly. Several songs in the Discography are marked with who sings which parts. In general, Stacy's voice sounds slightly breathier, lower, and more resonant, while Sherri has a somewhat higher range and more brittle tone. Listen carefully and watch some of the live videos on this site, and after a little practice you'll be able to tell them apart easily.
2.04. How come Chauntelle doesn't sing?
Chauntelle used to sing on early MossEisley tracks, but according to her old Eisley.com bio, she "lost her confidence." Kim explained on the Laughing City that Chauntelle would miss notes while playing because the guitar would hit her diaphragm, so she decided not to sing in the band until she had a chance to develop her voice a bit more. She has a lovely, airy voice that was put to good use on a song by The Vanished called "Soap," on which she sang backup vocals. She also reportedly sang harmony on the recorded version of "Just Like We Do." And in 2005, Boyd posted a hauntingly beautiful track called "One More Day With You," on which Chauntelle sang lead. Instruments and backing vocals were provided by Zac Hanson and John Crosby (of VAST), and the song was recorded at a songwriter's workshop called Fool's Banquet, hosted by the boys of Hanson. See the Audio section to download a copy of the song.
2.05. What are EP1 and EP2?
Eisley's first and second recordings. The band released these albums before they were signed to Warner Brothers--they therefore own the copyrights on all the songs, and have graciously decided to release them for free on the Internet. That's why you can download them for free from the Audio section, as well as various peer-to-peer services and BitTorrent. (See the Discography for the tracklist of these two EPs.)
2.06. What's Independent Recordings?
The band took most of the tracks from EP1 and EP2 (excluding "Pretender"), and distributed them as "Independent Recordings," selling the copies through the official Eisley forum and merchandise store. They aren't selling them anymore, although you might be lucky enough to snag a copy if you send a private message to kimbrtones. (See the Discography for the tracklist of this EP.)
2.07. I heard about an Eisley B-side that's available online, but it's not on the Audio page. Where can I find it?
If we don't have it available for download (see the Audio section), it's probably not available for free. To date, Eisley has released B-sides exclusively on iTunes in the form of EPs including "Vintage People," an alternate demo of "Tree Tops," the re-recorded "Head Against the Sky," "Escaping Song," and "They All Surrounded Me." Sometimes iTunes releases are available individually, for 99 cents each; sometimes you must download the entire EP to get a particular song. In either case these rare tracks are well worth it. See the Discography section for a list of iTunes-only releases and B-sides.
2.08. Was Stacy really eight when she wrote her first song? What instruments does she play?
Yes, Stacy was eight years old when she wrote "Michael's Song," and played it for her older sisters. Chauntelle and Sherri, who wouldn't let their little sister join their band because she was too young, were amazed and immediately took Stacy in. Stacy plays guitars as well as keyboards, and considers herself better at guitar. (She plays the complicated guitar part on "Just Like We Do" at all Eisley shows as well as when they recorded Room Noises.)
Miscellaneous
3.01. Who runs OGG?
Orange Gold and Green was started by Hannah Clemens (Saellys on the Laughing City) in January of 2004. After about a year, Andrew (granpaturtle) joined in and started supplying lots of media and rare Eisley items. Then, just before the release of Room Noises in 2005, Chad (chasd00) offered to merge OGG with Straylight6, which at the time was the most comprehensive Eisley fansite on the Internet. Andrew resigned from the site in late 2005, but in 2006 Nora (patrock) took over the Pictures section and has done great things with that expansive gallery. Now, OGG is run collaboratively with these three individuals, but we've received valuable help from other Eisley forum members like Jason (chubbygumby), Matthew (Unregistered), Luke (theenvycorps), Sean (telescope_eisley), and Ben (bgburroughs). We've even received input and information from Wade DuPree, uncle of four Eisley members and father of Garron. When it comes right down to it though, OGG never would have survived this long without the help and support of all Laughing City members, and Eisley fans the world over.
3.02. Why did you create this site?
My goal with OGG has always been to consolidate the Eisley-related information and media available all over the web into one convenient place for Eisley fans. The Videos section is the best example of this, along with the new Pictures section. Some of the media we host can no longer be found anywhere else; other items are widely available, but we're here to make sure Eisley fans have access for years to come.
3.03. What do you use for design? Who's your web host?
OGG was designed using Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 and Photoshop Elements 1 (PC) and 3 (Mac). Bluehost provides our webspace.
