A pair of sisters met a pair of brothers and became four of a promising kind. Known as The Vespers, this grounded group of homegrown musicians have Nashville in their blood but down-to-earthier ideals in their souls.
Blessed with humble spirits, and songs with such emotional depth and intricate harmonies, it makes you wonder how they can be so under the radar. This sister/brother act doesn't even have a manager -- or a Wikipedia page.
That's all about to change. With the release of their superb second album, The Fourth Wall, on April 3, the Vespers -- Callie and Phoebe Cryar, Taylor and Bruno Jones -- better get ready to lead a life less normal. As long as they're ready and willing, it's hard to fathom a better collection of unsigned, indie artists in the 19-22 age bracket capable of breaking through that wall.
Neither totally shy nor gregarious, the Cryar sisters are confident and outspoken enough to know what they want in their music, yet still open to outside ideas. Before a video shoot in their hometown last week, they graciously shared thoughts about the origin of the Vespers, The Fourth Wall, their Nashville upbringing and what they want out of all this.
Sister act
"Callie and I have been singing together for so long, it's more of a natural thing," said Phoebe, who proudly calls her older sister "a vocal powerhouse." Callie's bluesy delivery on Son House's "Grinnin In Your Face," the lone cover on the album, is proof positive of that.
The Cryar twosome (Callie, far right, and Phoebe in the "Flower Flower" video) share so many pretty physical traits that many have mistaken them for twins. While splitting lead vocals and playing a number of instruments (Callie: guitar, ukulele, banjo and electric bass; Phoebe: mostly banjo and guitar, some ukulele and an occasional mandolin and accordion), they admittedly remain competitive with each other (Phoebe: "Very"; Callie: "Extremely."). But their contrasting personalities are soon detectable, with Phoebe-speak coming quickly and quietly while a candid Callie pauses more often but is always "telling it like it is," her younger sibling reveals.
"We're definitely sisters, so we have our little spats here and there," Phoebe added. "But at the same time we understand each other very well."
While mostly in agreement during this almost hourlong conversation, the Cryars did have a difference of opinion about their songwriting abilities:
Phoebe: "I usually lean towards melodies, and her lyrics, she usually puts a lot more thought into hers and they're usually very powerful and they can stand on their own. But my lyrics are a lot more simple, I think. And I usually lean on the music more."
Callie: "I've got to correct you there."
Phoebe (expressing mock outrage): "What!"
Callie: "I think the reason I put more thought into my lyrics is because it's more of a struggle for me to just naturally come up with good lyrics. ... I don't like writing a song unless I'm proud of the lyrics and so it takes me longer and takes me studying harder to make lyrics that I like. Maybe that's why it seems like I'm better at lyrics, but I'm not. I just have to put more time into it to get a good grade, basically."
While Phoebe's higher-range vocals may be more delicate and her words less complex, her songs can be just as affecting -- and effective.
And when I do you wrong
Sin pushes me away
It always takes so long
For me to stop askin
Phoebe's touching performance of "Will You Love Me," that swells to a stunning conclusion as the two repeatedly sing those four little words in harmony while turning a question into a plea, is one of the album's highlights, taking what could be an ordinary love song to deeper, spiritual heights.
"In reality, it's kind of written for my relationship with Christ," Phoebe said. "I'm always finding myself worrying that I don't ever measure up and I can't attain to God's perfection. And it's hard for me to just even talk to God because I feel like I'm not worthy. And I'm not. But at the same time, he doesn't see my faults. They're forgotten in his eyes and he loves me anyway, even though I have doubts about it."
Raised as devout Christians, Callie, 21, and Phoebe, 19, don't hide their show of faith, letting listeners slowly get the inspirational message without hitting you over the head with it. Clues are conveyed through other songs such as "Lawdy," "Got No Friends" and "Better Now."
Callie succinctly summed up the nature of the group.
"We're all four Christians. We're not a Christian band, but we're a band of Christians," she said, not volunteering that information until asked. "And we're all pretty seriously committed to that and it's very important to us... It's certainly something that people find out about us after they meet us. It's not like it takes a long time to realize that 'cause it's just how important it is to all of us."
Read the entire article from Huffington Post
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