Photos provided by Fame + Fiction
An Interview Between Selena Haynes and Fame & Fiction | Photos Provided By Fame & Fiction
The current iteration of Fame & Fiction – the all-queer, rock/pop sextet from Nashville – was solidified on a late winter evening in 2020 just hours before a massive tornado devastated parts of the city.
Fame & Fiction has proven to be a storm-like force all its own, refusing to back down in the face of a world-altering pandemic or be silenced by the escalating social and political assaults waged on queer communities. Instead, Leah Shipchack (vocals), Lauren Horbal (drums), Owen (bass), Kels Cordare (guitars, strings), Cara McCarthy (guitars) and Mary Jennings (keys) have persisted and overcome.
Multi-instrumentalist McCarthy joined in 2019, followed by electronica/pop veteran Jennings in March 2020 (on the night of the aforementioned Nashville tornado), and “Fame & Fiction 2.0” came to be. Despite the arrival of COVID-19 which led to the cancellation of the new lineup’s live debut later that month, the band was determined not to allow the virus to disrupt the momentum it had been gaining.
The group’s personal and artistic chemistry was strengthened during the pandemic through Zoom chats, outdoor dinners, and other socially-distanced hangouts. Throughout this period, all six members actively contributed to a prolific series of songwriting sessions, significantly broadening the band’s repertoire.
Fame & Fiction finally premiered live as a six-piece in the summer of 2021, performing to a capacity crowd at Nashville’s Exit/In. This was both a celebration of a return to normalcy and a declaration by the band that it had persevered…and arrived.
As the pandemic began to subside, a fresh challenge emerged: drag performers and members of Tennessee’s queer community became increasingly subjected to malicious rhetoric and far-reaching, restrictive legislation that posed a threat to their freedoms and existence. Despite being shaken by these abhorrent attacks and their consequences, the band’s determination remained steadfast. Fully cognizant of, yet undeterred by, the palpable sense of prejudice and hatred surrounding them, Fame & Fiction entered the studio in early 2023 and emerged with a new EP, titled “Hello, Old Friends.”
Connect had the opportunity to speak with members of Fame & Fiction about the past, present and future for the sextet.
Connect: Tell us how Fame & Fiction got its start.
Lauren (she/her): Leah and I had been playing music together over the years, but nothing really stuck after our band in Connecticut dissolved around 2011. Sometime in 2016, a local artist named Kristen Ford reached out to Leah to get together and play and that relationship reignited a desire to form a new band. Through Kristen, we also met Treux Noe, who became the original drummer for the band while I played guitar.
I knew Owen through working at a restaurant together and asked if they would play bass for a random show at the Lipstick Lounge that Leah booked for our band that technically didn’t exist yet. So the four of us (myself, Leah, Treux, and Owen) threw together a set of covers and some originals and performed our first show in the fall of 2016. We knew right away that we wanted to continue playing together and building this new band, and shortly after Kristen joined us on guitar.
Treux and Kristen then brought in their friend Kelsey, who was originally our cellist, and the six of us played our first show together at a sold-out showcase at the Basement East in January of 2017. We had quite a few personnel changes over the years and eventually met Cara, who stepped in as our lead guitar player. I then moved to drums and Kelsey moved to rhythm guitar, and we asked Mary to take on keys/synth in early 2020 to give our band a new sound.
Connect: How have you grown over the years?
Leah (she/her): I think we have all progressed as writers, musicians and performers. Everyone has grown into their roles and excelled in them, and the members and instruments we have added have absolutely improved our overall sound.
Owen (they/them): One big shift is that everyone contributes to the songwriting process now. It used to be that we’d just work on songs that Leah and/or Lauren brought in. Now it’s not unusual for any of us, or even all six of us, to have written on a track. That’s a pretty cool development.
Kels (she/her): We’ve definitely grown as musicians. I think we’ve found the formation that works best and it’s really cool to see how all of our different strengths work together.
