Life partners build outsized creative careers in a 550-square-foot flat

Lesibu Grand, cofounded by Molton and bassist John Renaud in 2017, was playing the event. When the band took the stage, DuCongé was immediately struck by Molton: “I thought, ’Who is this rock star?’”

Punk Black has been an ally of Lesibu Grand from the beginning, Molton explained. The organization is a collective of Black, Indigenous and people of color who promote alternative media — “everything from cosplay to animé to music.”

Molton remembers seeing DuCongé at the performance. “I was up on stage doing my thing, and I noticed Nathan’s camera because he was filming me, but I didn’t really notice the person behind it that day.”

DuCongé likes to be as close to the action as possible when filming or photographing performance. “I read about how photographers documenting Civil Rights figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X would frequently use a long-shot lens, as if they were afraid to get too close,” he explained.

“I am that guy at the front with a telephoto lens, filming the singer’s eyeball,” he added, laughing. “I’ll stay in it for as long as they let me, occasionally getting whacked with guitars and other fun stuff like that.”

A couple of weeks later, after seeing some of the festival footage DuCongé had posted, Lesibu Grand invited him to a video shoot.

DuCongé arrived thinking he was going to meet Molton, only to discover he had been texting with Renaud. DuCongé was disappointed but took it in stride and started working the room, filming, while Molton was preparing her hair and makeup.

This time Molton noticed DuCongé behind the camera. They talked: She asked him what he was doing on set. He gave her a clever response about being a fly on the wall. She complimented him on the video he had taken at the Punk Black festival. Meanwhile, DuCongé captured the whole exchange on camera.

Credit: Photo by John Renaud

Credit: Photo by John Renaud

The couple immediately hit it off and, about a year later, in 2022, DuCongé moved into Molton’s flat. She was busy. Lesibu Grand was gaining cultural traction and booking bigger shows beyond Atlanta, recording singles and videos, and Molton was working on a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing at Georgia State University. She was juggling all of this with a competitive internship at Mercedes-Benz.

DuCongé had graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in film, then spent four years in Los Angeles working in the industry. Frustrated by the lack of Hollywood interest in his own idea for a feature film, he returned home to Atlanta in September 2020 determined to make the movie on his own terms, in his own time.

As his work on “Rancor” progressed and he began to pick up gigs in the Atlanta film scene, he realized he wasn’t the only Atlanta-based director trying and failing to place his work in some of the more prominent film festivals. He also felt the emphasis on feature-length movies in most film festivals was an obstacle for new, independent filmmakers outside of Hollywood who were making shorter works that deserved attention and might lead to more resources.

So when he moved in with Molton, DuCongé was busy, too, hatching a plan for Antighfest, an Atlanta-focused film festival dedicated to screening short, independent films from Atlanta creatives. He was also working full time as a trainee technician for Tesla while doing postproduction work on “Rancor” and taking on editing, camera work and direction for other projects around town.

Almost immediately, because she could see the footage on the computer while DuCongé was editing the movie, Molton became his de facto preview audience for “Rancor.” “I might not agree with Tyler’s take at first, but her ideas are there at the back of my mind while I work,” he explained. Eventually, she joined him as a partner in producing the first Antighfest.

Credit: Photo by Nathan DuCongé

Credit: Photo by Nathan DuCongé

Squeezed in their tiny apartment, Molton would listen to DuCongé talking on the phone with sponsors and venue owners and realized she could contribute marketing and social media outreach to the project and might even use it as a case study in her classes. Also, as a musician, she knew more about that aspect of putting the festival together than he did.

When Molton and Lesibu Grand performed at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, DuCongé traveled with them. The two frequently discussed what they did and didn’t like about that event and the other film and music festivals they attended.

“We wanted to create an event that was different, not only in the sense that it would showcase Atlanta filmmakers but also that it would be an interactive, entertainment experience of Atlanta art, games and music,” recalled DuCongé. As a team, they produced the first Antighfest at an outdoor venue in Lawrenceville.

