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Saturday, May 3rd

Interview: Kim DuPree, Mother of Eisley

Mother’s Day is quickly approaching, and we at Buzzgrinder thought it would be good to celebrate all of motherdom by talking with a mom who raised children that actually made something of themselves: Kim DuPree, the woman behind 4/5 of Eisley. While your mom raised a pudgy Target cashier whose crowning achievement is name-dropping Fugazi at parties, their mother produced a band that is as indie as it is accessible. We got the chance to talk to Mrs. DuPree about her favorite artists, her coffee shop, oh and her kids, too.

You’re a mother of six, with four of your children in a nationally renowned act. How do you keep the family stable?
Hmm…you are assuming we ARE stable. Ha ha! But we are a very close family, which seems to be true of most large families. In big families your children grow up being friends & playmates with each other. They’re forced to share, forgive, be unselfish and love each other every phase of life. It’s all about grace; we strive very hard to do that with each other.

The biggest “Golden Rule” in our family - one that I began instilling in them from the time that they were toddlers - was “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” We all have the opportunity to speak life or death into each other with our words. Our kids weren’t allowed to call each other names…at least not in my earshot :-). As a result, they really are all bffs.

Still – no surprise, we’re all very human; we all have our faults, dysfunctions, failures and screw-ups. We fall down… we all make mistakes. We have instable moments but all rally together to help each other through those times. The past 6 months brought great upheaval to our family - Sherri’s unexpected divorce after only 9 months, Chauntelle’s unexpected disengagement, etc. There’s been lots of unexpected pain, unexpected drama. But hey, that’s life. Sherri penned the words, “when we get down, if we get down, we’ll get up again” during a time of great joy but the words seem to fit current life pretty well. We rely on our deep-rooted faith and our family bond to find the strength “to get up again.”

What is a normal day for you like?
Well, Christie and I were having a conversation yesterday with our friend Israel Anthem as I was driving him to the Dallas airport in one of the worst storms to hit our region in 20 years. We were bummed that all fast food places do not offer breakfast all day. Are all artsy types nocturnal? We thrive in the late night hours so we need breakfast anywhere from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m.

With a household of 10 people you can walk in the kitchen at any time of night - say 2, 3, 4, 5 a.m. and you will run into someone getting a bowl of cereal, making cookies or even coffee. All that to say - I don’t think any of our days are really “normal”. My days are rarely “normal” except for when the majority of the fam’ is off on tour. Then my days can get routine… even boring.

What is the best advice you can give to new or upcoming parents?
Do what you have to do in order to enjoy hanging out with your kids.

Be the one to bring the truth in their lives. Don’t just wash over behavior problems that might plaque them later in life. That’s real (parental) love… doing the hard stuff. It’s a full time job and there are no vacations! Sure it’s fun being the “fun” parent… the “mercy parent”, but at least one of you needs to be the “tough love” parent. In our fam’, that was mostly me. Sometimes I’d get so tired of being the disciplinarian that when Boyd would come home from work (back when he was a 9 – 6 designer) I’d send him straight to their bedroom to “handle” something that day. I’d get so mad that he would spend two hours in there having a “disciplinary talk”, only to hear them whimpering… then eventually laughing and carrying on the whole time. The kids always dreaded the tongue lashings as well as the corporal punishment. But… in all honesty, I guess both worked for us. I’m more black and white, he’s more grey. Everyone knows my husband as “the nicest guy ever”; He really is :-). Anyway, the point really is - if you like being around your kids, most likely - others will also like being around them.

Your children seem to have great taste in music of the past. How did you steer them away from people like Debbie Gibson and Britney Spears?
I don’t even know who Debbie Gibson is (sorry :-). As for Britney Spears – I guess they just never respected her as an artist… or song-writer; as a performer – I mean, sure… she’s talented. But my kids aren’t into pop stars; too down to earth for that lifestyle. They loathe all things fake… especially manufactured, poof-up (artists that poof and explode).

