A conversation with lead singer Francie Medosch about her creative process in anticipation of the band’s sophomore album.
By Reece Herberg, Edited by: Brittany Deitch
I’m on a mid afternoon walk when I first dig my teeth into the new Florry releases off their impending album, The Holey Bible. It seems appropriate to fully dive into the traditional country sounds in this way—mindlessly wandering through winding roads with the sweltering July heat sticking the hair to the back of my neck. The melancholic push and pull of the opening harmonica in “Cowgirl Giving'' sounds through my headphones. Neighborhood kids on bikes skillfully avoid cracks in the sidewalk, mosquitoes bite the flesh in short bursts. A fallen ice cream cone slowly sinks into the grass. Lead singer Francie Medosch’s masterful twang melts the bottom of my converse into the pavement. "What you want is tangible / what you want is painful,” she sings.
Yet again, Florry executes a matter-of-factness to earth shattering realizations. Medosch’s words hang heavily in the dense humidity of late summer. I repeat them over and over in my head.
It has been a difficult week. I left my Philadelphia apartment of two years, my friends of four, and now find myself back home, floating in space. I’ve raved about Florry– the self-described “ragtag” 7 piece country folk band to any Philly music enthusiast that will listen. For me, the band represents the rough and unencumbered optimism that defines the spirit of the city. With the familiarity of their sound comes an acute homesickness, as I yearn for the highs and lows of the place that has defined my young adulthood.
Identifying with the shifts of the band’s discography is natural. Their debut album, Big Fall, was conceived in the beginning of the pandemic. Despite its timing, songs like “Big Fall” and “Everyone I Love You” refuse to drive into deadends of cynicism or despair.
Medosch describes the process of facing catastrophe with a “bombastically positive force” as a means of “hopeful abandon.” Even in reflecting on losses and tribulations of the past, there is nowhere to push but forward. This is the unavoidable truth Florry forces us to accept.
As I planned my departure from Philadelphia, it felt only right to interview Medosch herself, who takes the lead in songwriting for my favorite Philly band of all time. With the upcoming release of The Holey Bible in early August and ongoing tour, it’s a hectic and eventful time for the group. Luckily, I was able to squeeze in an interview before the post release craze:
RH: There’s a 37 minute performance of you guys at PhilaMoca last year on Youtube playing songs off your debut album Big Fall. I tried to count all the instruments I spotted but gave up between the harmonica and what I believe was a literal cowbell with a mallet. Can you talk a bit about experimenting with different sounds/musical elements? How do you continue to keep it new and exciting?
FM: The instrumentation has pretty much been the same for a few years but it was something I pushed for after listening to a lot of recordings from the Rolling Thunder Revue and big country bands in general. I think pedal steel and fiddle are fun lead and rhythm instruments and they definitely keep things interesting when me or john aren’t doing busy work on guitar.
RH: If you had to pick three Florry songs to perform forever, what would they be?
FM: We really like playing a new song called Truck Flipped Over ‘19 and I think we've been playing Take My Heart since when we first learned it just cos people really love hearing it. Drunk and High is a classic too, we always like doing that one.
RH: Let’s go back to Big Fall. For me, this album feels like sitting by a campfire with your favorite people. Still, there are plenty of heavy moments lyrically even when it feels upbeat (Thinking specifically of songs like “Say Your Prayers”). What tone were you aiming to set with this album?
FM: I wasn't trying to set any tone honestly, all the songs were written and recorded over the course of about 4 years and over time I kinda gave up on tryna make any linear theme happen. I mostly remember writing the newer ones like You Don't Know, Big Fall, and Say Your Prayers, which were all kinda written around the idea of resiliency. I didn't really care how they sounded though, which is fine cos some of my favorite records are made that way. The drums on You Dont Know were recorded all together on John's iphone and panned to one side, same with Big Fall. I also definitely did not know how to mic a piano.
RH: What are some of the pressures you experienced as a band with a debut release?
FM: Touring can be risky, and we have to tour in order to promote the album and ourselves as a band. We try our best to make sure we can make money on them, but ultimately you can never know what's gonna happen. Some of the industry shit is pretty bobo to be honest. Like playing a set at a sold out show, walking through a dense crowd of people with your gear, and then you get to the green room trying to relax and it's just filled with people you don’t know. Like, get the frig out of my room, I do not know who any of you are!