“We had to do it twice,” said Molton. The original date, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, was rained out. They screened the movies for a group of dedicated friends and family who turned up anyway. Then, two weeks later, they relaunched the event, including music and gaming, for a bigger crowd.

Though Antighfest generated enthusiastic participation and some good buzz, DuCongé and Molton had to put it on the back burner this year. After graduating from Georgia State, Molton started working full time as a marketing associate for Mercedes-Benz while also performing regularly with Lesibu Grand and dedicating hours in the studio recording the band’s forthcoming album “Triggered,” which will be released on the Kill Rock Stars label out of Portland, Oregon, and Seattle on Aug. 16. DuCongé completed postproduction on “Rancor” and turned to planning the film’s early August premiere at the Plaza Theatre.

Credit: Photo by Corey Lightner

Credit: Photo by Corey Lightner

The two have continued to collaborate, however, on music videos and publicity for Lesibu Grand. That has presented both challenges and growth opportunities, for Molton in particular.

Quoting Erykah Badu, she said: “‘I’m an artist, and I’m sensitive about my ish.’” When she is in process, Molton explained, she likes to be isolated in a room where she can create without observation or interruption. She is most receptive to critique and feedback once she is ready to show and tell.

“Working in the same space where we live has shown me that I do just need more space,” she said. “I definitely see a separate [work] studio for one or both of us in the future.”

At the same time, Molton acknowledged that being in an environment where she is giving and receiving constructive criticism so frequently has helped her find her voice in their relationship.

“Delivery is everything. I’ve learned to present critique so it will be heard, so Nathan, or whoever, knows I understand what they’re trying to convey.” She has gained confidence, especially in marketing and promotion — the business side. “I feel like I do know what I’m talking about,” she said. “Thank you, education.”

Careful negotiation between Molton and DuCongé around individual needs and collective goals has resulted most recently in Lesibu Grand’s video for “Anarchy,” a single from “Triggered” that dropped on June 12.

Directed and filmed by DuCongé, the video remixes animation from the cartoon series “The Jetsons,” using a green screen to place Molton into scenes of retro-futuristic domesticity and mechanical rebellion. With high-quality video and sound production, “Anarchy” achieves a slightly kitschy, DIY feel that delivers raw edginess refracting an underlying artistic polish.

Like many of Lesibu Grand’s videos, “Anarchy” also serves up the bite of social satire and a generous side of fun. Wearing a blond wig, glittering eye shadow and bright purple lip gloss, Molton is a glamorous, Afro-futurist Jane Jetson with an attitude as she sings: “Lost in the emptiness packed inside/ Lost in the dark tryin’ to find the light ‘make believe’/ Oh yea, that’s what they told ya/ You turned around and bought what they sold ya.”

Credit: Photo by Nathan DuCongé

Credit: Photo by Nathan DuCongé

Molton described “Triggered” as an introduction to Lesibu Grand’s catalog and said the title is a reference to both sound and subject matter. She categorized Lesibu Grand’s sound as hard-edged “punk and rock-centric,” as confrontational in some ways as the subject matter she writes and sings about. ”The music tackles some tough, triggering subjects like abusive relationships, Atlanta social injustice and political unrest and just the general lack of world peace on a big scale.”

All the band members, including Molton, are classically trained, however, and several are veterans of the Atlanta music scene. She said their collective musicality comes through on every track, along with the frenetic energy and driving rhythms. “Even if people think they don’t like punk, I hope they’ll give it a listen and let it grow on them.”

Molton and DuCongé said they try to take some pressure off their professional relationship by finding small ways to head off conflict in their personal life. For example, DuCongé described their “lemon law” rule on movie nights.

“If one of us really wants to watch something and the other doesn’t, we have agreed we’ll watch the first 15 minutes,” he said. After giving it a chance, the skeptic can then “lemon” the movie if they still have an objection, and the other partner has to watch it on their own time.

Credit: ArtsATL

Credit: ArtsATL

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