Our house always had music blaring. I danced many a dances with my toddlers in my living room. They were jigged around to The Beatles, Carole King, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, Phil Collins, Steely Dan, The Judds, Michael Bolton, Lionel Richie, Vince Gill, Fleetwood Mac, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, etc.

Who are your favorite artists, all time and recent?
All time would be the ones listed above. Recent would have to be Coldplay, Radiohead, ahh! This is too hard…too many.

However, there are some days when the only thing that will get me in a good mood, is “A Punchup at a Wedding”, or anything by Radiohead. My kids know if I’m struggling, they can blast Radiohead, or Kent, full blast and it will mellow me out. Favorite all time album – “Ok Computer”…but “Kid A” is a close second. I ordered the full package version of “In Rainbows” the first day. But as a teen, one record stands out: “Tapestry” by Carol King. I used to sing in front of the mirror, holding a fingernail polish bottle as a mic for hours. Anyway, I was into all the classic rock artists – pretty much like every other 60’s – 70’s kid.

As unusual as it might seem, I still sing – more than ever. I am, and have been the worship leader at The Vineyard Church, Tyler, TX, for 10 years, so naturally I have to stay plugged into the cooler modern stuff in that market these days. I have my favorites: Phil Wickham (sounds like mellow, poppier), Rita Springer (female Don Henley or Bryan Adams), Chris Tomlin, Leeland, Aaron Sprinkle (he’s not really a Christian artist), 100 Portraits, Waterdeep, Casey Corum, David Crowder, etc. While most of the cd’s get tossed in the trash, there are occasionally some nuggets.

Do you play any instruments yourself?
I played guitar when I was younger and can still plunk out chords, simple songs, etc. however, when I met my husband, (Boyd DuPree), I was a young 16 year old, filled with insecurities. Boyd was a great drummer, (age 19), when we met, and his brother, (my bro’ in law/Garron’s dad - Wade DuPree), was a very accomplished guitar player. I was so intimidated by his skill, that I stopped playing somewhere during those years before Boyd and I married in 79 (3 months from my 19th birthday).

At the time I thought, “I will never be that good”. Truth… but I would have been good enough now to play and write my own songs. It’s been 31 years since I stopped playing. To date, that was one of the dumbest decisions I’ve ever made in life.

When my kids started showing interest in playing instruments, I tried to encourage each of them by telling them not to ever give it up, I reminded them of my own stupidity, so maybe my hard lesson helped somehow. All of them pretty much play something.

What’s the best Mother’s Day gift you ever received?
This is a hard question for me. I actually saved it for last. I guess because of our family size (one income family of 10. Oh, the two extra’s are my grand daughter (Chauntelle’s) and my “grafted in” daughter - Jessica, who happens to be Weston’s girlfriend. She came to live with us at age 16 when her single mom fell on hard times. Anyway, as far as gifts, in the sense of “things”, our family has never been really big on that when it comes to special days.

Instead, we have a grand meal, with lots of friends, and family, and those are some of the most special times for me. Whether it’s for mother’s day, or someone’s birthday. Being a mother to this big family is a huge gift.

Are there any embarrassing stories that you like to tell about your kids that you’d like to share with our readers?
Honestly, aside from baby poop mishaps, my kid’s really do not do things that embarrass me. They do tons of funny things, but not really embarrassing.

Hmm, on that note I guess I do have one good story that I can share. (I got permission).

I remember being in a kid’s store in the Houston area when Chauntelle and Sherri were little. It was in Greenspoint Mall (now known as Gunspoint, due to the high crime area). Chauntelle was walking next to me while shopping. Sherri had toddled over to the indoor play area… there was a slide or something.

This was a store that knew me by name; like, they’d greet me with, “how are you doing today Mrs. DuPree?” I shopped there quite often with two little girls. Sherri was in potty training mode when all of a sudden, I hear some other kid in the store say (really loud), “EWW! GROSS! THERE’S POOP ON THE SLIDE!” I quickly looked to recheck and see where my kids were, and Sherri could not be found.

