As the old saying goes ‘three is the magic number’ and when it comes to British folk group The Staves, that phrase was never truer.
The Staves is made up of three sisters Emily, Jessica, and Camilla Staveley-Taylor who have garnered interest from music fans all over the globe since the release of their critically acclaimed debut album ‘
Dead & Born & Grown’ back in 2012.
We caught up with youngest of the three, Camilla, ahead of their Irish tour dates to discuss new material, “the sister thing”, the connection with Irish crowds and her discomfort with the term ‘recording artist’.
“It’s kind of a power struggle between all of us,” she admits when asked if being the baby of the band has its drawbacks. “The butt of the jokes change from day-to-day, so it is an even demographic of bullying”.
The Staves are best known for their distinct old school pitch-perfect harmonies and Camilla recalls that the sisters have sung together for as long as she can remember.
“I can’t really remember a time when we didn’t,” she tells us.
“Not in a kind of performing capacity, but just like in the car on long journeys, when we’re washing up and around the house”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQXNUGMERQM
An acoustic performance of the sisters' track 'In The Long Run'.
A career in music was always something the trio had hoped for, however Emily and Jess completed university and they managed to balance music, education and a job perfectly for some time.
“In the back of our minds we always wanted to [pursue a career in music], it was a far off dream. We were like, ‘wouldn’t it be cool if one day we could be a proper band and tour’, but we didn’t set out with a plan to do that. I guess that’s because we thought it would never happen.
“Emily the oldest sister went to university, so did Jess and we did very casual gigs in summer holidays and stuff,” she continued. “Gradually we started doing more gigs and it became hard to hold down a job and before we knew it, music was our job.
“We just realised one day that we were a band,” she laughs.
Starting out, the girls had a repertoire that spanned across an array of wonderful music generations including, The Beatles and Joni Mitchell, all of which contributed to The Stave’s individual sound today.
When it comes to songwriting, the load is very much shared throughout the whole group.
“It can vary, one of us will have a nearly full-formed idea and it is when we are singing through that other changes will happen. Or one will have a line and we create it from that point”.
With just about every act in the music industry, comparisons are made with those who have gone before them. The Staves have just about heard it all, however, as far as Camilla is concerned, none rarely share the same sound as the trio and maintains it is all down to “the sister thing”.
“We have had some strange ones and some more obvious, like First Aid Kit and Haim, which are great, but we don’t really sound similar”.
When it comes to collaborating, The Staves called upon Bon Iver and bandmates, with whom they formed a strong musical bond with while providing support on the group’s North American and European tour. And as far as we’re concerned that is a match made in vocal harmony heaven.
The EP
Blood I Bled is the first public release of new works by the sisters, which Camilla tell us is the perfect lead-up to their eagerly anticipated forthcoming studio album that is produced by Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon.
“It’s been a long time in the making. We started demoing our body of work in February of last year, and
Blood I Bled was first completed. We then gigged a little and it developed. It was the perfect segway into the second EP as it is a much bigger song”.
When it comes to the topic of the band’s favourite track to perform and proudest, Camilla combines the two: “This is a tough question but something we’re really proud of is Blood I Bled. It has two sections – a main song that builds and shifts into this major string section. We’ve never had that before.
“We’d this guy called Rob Moose who arranged the strings around our voices. When we first performed that I could feel a tingle".
Despite the release of their latest EP, Camilla still finds it difficult to come to terms with the phrase ‘recording artists’ and the fact that she is making a living from doing something that both she and her sisters love.
“‘Recording artist’ is a weird unnatural thing, you put yourself into this micro environment”, she reveals.
“My favourite part of what we do would definitely be touring, as it just seems more natural. I love the energy of being on tour, it is just really organic”.
The Staves play Whelan’s Dublin on Thursday October 23rd and Dolan's of Limerick Friday the 24th and Camilla is quick to point out that there is something “inherently different” about the Irish crowd.
“There’s something that is inherently different about the Irish crowd. Folk music, the old sound, is in everyone, everywhere, especially the harmony-based stuff.
“We made a point of coming to Ireland and doing regional shows as well as just Dublin. Ireland crowds are great because they’re really up for it. Quiet crowds are nice too but we like to have banter on stage".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgHpHv7CQz0
The Staves released a stunning video for Blood I Bled on Friday.
Other things you need to know about The Staves…
Did you have any other alternative names for the band?
“We had intentions to come up with something cooler but never did. It’s very hard picking a band name because everything just sort of sounds crap. All names sound crap until you’ve made it big – like Radiohead, who would’ve thought that would work”.
What acts are you listening to at the moment?
“Bombay Bicycle Club. They are such a cool band that is constantly changing”.
Song that you would like to cover/ call your own?
Feist – Brandy Alexander from The Reminder album.
The Staves play Whelan’s, Dublin this Thursday October 23rd and Dolan's, Limerick, Friday October 24th. Tickets are priced €22 (including booking fee) and on sale now at Ticketmaster.ie.
For more information you can check out the sisters on
Twitter, Facebook and
thestaves.com. The band's brand new EP '
Blood I Bled' will be released Friday October 24th, however it is available for pre-order
here.
