A Conversation With The Staves

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The UK-based folk trio, The Staves, has been making a name for itself at a feverish pace. Although the outfit, consisting of sisters Emily, Jessica, and Camilla Staveley-Taylor, has yet to release a full-length album, it has already been signed with Atlantic Records and is currently on tour with the Grammy award winner, Bon Iver. Though it’s a hectic time for the girls, they were kind enough to chat with me about working with legendary producers Ethan and Glyn Johns, touring with the Wisconsin bard, and sibling rivalry.

Katrina Nattress: You girls have garnered a lot of press already, and you haven’t even released a full-length album yet. How long have you been playing music together?

The Staves: Well, being sisters means we’ve grown up singing together. It was always something we did at home for fun, and it was only in the last couple of years that we started touring and playing outside of our hometown.

KN: I’ve read that you used to harmonize to your parents records. Were your parents musicians?

TS: Our parents play a bit of guitar and piano and both have lovely voices but never gigged. They’d always be singing us songs when we were little and would play Paul Simon records and The Beatles all the time.

KN: Do you feel like this exposure to music had an influence in starting the band?

TS: It definitely did, as singing and harmonizing together became second nature to us. Dad taught us to play guitar so then we could play the songs we loved, and this eventually led to song writing.

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KN: The media has compared you to ‘70s legends like Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny. Do you agree with these comparisons? How does it feel to be compared to greats like these?

TS: It’s very flattering to be compared to artists as wonderful as these two, but it’s not how we would describe ourselves!

KN: Camilla, you play the ukulele (which is AWESOME!). How long have you been playing, and what elements do you feel this instrument adds to The Staves sound?

TS: I’ve been playing for a few years now. We all like that it doesn’t have too much of a clean, twinkly sound despite it’s high register. I use it mostly to punctuate or highlight certain parts of the songs, and it’s great to write on too because you come up with different things to something like a guitar. It’s also easy to carry around because it’s tiny!

KN: I have read that Ethan Johns was your dream producer. What was your reaction when he said he wanted to produce your debut album?

TS: We were ecstatic! We loved his work on the early Kings of Leon stuff and Ben Kweller and all the rest – it’s a strange feeling when someone like that says that they really dig your stuff. You can’t quite believe it.

KN: How did it feel to work with him and his father Glyn?

TS: Glyn is a recording legend really – the amount of records he’s worked on – so having him on board too was very exciting. They get on very well but have different approaches to the recording process. Ethan is a fantastic musician and very laid back so would be sitting with us playing most of the time. Glyn has a great work ethic and would never leave the studio if he had his way.

KN: How is the album coming along? What process are you in?

TS:We are putting the finishing touches to the mixes and deciding on which songs make the cut and all that jazz. All nearly done.

KN: When can we expect the album to be released?

TS: September.

KN: You are currently touring with Bon Iver. How is that going?

TS: Swimmingly. Their live show is mind blowing from start to finish. It’s such fun to tour with a band [that] you love and respect. They’ve all been very friendly and supportive of us, too. And the audiences seem to be responding well to our stuff so far…

KN: Any interesting stories from the road?

TS: There are too many to tell! We stopped at a roadside diner the other day in the middle of nowhere and a customer had done a … well you know… on the doorstep. We felt so sorry for the staff but kept laughing for the entire day.

KN: Since you are sisters, is there ever any sibling rivalry in the band?

TS: No, not at all. We are very boring and just get on well and have a good laugh. We can be very honest with each other and all keep each other in check if someone is acting like a dick! We definitely bicker, as most siblings do, but we have a lot of fun.

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