But Chauntelle and I knew where to look; sure enough - we sniffed her out. She was crouched under the clothes rack… hiding. I did what any upstanding mother of toddlers would do. I grabbed Sherri, placed her in the stroller so no one would see she was the one that had made the deposit all the way down the slide, left the clothes that I had selected for purchase that day, grabbed Chauntelle’s hand and bolted out of the store. I headed to the nearest restroom to deal with my potty training daughter. Thus, that day I realized where the bumper sticker originated, “Sh*t Happens!”

Can you tell people what Brewtones Coffee Galaxy is?
Brewtones Coffee Galaxy… hmm… how to put it into words. I’m not good at condensing things (as you guys have seen) but I’ll try. Living in Tyler, TX is a great place to raise a family but the only thing for youth to do is: go to movies, skating, bowling, etc. Add SuperWalMart to the list and you have never ending fun.

We got bored and wanted to do something with music. Some kids were trying to do shows at a place called The Box but were struggling. Our small, indie-ish church had the strip mall venue and a sound system. Boyd did the design/imaging, we decorated with lots of old stuff like instruments and coffee memorabilia, etc. I brought in bands, we both promoted – on line and through standard methods, the entire family, and a handful of volunteers -including a very young ‘eisley’ - worked their butts off, setting up/breaking down, running sound, cooking for bands, housing bands, cleaning up until 4 am, etc. for 3 years. It was a great experience.

Eisley ended up being the long term outcome from that labor of love. Bands that would come through always requested Eisley as the opening band so they ended up being the unofficial house band. But honestly, we had 100’s of local bands play during those 3 years. When the band got signed to WB in 2003, the crew that helped me run this “venue” went on the road, and the shows have been few and far between since then. We occasionally still do them and will have 2 -300 show up. Good times.

And lastly, there are a few upstanding young single Buzzgrinder writers on our staff. Can you put a good word in with your girls?
Well, this past year has been a bit cruel in the “true love” department for my girls. Honestly, I’ve read your site. I know what people have said about the failed relationships.

People want us to “reveal” things, but, even though Eisley is much more open about their lives, it would not be right for us to talk about the failings of the relationships of this past year, because it involves other peoples lives to. All that to say, I can put in a good word, but momma ain’t no cupid. I support my kids when they need support, and try to stay in my place when they need to fly. Through our many discussions, this is what it takes… He must be a man of his word. WORDS MEAN THINGS! He must understand, appreciate, and believe in the institution of marriage, and honor, and understand vows. He must be faithful only to his wife. He must appreciate, and hopefully love our family. He must be talented, driven, funny, stable, and not be threatened by women who are talented, beautiful, and have a sometimes demanding career that sends them out on the road, and be supportive of their career.

Also, hopefully, he shares our faith. In exchange, the qualified suitor would be eligible, (if the girls were interested), for women that have a strong, old fashioned sense of what a relationship is suppose to be. Faithful only to one, caring solely for her family, caring for her husband, home, and children should they come along. He would also be melded into one of the coolest families that I know of…. mine. (wink!) A family that would love them through anything, stand by them to the end, and root for their success…. if they stick around to see that happen.

Written by Blake Garris
> Interview, Music | 4:00 pm |
More on: Eisley

70 Responses to “Interview: Kim DuPree, Mother of Eisley”

On 05/3/08 5:15 PM, Simón said:

Excellent interview. Very interesting; good idea to interview the mother. Well done, young Blake.
On 05/3/08 8:58 PM, liz said:

best interview in the universeeeee.
loved it.
On 05/3/08 9:28 PM, Jamie said:

Excellent interview! Thanks for the good read!