RH: The Sweet Guitar Solos EP is what first got me hooked on Florry. If Big Fall is the campfire album, this EP is what you listen to on a cross country roadtrip. What were some of the visual inspirations behind this EP?
FM: I like traveling, roads, natural landscapes, the changing of seasons (big fall, big winter, big summer, big something, etc.). It's nice blurring these things into daily life and also having clean distinctions, it depends on my mood or approach to a song.
RH: Describe Sweet Guitar Solos in three words.
FM: Sweet Guitar Solos
RH: Many of the songs on SGS reflect a long withstanding country tradition of telling a story through the lyrics. How do you go about building narratives in songs like “Lisa’s Birthday” and “When I Kicked You Out of The Band”?
FM: Lisa's Birthday was written by Mike Cooley actually. I prefer to write in stories now as a way to direct my songs outwardly, but I do come up with more personal material at times. I've tried to turn those into stories as well. I usually use different ideas or feelings from my life or things I read or hear about as a springboard for story songs or typical ballads. I like to fill in with places, feelings, people, time, it gives songs a lot more substance. If you see us live you most likely will hear us play a song called “Truck Flipped Over ‘19”, that's my best story song currently. Something happens, I say what it made me feel like and what happened after that.
RH: Even though SGS only consists of four songs, there is a perfect mix between songs that you want to get your cowboy boots dirty in and songs that make you want to cry on your front porch. Is it difficult to strike a tonal balance in your work? What sort of sacrifices are involved in that?
FM: I try to avoid writing about just one thing with one tone. It turns me off to hear the same subject material again and again, especially when it's romantic stuff. Not that romantic stuff isn't pretty, but it shouldn't exist in a vacuum, same with pretty much any subject. A good album should have a lot of stories, feelings, and tones.
RH: How would you say you have evolved as a band between Big Fall, Sweet Guitar Solos, and this new album (which we’re all SUPER excited for) The Holey Bible?
FM: Big Fall was a funny album, there wasn't a real consistent band on it. Holey Bible was recorded at the same time as Sweet Guitar Solos, so they both show the progression of the line up. We're still a 7 piece right now but let go of a couple members that were on the new album. We understand our sonic roles much more now, and I've also gotten better at writing songs, so we've gotten better as a band in a few ways.
Credit to @florrymusicband on Instagram
RH: From the sounds of the new single Drunk and High, this album seems like a total tonal shift from the lighter sounds of Big Fall. What can we expect sonically from The Holey Bible?
FM: The new album was recorded mostly live in my friend's West Philly basement except the pedal steel (lap steel was live), the strings on ILYILY and From Where You Are, and the layer of guitars on Drunk and High. There's a lot of us and we didn't have many restrictions with our parts, not to mention we all had only been performing together for about a year, so there's a lot going on. We all weave in and out of each others parts throughout the songs.
RH: Do you guys have any superstitions/best practices while recording?
FM: I like to have tea, coffee, water, and a fruity drink available to me. Other than that we usually get food together.
RH: Which song are you most excited for people to hear off the new album?
FM: Cowgirl Giving
RH: Describe The Holey Bible in three words.
FM: Baby Loves Headrub
RH: Plug the release date of the new album, any shows you have coming up, or just anything you think the people need to know!
FM: The album comes out August 4th and on instagram we have links to all our upcoming shows.
Younger, social media-savvy fans of ours, please use our songs on tiktok for dances or what have you, I just found out those plays count as sales <3
The Holey Bible is an ideal summer release, radiating warmth and comforting nostalgia. Anticipation has only increased with the latest singles. Charming harmonies in “Drunk and High'' remind us of togetherness, while the endearing simplicity of “Take My Heart” plays like a summer fling. “Cowgirl Giving '' eloquently demonstrates what the band does best: finding hope in hell or highwater. In spite of lyrics that aptly tug on heartstrings, the music is overwhelmingly upbeat and positive. On a personal level, the timing of the band’s sophomore album feels kismet.
In a post graduate haze of uncertainty and anxiety, traditional country themes of adaptability and resilience provide an anchor. Even in the throes of loss and heartache, the ability to persevere does not waver.
“I am down but my loves still big.”
Credit to @florrymusicband on Instagram
The Holey Bible out on all streaming platforms August 4th. Catch the band on tour through August 13th.
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