Since The Staves first EP release in 2010, the Staveley-Taylor sisters have risen from an open-mic night act in local pubs in England to globally recognized musicians. After learning to harmonize by singing along to their parents’ record collection, consisting of Simon & Garfunkel and Crosby, the trio took the folk scene by storm. After their EP, Mexico became a renowned hit in the genre in 2011, The Staves carried the buzz and attracted attention from big name record labels and appeared on tour with The Civil Wars and Bon Iver.
The Staves’ creativity and originality has continued to propel the sisters onwards and upwards and now after the release of their most recent EP, Sleeping In A Car, The Staves are resuming their life on the road headlining their own summer tour. Volume recently had a chat with Emily Staveley-Taylor about life on the road, Sleeping In A Car and their love for America.
Volume: Congratulations on the new EP, Sleeping In A Car! How was putting it together and how difficult was it picking three tracks considering you said your inspiration was from life on the road and it seems like you’re on the go quite a bit nowadays?
The Staves (Emily): Yes, we do. We tried to get balance where we’re not on the road for so long that we lose our minds. We’re on the road for a bit, then in the studio for a bit and then at home for a bit. I think too much of any one thing can make you a bit crazy. Making this EP was great though. The last album, it was at least a year after we finished recording it that it was actually released. We really wanted to do a couple of EPs to ride the momentum that is creativity. It feels really good and it stops you from over-analyzing your work. Just three songs, they’re quite different and on an EP they fit together. These are the snap shots of our lives over the last six months.
V: Do you hang on to songs or did you hang on to “Sleeping In A Car” and wait for the perfect time to release it?
Emily: I don’t like doing that. Instead of hanging on to it, let’s just let it go. We were just waiting to get into the studio and make a proper recording of it. Once we had that, we just wanted to put it out. Everyone is like, we should save it for an album but then the subtext is that you’re scared that we won’t write anything that good again [laughs].
V: They say touring brings people closer together and that bands are a family. However you are family. What’s it like traveling the globe with your sisters as a band?
Emily: Well, it’s nice. It can be disorienting to be so far away from your friends, family, your routine and home. It’s nice that we take a big part of our home with us. It’s comforting and it’s fun, but also maddening because we argue.
V: Although you argue a bit, was putting together this EP easier considering you all share the life on the road experience?
Emily: Definitely. We were just exploring what a strange thing it is to live like this when all your anchors are gone. You can lose a sense of yourself and what everything means when you’re so far away from any mirror you hold up to yourself. It was a late night conversation and always what we’re going through comes out in our songwriting. It’s natural.
V: Being on the road so much with your sisters, do you ever have the moments when you just need to get away?
Emily: Oh, yes, of course. We drive each other mental sometimes. Finding a moment alone on tour is a very difficult and a precious thing. We give each other space when we have time, even if it’s just to walk down the road to get a coffee or make a phone call outside the bus.
V: I know you’ve mentioned that you love it here in America but what is the one thing that you love the most?
Emily: I have to say the people. It’s a general thing; quite difficult to quantify. I’m overwhelmed at the friendliness of people. The warmth and generosity. The people that come to our shows are so kind. They just care or they do a good job of pretending to. They say nice things and react. There’s an energy about them and it’s just so fun. You can meet so many people and it’s a great time. Also, we like pretzels! But I have to say, I miss tea so much. It’s all coffee, coffee, coffee.
V: There’s a Starbucks on every corner! Playing in small venues with the warmth of the people, does it feel like home?
Emily: It does. It’s really touching seeing the people singing your songs. We’ve never met them and we’re so far from home and yet they know us. It’s a strange feeling but it’s really touching. It means a lot! And I think small crowds are great because you can see people’s faces and it’s very intimate. We love that!
V: I have to ask about the Netflix documentary Austin to Boston that you starred in. What was it like touring the country in Volkswagen vans and playing with Ben Howard, Bear’s Den and Nathaniel Rateliff?
Emily: It was so fun! Quite often with touring, you try to eliminate the travel aspects. So to do it the opposite way, embracing the travel was quite magical. The sense of achievement you get when arriving somewhere was… you’re like, “we did it! It was a 16-hour drive, but we did it.” We didn’t lose anyone, everyone broke down, we had to push the vans, we haven’t eaten, we read to the drivers to keep them awake, but we did it. That brought everyone together. It was the fact that it was in the [Volkswagens]. It was hard. People weren’t sleeping and one of the vans stunk of Petrol. We were dirty and disgusting, but it was amazing! Just a three-week tour, by the third show it was such an intense experience that we were bonded together and we’re still in touch with everyone. It was the greatest, so much fun!
V: So you’d do it again?
Emily: Absolutely!
V: Last time you released an EP, an album followed. Is that something we can expect in the future?
Emily: We definitely want to make another album but not quite sure when. To be honest, we’ve really enjoyed doing EPs. It’s so nice to record something and just release it two months later and it’s more reflective of the creative process. It’s strange to do an album and release it two years after you started writing it. By that time, you’ve started writing more songs and you’re kind of over it. We might stick to the EP train for a while.
V: Lastly, are there any surprises on this tour or for your show in Carrboro, NC at Cats Cradle on June 21?
Emily: It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you about it would it? All the costume changes and t-shirt cannons. It’s a big budget show with lasers and everything. We’ve changed the set up of the band quite a lot. We’re all playing instruments we’ve never played before and there’s definitely one brand new song we haven’t played before.
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