“momma ain’t no cupid” Haha, I love you Kimberlina!
On 05/3/08 9:46 PM, Andrew said:

I find some of this interview hard to believe, since girls don’t poop.
On 05/3/08 9:50 PM, Ali said:

What a great interview. Good read.
On 05/3/08 10:35 PM, N said:

I loved this! Very wonderful interview. I really enjoyed what Kim had to say. Very touching.
On 05/3/08 10:50 PM, kristal said:

awesome interview! and everyone came out great in that photo.
On 05/3/08 11:10 PM, Melanie said:

Great interview! It’s easy to see where the lovely Eisleyans get it from.
On 05/3/08 11:27 PM, chxd said:

eh…good interview….maybe ive just had bad run-ins with her, but this doesnt sound like the person that ive met.
On 05/3/08 11:33 PM, Melissa said:

Very interesting and real interview. Good questions and great answers!
On 05/4/08 12:13 AM, Emma said:

You only wish your mom were this cool. It’s only fitting that such a group of talented, funny, down-to-earth genuine human beings would have such a mother.
On 05/4/08 12:18 AM, Jay DiNitto said:

Andrew is right. Girls don’t poop. They sprout flowers instead.
On 05/4/08 1:32 AM, Mike P said:

Kim is so “real!” No wonder that family is so amazing, talent wise, and as people! Reading it just did my heart good!
On 05/4/08 2:36 AM, Jamison said:

Jay, don’t tell me those were flowers petals on the side of the toilet when that girl disrupted my bathroom cleaning today at work because she had to use it.
On 05/4/08 4:14 AM, ashstars said:

kim is so funny and smart. most of all she is blessed to understand and to have instilled in her children morals and values and the importance of family. we need more people like her around.
On 05/4/08 4:15 AM, ashstars said:

ps. eisley rules! woot woot
On 05/4/08 10:38 AM, ks1990 said:

’sh*t happens’ haha roflmao. I loved this interview. Haha, funny. Funny smart and great.

Kim (aka supermom) you freakin’ rock!
I wish I had grown up in a family as close as yours. You’re like the perfect family.
On 05/4/08 11:03 AM, Jac said:

Such a lovely interview. Eisley is my favorite band and I always appreciate hearing from Kim. She seems like a truly wonderful woman. And the story about Sherri is priceless.
On 05/4/08 1:19 PM, matthew said:

Wow, that was a great interview! Thank you.
On 05/4/08 1:35 PM, Lynn said:

Wonderful interview (:
I love long answers, the way Kim answered(word choice, phrases, details) can tell so much more about her aside from what she says.
I really enjoyed reading this.
On 05/4/08 2:17 PM, sammy said:

They seriously are very kind and fun family.
On 05/4/08 7:13 PM, Darcy said:

Best article ever! A++++ Would read again!
On 05/4/08 10:26 PM, John said:

Kim is a wonderful mother and she and Boyd have raised an incredibly loving, talented and caring family. With all the poor Hollywood role models in the news eveyday, I am so pleased that my daughters have found Eisley, who they look up to and think the world of both musically and as truly good people!
On 05/4/08 11:39 PM, Sarah said:

Very nice interview. Kim and Boyd are as cool and sweet as the band =)
On 05/5/08 8:57 AM, thomas said:

great, funny interview!
the duprees are awesome
On 05/5/08 10:35 AM, Damon said:

Loved the interview. A great read! Thanks for interviewing her.
On 05/5/08 11:21 AM, kathy said:

aw, that was a such a good interview.
kim is amazing
and the sherri-poop story was hilarious
haha…

(=
On 05/5/08 5:57 PM, besky said:

Aw, what a wonderful mama those Eisley kids have! I wish I had a close family like that.
On 05/5/08 10:58 PM, sherri said:

aw, i lurve my momma.
On 05/5/08 11:04 PM, thomas said:

holy crap!
sherri just commented on her own mommy talking about her crap!
sweeeet…
=)
On 05/6/08 12:41 AM, bmxbandit said:

Wholesome..thats all I get from this band/family. So awesome, I wish I could have said the same for mine growin up..its all motivation to make my future family as rocking as this one. Grand interview! Thanks!
On 05/6/08 4:03 AM, joni said:

Really fun to read and hear more about the family! Way to go cousins!
joni in seattle
On 05/6/08 6:33 AM, Jay DiNitto said:

So many blank avatars…
On 05/6/08 9:27 AM, mistah mime said:

awww, this made me so happy.
On 05/6/08 10:56 PM, Dan and Sam said:

Awesome interview! Kim and Boyd have created an amazing family, with admirable values and incredible talent all around. Happy Mother’s Day ,Kim! and best wishes to all the DuPrees and Eisley always! P.S.: my daughter and I attended our first EISLEY concert last week in Detroit. I’m 52 and have been to many concerts over the years: the Beach Boys, Tina Turner, Fleetwood Mac, Heart, Peter Frampton, Aerosmith, etc.– the EISLEY concert was my favorite of all time!– thanks EISLEY for making such great music! And thanks Kim and Boyd for making EISLEY
On 05/8/08 10:50 AM, Erin said:

yay for miss kim!! woo hoo! i loved this article–it’s nice seeing a pic of kim with all the kids–and weston’s expression is awesome!
On 05/8/08 12:32 PM, wes said:

this interview is apparently aw-inspiring.
On 05/10/08 12:18 PM, Jade said:

such a great interview, thank you!
On 05/10/08 8:13 PM, Chauntelle said:

I love you mom! You’re the most amazing woman that I know!
On 05/11/08 2:50 PM, Boyd DuPree said:

i got lucky.
On 05/11/08 2:57 PM, Boyd DuPree said:

28 years ago.

Happy Mom’s day babe…from Seattle.

(shameless plug: come see her kids
@Chop Suey Tonight! Doors at 7:0pm
On 05/11/08 6:20 PM, fluffums said:

Aw, this interview was genuinely sweet.
Happy Mother’s Day, Eisleymom!
On 05/11/08 7:39 PM, Kylee said:

I just stumbled upon this interview again, and it was even better to read the second time. Kim, you really are such a wonderful lady! I love reading things from you because it’s full of so much heart and truth.
On 05/11/08 8:24 PM, xtina said:

kim is awesome.
On 05/11/08 9:23 PM, leiaah said:

cool interview! this is an awesome family!

love from the Philippines
On 05/12/08 3:46 PM, Kelsey K said:

Great interview. Kim, you and your family have impacted my life greatly. I love you guys.
On 05/12/08 4:36 PM, andy said:

Wow good thing I kept my mouth shut in that other thread…
On 05/12/08 7:23 PM, Anthony said:

Mrs. DuPree! Loved the interview. Especially seeing what music you like. Aaron Sprinkle is one of my favorites. Phil Wickham and Leeland are also pretty good. I recently started liking Radiohead. I also grew up listening to most of the older stuff because of my parents. Anyway, you’re the 2nd coolest mom ever! Sorry, my mom is the coolest
On 05/13/08 4:08 AM, clint said:

awww such a good interview!
kim is such a nice, sweet lady!

her and the eisley bunch usually swing through the starbucks when they are heading out on tour and have a show in houston and are always a pleasure to visit with!
On 05/13/08 4:11 AM, clint said:

oh i forgot to add…

kim, you and eisley need to come through my starbucks again, we have new drinks and i will keep cash on me so i can get the new eisley cd from you! i spoke with your husband last time they stopped in, but he didnt have any on hand :/ so please bring a copy and your coffee is on me lol
On 05/14/08 1:57 AM, Cait said:

Thanks so much for doing the interview Kim! I loved reading it! You, your kids, and Eisley are amazing! =)
On 05/14/08 10:17 PM, al said:

“(one income family of 10. Oh, the two extra’s are my grand daughter (Chauntelle’s) and my “grafted in” daughter - Jessica”

Granddaughter or grand daughter?
Does Chauntelle have a daughter?
On 05/16/08 12:25 PM, Leopold da Motto said:

