Eisley + Verdera + The Myriad - Highline Ballroom (New York, NY; Apr. 23, 2008)

Eager for an evening of music, I stride into the Highline Ballroom to find amps, keyboards, drum sets, and guitars cluttering the stage, all begging for attention. But when opening band Vedera walks on, all eyes instantly fix on lead singer Kristin May, with her pixie cut, and black and yellow Oxfords. May’s sweet yet forceful voice is the highlight of Vedera’s performance. Regardless of the strength of her voice, though, she is barely audible, battling the overpowering pound of the snare.

After taking the stage in complete darkness, a stark white light illuminates Seattle-based The Myriad, voted MTV2’s Breakout Band of the Year. Incense burns, placed as it was throughout the stage, shrouding the band in a fog of silvery smoke. Within the first song, it becomes evident that their title is well-deserved. Headman Jeremy Edwardson, starting on the tambourine, trades in for a guitar, while keyboardist, Steven Tracy, also in search of a guitar, steps away from the keys. Later in the set—at the energy peak of a song—with Tracy having returned to his initial instrument, Edwardson swings his guitar to his side to join Tracy on the keyboard.

It is quite normal to see combinations of instruments on stage. That is, a violin/cello bow saws across a guitar, and a small metal object takes the place of the traditional guitar pick. Approaching the guitar in a new capacity, The Myriad produces a unique and enticing sound. Their set ends with awesome energy as the keyboardist once more abandons his instrument only to take up two large drumsticks. Arms flying high above his head, his swings his body forward, slamming the drums again and again, the weight of his body behind each thump.

Garbed in identical blue/black skinny jeans, Eisley, or the DuPree family—three sisters, one brother, and a cousin—take the stage amidst the cheers and screams of a hungry crowd. The band instantly hooks the audience with intriguing vocal harmonies and instrumental riffs. Masters of the entertaining song, Eisley’s effortless harmonies intertwine until suddenly they cut all sound except one lone voice, producing a sonority that swallows the listener and sweeps him away in the ebb and flow of sound. 

Lead vocalists Sherri DuPree and Stacy DuPree differ remarkably in vocal tone. Stacy produces a heart-wrenchingly sweet, soft sound, while Sherri intones a rawer, stronger sound. Singing markedly repetitious and simple lyrics, they depict a world as seen through the eyes of youthful innocence while incorporating natural imagery, resulting in a lyrically simplistic beauty.

Most impressive is Sherri’s brazen energy, unhindered by judgment, atypical in female performances. Unafraid of sweat and appraisal, feeling only a love for the music and the sound, Sherri throws herself into the performance. Driven by her passion, she grips the microphone, eyes squeezed tight, reaches up on her toes at one moment and the next, bends over her guitar, fanatically strumming in pure, concentrated energy.

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