Music / Megan Jean and the KFB

Byrne Klay and Megan Jean

"These bones, these bones
Are far from home
Mister, can you tell me
The reason why I roam?"

—"These Bones", The Devil Herself

Megan Jean and the KFB are an alternative folk duo from Charlston, South Carolina (USA), consisting of classically trained vocalist/percussionist Megan Jean and her husband Byrne Klay, who plays guitar and miscellaneous additional instruments. They formed in 2004.

Their sound is an eclectic mix of Appalachian folk and gothic country, reliant on Jean's theatrical, broad-ranged vocals and intricate lyrics, which tend to highlight the dark and macabre.

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Discography:

• Autumn (EP) (2007)
• Dead Woman Walkin' (2010)
• The Devil Herself (2013)
• Tarantistas (2018)

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Tropes applying to MJKFB and their work:

• Album Closure: The Devil Herself ends with the song "Last Days", which is about the Biblical apocalypse.
• Artifact Title: The initialism KFB comes from the early days when they were known as "Megan Jean and the Klay Family Band".
• Cold Open: "These Bones" starts with Megan singing the electrifying first notes unaccompanied.
• Concept Album: The Devil Herself is loosely organized around the theme of death and endings.
• Conspiracy Theorist: "Martians" is about a conspiracy theorist convinced (among other things) that aliens are coming to take him away.
• Crystal Ball: The titular prognosticator of "Little Miss Fortune" uses one to predict the future.
  Little Miss Fortune's crystal ball
  Sees all, sees all
• The Dead Can Dance: In "The Dead Show", the singer witnesses all the skeletons in a graveyard getting up and dancing, trying to coax her to join them.
• Epunymous Title: "Little Miss Fortune"—sounds like "little misfortune", the joke being that she only predicts bad things.
• Garden of Eden: "These Bones" makes heavy allusions to the story of Eve:
  Oh the horror, oh the shame
  Fallen daughters cannot go home again
  if it’s the apple that she tastes
  Well, the garden will never be the same
• Humans Are the Real Monsters: Played with. "Monster in Me" is about recognizing the monstrous in oneself as a woman.
  When I grew up I saw
  Twisted witches, they had human songs
  I grew up, I saw
  The monster in me
• Love Potion: The young couple who visits "Little Miss Fortune" requests "a pill or potion" to keep their love from ever fading.
• Male Band, Female Singer: Megan is the singer (and drummer), while Byrne mostly does music.
• Protest Song:
  • "Feel Alive" is a critique of modern lifestyles that encourage working constantly until death, never really living.
  • "Happy People" is about the possibility of escaping modern troubles and returning to a more community-focused way of life.
  • "Hegemon" is about Ronald Reagan and the corrupt, capitalistic culture his administration incubated.
• Singer-Songwriter: Megan (though Byrne contributes lyrics as well).
• War Is Hell: "War Cry" is a slow, tragic, haunting ballad about the horrors of war.

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