Fantastic! Wow, as a new father this is so invaluable information and as a awe-stricken appreciator of fine art, intrigued, as a husband to an angel, herself, relieved. Also, the sudden and sure magnetism of Kim and Boyd and the pure grace that the unity developed… I can relate, Elizabeth and I prayed for nothing short of true love and harmony the night before we met, disappointed with , eventually, everyone who had been giving us attention until October 21st, 2006. I hope Elizabeth and I can sow seeds on inspiration in the way that Boyd and Kim have. Jourden already is so musically in tune and clearly excited by guitars and singing. The other day she just plain grooved to Bob Dylan and when she heard Luvbeat’s remake of that cartoon movie song (when she was only about 3 or 4 months old) she reacted in the sweetest way to whomever it was singing. Um. Am I rambling? Sorry. Hey, see it’s contagious, the inspiration and reassurance and the bless-ed harmony that this little interview reminds me is already present. That’s the best kind of present someone can have and share. Thank you!
On 05/17/08 8:18 AM, andy said:

Man there’s more ass kissing in this thread than when Bill Powers posts!
On 05/17/08 9:02 AM, Jay DiNitto said:

andy ftw

I was going to make a similar comment. I mean, Kim et al, seem like great people, but can we tone down the worship a little bit?
On 05/17/08 12:30 PM, John said:

Not worship - just appreciation! Kim (and Boyd) have done an incredible job raising their family and this is just an opportunity for those who enjoy Eisley’s music to let her know how much we appreciate the great job she did raising her family (who are also the ones who provide us so much joy through their music)! Thank you Kim!
On 05/17/08 12:32 PM, jacki said:

eepp!!!
On 05/25/08 5:48 PM, bob said:

Anyone find it funny that now Sherri is dating Max Bemis from Say Anything. Famous for his sexual exploits, drug use, and mental breakdowns. He’s also Jewish. I bet Kim loves that
On 05/28/08 7:20 PM, kellyvsshark said:

haha yeah kim! great interview & photo at the top!
On 06/1/08 2:15 AM, heathergyh said:

I love you all!
The interview is great!
On 06/1/08 8:30 AM, Jay DiNitto said:

bob, pretty sure the dating thing is just a rumor at this point.
On 06/13/08 11:40 AM, caitlin said:

nope, it’s true. she has confirmed it. i smell trouble…hope she is careful.
On 06/13/08 12:20 PM, phil said:

it is definitely true, but let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. sherri’s a levelheaded person from what i can tell - i’m not claiming to know her personally. let’s just wish them well. have you ever thought of the possibility that max could have gone through a personal life change like becoming a Christian?
On 06/13/08 12:22 PM, R said:

That is a shame. Sherri seems like a great girl. They all do. They need guys that are men. Not jackass little boys.

Aside from that, that Say Anything band is shit, and there is nothing worse than a band that takes movie titles as their name. So Dumb…
On 06/13/08 12:29 PM, Jay DiNitto said:

caitlin, phil - link to an interview/article/etc. or it’s still just a high school rumor.
On 06/13/08 3:10 PM, R said:

Phil, that would be great if that is the case. Let’s hope so…
On 06/13/08 3:17 PM, phil said:

they haven’t talked about it specifically in an interview/article, but you can figure it out from her journal on their website and they fact that he sang with them in Dallas - which is on youtube - and she called him ‘honey.’
her journal talks about her ‘bf’ and she also mentions listening to new Say Anything demos.
as far as holding a press conference to announce it, i doubt very seriously they want to draw any more attention to it as it has nothing to do with their music specifically.
…although certainly any relationships in a songwriter’s life can inspire songwriting.
On 06/13/08 7:13 PM, Jay DiNitto said:

Are you seriously paying that much attention to them?
On 06/14/08 12:36 AM, thomas said:

knowing that people come to this site and comment and feel part of a community of sorts, is it farfetched for someone to find the same community within a band’s messageboard/website - in this case Eisley?
On 06/14/08 9:46 AM, Jay DiNitto said:

Yes.

Saturday, May 3rd

Interview: Kim DuPree, Mother of Eisley

70 Responses to “Interview: Kim DuPree, Mother of Eisley”

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