From meeting at an open mic, to falling in love thereafter, to releasing their full length album, Ghost, in January, roots rock n’ soul band The FBR possess a unique journey rarely seen.
Led by Malarie McConaha (lead vocals, guitar) and Tim Hunter (guitar), the rock n’ roll lovebirds harness a hard-hitting blend of roots rock and soul, with influences like Fleetwood Mac, Bonnie Raitt, and Emmylou Harris among others. Their name — The FBR — is directly inspired from Leonard Cohen’s song, “Famous Blue Raincoat.”
The couple tied the knot in March, and their boundless connection is felt deeply within their music. While content with their musical origins as a duo, they’ve since established a six-person band that they can build their chemistry off of, creating a more diverse and full sound.
The tracks off of their latest project, Ghost, address the “ghosts” — whether past or present — that are in all of us that drive us to make decisions for ourselves, ideally not reliving mistakes. They were recorded live to showcase the group’s distinguished talents as performers.
We got to catch up with the duo to talk more about what it’s like to work and create music with your partner in crime, life after marriage, the release of Ghost, and more.
So how exactly did the two of you meet? And did the relationship come first, or did making music together?
Malarie: We met at an open mic in Leipers Fork, Tennessee. Tim heard me play a Leonard Cohen tune, and that sparked a conversation! Making music came first, and we started dating just shy of a year after meeting that first time.
So your album, Ghost, came out earlier this year. What would you say is the underlying theme or themes you sought to get across with it?
Malarie: This album is about the things that haunt us all as we get older… The scariest parts of life didn’t end up being the monsters under the bed, but more or less the skeletons in our own closets.
Regret, heartbreak, unhealthy coping mechanisms, realizing institutions you believed in were a lie, or the relationship you were in wasn’t as deep as you thought… or even regretting giving up on a past love. The album intentionally starts dark and gets lighter, both sonically and thematically.
What have y’all been up to from release to now? Tour, local gigs, honeymoon, etc.?
Malarie: We still haven’t taken our honeymoon, ha! Just a few weeks after the wedding, we toured in Texas and California, and also played a show in NYC. The first six months of the year were very busy, so this summer we’ve had more time off. We’ve been hosting family, enjoying friends, and are starting to plan the honeymoon lol.
Especially for songs like “Empty Room,” do you find it difficult to be vulnerable when writing about personal experiences, and what is that like for you?
Tim: As a songwriter, you have to learn to be okay with being vulnerable. It’s the same with performing. It’s how you achieve authenticity. If you’re not authentic, fans will know it. As story tellers, we try to create something that everybody can relate to in some way, and the best way to do that is to tell the truth.
What is the songwriting process like for the two of you? Do you bicker like husband and wife at this point?
Malarie: We cannot write in the same room at the same time, or we would probably bicker. Everyone’s creative process is so different, and we finally discovered that handing off lyrics or an idea and giving the other person space to run with it has yielded our best results as a writing duo.
Tim: We also just don’t feel forced to co-write. We show each other finished songs or partial songs, and see where we can go with them as a duo. More organic.
What made you want to create the album live?
Malarie: So interestingly enough, six of the nine songs were recorded in this format. The other three were recorded prior to 2022, before the six-piece band was put together, and Tim and I were still discovering our sound.
In mixing the record, we were very mindful of stripping back the these mixes to the main instruments that were live in the band. An acoustic, bass, drums, rhythm & lead electric, and keys. We then added back in certain sounds and textures, as well as added overdubs to the songs we live-tracked with the band, to blend the songs together. We didn’t feel the need to re-record the three tunes, as the foundation was great. The tracks were recorded with care, and Matt Sepanic (co-producer on those tracks) is an incredibly talented sound engineer.
Kevin Willis was also incredible to work with when we were live tracking. Capturing the sound as much as you can in the room, vs. editing to make it sound a certain way I think just yields so much more authentic results. Like on “Rain On,” Matt recorded the drums to tape to get a specific sound. By taking the full band in the studio and laying the foundation all in the same room, it felt more true to our live sound. We still overdubbed vocals and guitar parts in places. But the way we recorded we feel gave more life to the record. It also made us commit to our sound.
Which song was the most difficult or challenging to write on the album?
Tim: “Before I Drown” was the most difficult emotionally. I had a past relationship with someone who had a horrendous childhood, which led to substance abuse problems as an adult. One moment, we could be happy and carefree, the next could be terrifying and on the edge of potential tragedy. I had to go to deep, dark places to write it.
What artists do the two of you bond over most, and are there any artists one of you loves and the other loathes?
Malarie: Leonard Cohen (obvi), John Prine, Jason Isbell, Tedeschi Trucks, Death Cab for Cutie, Billie Eilish… man this list could go on for days. Our favorite thing to do is get a good playlist together and go on drives. I can’t think of anyone that one of us loves and the other hates.. maybe an indifference towards an artist that the other loves? Any distaste toward music is typically mutual.😂
What might fans have to look forward to from The FBR as we creep towards fall, and frankly, the end of the year?
Malarie: We have some shows locally in Nashville lining up in September and October, and potentially another tour out west in November! We also have a new collection of songs to start teaching the band… so starting to flesh out album two! I’m super excited for the future of this band. I love our band like brothers, and am so grateful they pour their passion into this project the way Tim and I have over the years.
