Leisure
February 15, 2013• Editor, Marilyn Ferrell
Hot New Music
Staff writer Ansley Burgamy sat down with The Vespers before their show at The 567 in Macon last Friday After attending a friend’s bonfire, Taylor Jones knew that sisters Phoebe and Callie Cryar were the ideal musical partners he had been searching forming a group. After a musical courtship, the Cryar sisters joined brothers Taylor and Bruno Jones to form The Vespers, whose unique sound can only be created among siblings. All four members are Nashville natives, and their homegrown-folk sound and instrumental twang is embedded in their souls. The word ‘vespers’ means evening prayers, which reflects their firm believe in Christianity. The band is not labeled as Christian, allowing them to be more diverse; however, they do not shy away from writing songs about their faith. “It is hard to keep faith out of our lyrics when that is your life,” Callie said. All four members have an arsenal of instruments they play. Both girls play guitar, ukulele and banjo. Callie gets the most excited when she is playing electric bass and Phoebe loves the banjo, but has been leaning more toward guitar. Taylor is the band’s drummer, but he recently took up banjo. “You always want to play whatever is newest to you and I have been trying to play the banjo a lot,” Taylor said. Bruno has the most interesting array of instruments because he plays the slide guitar and upright bass for the band, but his favorite instrument to play is the B3 organ. When The Vespers take the stage, they each select an instrument from a rack of guitars, ukuleles, banjos and mandolins. The Cryar sisters tend to be meek, but when Taylor hits the first beat on the drums, these petite, quiet girls turn into powerhouses of soul, belting unimaginable notes. The Vespers are currently touring after releasing their second album “The Fourth Wall” in 2012. The album name comes from the term ‘the fourth wall’ meaning an invisible wall between the performer and the audience. “Our goal when performing is always to break down the fourth wall,” Phoebe said. All four members contribute to songwriting and it tends to change with the season, but Phoebe is the driving force behind the lyrics according to Bruno. The band’s albums consist of an eclectic array of songs, but the song “Flower Flower” stands out the most amongst fans as a distinctively bubbly song that just makes you happy whenever it plays. The band is a fairly fresh face in the music industry after forming in 2009. However, their unique, eclectic sound is quickly emerging among the young college scene, especially in the South. Fans are already waiting for the band to announce when a third album will be released.
MARK WATKINS / SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER The Vespers, an American folk band from Nashville, TN, comprised of sibling Taylor Jones, Pheobe Cryar, Callie Cryar and Bruno Jones performing at The 567 in Macon on Feb. 8. opening with an electric cover of “Grinning In Your Face” by Son House. Their harmonious twang entranced the audience filled of all ages. They proved themselves as musicians by not only singing well, but also by showing off the skills they have with multiple instruments. The band also shows their creativity in their lyric creativity; they each have a hand in the creative process.
Before the show, The Vespers sat down with Ansley Burgamy to answer a few questions to reveal more about them:
Where did the inspiration for the song ‘Flower Flower’ come from? Br uno: Callie and I wrote that one. There was a Bruno Mars song “I want to be a billionaire” and I like the reggie/summertime vibe. Callie: We wanted to write our own reggie/ summertime song. We wrote silly lyrics about a little flower and just went with it. What has been you favorite venue Taylor : We all have our personal favorites, to perform at? Ca lli e: We played in a big cave in McMin- but we are bias to the ones that had the nville, TN for a series called Bluegrass Under- best audiences. ground. What is the band’s main goal? Phoe be: The Triple Door in Seattle. The stage Callie: The reactions of the people who liswas big, the sound was good, production ten to our music are becoming more and was great and the room had a great vibe. Tay l or : We all have our personal favorites, more important to us. We want it to mean but we are bias to the ones that had the something to someone else because if its not then there is no point in creating it. best audiences.
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Solutions from 2/8/13
Tayl o r : I would like this to grow big enough that groups of people would want to listen to me talk. I want to be able to share a message in that way. Right now I’m just another guy. That would be my ultimate goal. If you could be featured on any soundtrack, what would it be? Ca l l i e : Forest Gump. If they ever made a movie of The Giver, I would want to be in charge of that. Ph o e b e : More hip and quirky movies are coming out where one artist is composing the entire soundtrack. I would like to be in charge of writing the whole soundtrack for a movie. Tayl o r : I would like to have a song on a cult favorite that is shared through generations like The Breakfast Club.
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