A flannelgraph is a simple board, covered in fabric and resting on an easel, used for visual storytelling. Flannel Graph, a local duo of musical storytellers Leon Gregory and Shayla Smith, is then aptly named.

While the name is appropriate on many levels, Smith said the duo came up with it quite by accident.

“He [Leon] was attempting to explain some complex musical concept to me, and I wasn’t getting it,” Smith said. “I told him he would have to put it on a flannelgraph for me. And we laughed, and then we got to thinking about using that as a name. And Flannel Graph was born.”

Smith and Gregory, both multi-instrumentalists, began making music together in 2012, as part of a collaborative group Smith had gathered together to support her original music. After gigging as part of the larger group for awhile, the married couple completing the quartet moved away. Rather than fill the vacant positions, Smith and Gregory decided to continue on as a duo. They formally took the name Flannel Graph in 2013.

“It just sort of started to snowball,” Gregory said. “It’s all just been one big experiment.”

Neither Smith nor Gregory was born in Montana — Smith hails from Washington and Gregory is originally from North Carolina. But both moved to the state when they were young and both attended school at Stillwater Christian in Kalispell. Both identify the Flathead Valley as home. They were introduced through a mutual acquaintance hoping to connect them as musicians. The connection has become a successful musical duo and deep friendship.

“We’re best friends,” Smith said.

Flannel Graph’s first EP, “Five Foot Three,” was released in 2013. The duo recorded and produced the entire album from Smith’s home studio.

“The first album is very acoustic,” Gregory said.

“We call it the Bible album,” Smith said. “It was sort of an exploration of traditional characters, but not caught in the traditional time and space.

“We wanted to present a new take, a new perspective.”

Next was a string of live performances in various local churches and schools, and the pair gained a loyal following across the valley and beyond. Flannel Graph’s clean lyrics and easy-listening style spurred an early reputation as a Christian band, though both were quick to say they don’t think of themselves as restricted to any genre.

“We are Christians, so we are always influenced by that,” Gregory said. “It’s easy to be stereotyped into that category, but it’s not necessarily true. We’re just trying to be sincere in music-making.”

The pair agreed that their sound doesn’t fit neatly into one genre or category of music. They promote themselves as an Indy-folk group, but don’t worry about coloring within any lines.

“This music can affect people, whatever they believe in,” Smith added. “Whether you’re Christian or not, I think people feel comfortable listening to it.

“We value being honest when we’re creating. What people take away from listening to that ... That’s one of the great possibilities in all forms of art.”

In September 2014 Flannel Graph released a second EP, “Ribs of Adam.”

“With the second album we were really working on getting better, not just with our instruments but also with the entire process,” Gregory said. “We’ve had a lot of help along the way and continue to learn a lot.

“We messed around with a lot more sounds and instrumentation on ‘Ribs of Adam.’ It was focused more on personal relationships ... A look at larger concepts versus a straight character study.”

In May 2016, Flannel Graph completed a Kickstarter campaign to fund its third EP, “The People We Were.” That album is set to be released in August. There will be an album release party at Blank Space in Kalispell on Aug. 26 to celebrate, with more details to be announced.

As for the future and the “big picture,” Smith said they are happy just taking one day at a time.

“We aren’t holding our breaths to be discovered or signed,” Smith said. “When you’re writing songs, it’s an intimate thing. We don’t want to give up the freedom of it.

“We want to make stuff, and we want to share it with people. That’s all there is. That’s what we love.”

Both Smith and Gregory said they hope anyone who has a story to tell can be inspired by their music and their performances.

“Hope is a big portion of what we try to incorporate,” Gregory said. “Not necessarily hope as a big shiny idea, but a realistic and honest look at life and having a good outlook.”

“I want people to know, you’re not alone,” Smith said. “I turned to music because someone sang a song and it affected me.

“There’s never a perfect moment to start, just start. Don’t let guilt or regret overshadow the joy of creating. Find happiness with the process of creating whatever it is pressing on you to get out into the world. Your worth is not just your accomplishments or your failures.”

“You are contributing because you have worth already,” Gregory added.

“I sing about it not because I think others need to hear it,” Smith said. “But because sometimes I need to hear it, too.”

For more information about Flannel Graph, including upcoming shows and to purchase music, visit www.flannelgraphmusic.com or www.facebook.com/flannelgraph.

Entertainment editor Stefanie Thompson can be reached at 758-4439 or ThisWeek@dailyinterlake.com.