Lauren: I think we’ve gotten better at listening to each other, both personally and musically. And we’ve gotten a lot closer, to the point where we are really a family now and I think that’s something that our fans see and experience when they come to a show.
Connect: With your new single, “Famous,” how true do the words resonate with each of you?
Mary (she/her): The tongue-in-cheek and even sardonic approach to fame in the song resonates so well with me. I have always felt like chasing trends was a waste of time because you will always be behind. Instead, just be unabashedly you and maybe the trend will find you and even if it doesn’t, you can sleep at night knowing you’re authentic. This is a world of trend-chasing and fame-seeking, so it’s awesome to have a song that is both fun and danceable to shake out that discord.
Leah: Especially these days, people more than ever are constantly and abundantly trying to promote themselves, brand themselves, go viral, start a trend, get a million views/followers, seek validation, etc. “Famous” to me represents how exhausting and repetitive and “main character” you have to be, and what priorities you have that the average person probably wouldn’t find very important.
Kels: I think the satire of the song is very appropriate. In my 20s, I was hungry to do as much as possible and made a lot of sacrifices for music. Ultimately, I burned out and took some time away from music. Now in my 30s, I have a much healthier balance in my life, and with hindsight continue to watch the pattern with up-and-coming musicians. It’s almost a rite of passage for artists to find out how far they can push themselves before they fall on their face, one way or another. Hopefully, they can reset their life. And they’ll probably get a song out of it too.
Lauren: For me, it’s a reminder that what’s online isn’t always real and it’s not an authentic representation of who people really are and what they’re up to. I think a lot of us get trapped in the whirlwind that is social media promotion. We don’t like doing it but feel like in 2023 we have to in order to stay relevant. It can be exhausting and to me, the song is saying yeah, everyone is out there trying to hustle and self-promote but we don’t have to constantly be comparing ourselves to those people.
Connect: How does it feel to have new music ready to go after more than half a decade?
Cara (she/her): It feels like we’ve been keeping this huge secret from everyone and I’m so excited to spill the beans! The shift of our sound from the first EP to this one shows so much growth. We’ve all been through a lot in the last few years and have supported each other tremendously. That definitely comes across in the new EP and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it!
Lauren: I’m incredibly excited, and just super proud of this band. We are not the same people we were when we wrote and released “Headspace” more than five years ago, and the band sounds pretty different now as the lineup and instruments have changed. These songs definitely dig a little deeper thematically, and there are more interesting things happening musically on “Hello, Old Friends.”
Leah: I am really excited to give people a new side to our music. I feel like we have leaned into our writing style and sound, and to be able to show people all these great tracks after so long makes me super happy!
Connect: What can we expect for live performances in 2024?
Cara: Choreographed dance moves, impromptu freestyling and exotic woodwind instruments! I’m kidding, though maybe we’ll do all that on the next album. Our shows are getting tighter and we’re starting to take more creative liberties with each song we perform, so you’ll never see the same show twice.
Owen: Personally, I’m hoping for go-go dancers.
Lauren: We will definitely be playing a lot more shows than we have in the past few years and we are looking to branch out regionally as well. We’re hoping to play some more pride events this year and just increasingly get in front of more new audiences.
Connect: Anything else you’d like to add?
Leah: We have awesome momentum right now and we are more organized, motivated and hardworking than ever. We have assembled a great team and I believe great things will follow.
Kels: I’m proud of us and the work we’ve all done to keep this band going.
Cara: We’re definitely all working our asses off, but there are no other people I would rather do this with. Keep your eyes peeled for more great stuff to come!
Fame & Fiction will release “Hello, Old Friends” in January 2024, kicking off what promises to be a busy year for a band that has found its voice, planted its flag and is needed now more than ever. You can check out their latest video for the single, “Famous,” stay up to date on news, shows and more by visiting www.fameandfiction.com.
