Today we’d like to introduce you to Marty Fleszar.
Hi Marty, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
We are Smoke and Fire. We are a husband-and-wife musical duo who pour our hearts into every note we create. Our music is born in the chaos and beauty of raising daughters, late-night heart-to-hearts, and the quiet moments where we’re just trying to hear God’s voice above the noise. Some songs are our way of leaving behind the lessons we hope our kids will hold onto—truths we pray will rise to the surface when they need them most. Others are reflections—on who we used to be, choices we made, and the grace that met us there. At the core of it all is our story: two imperfect people learning to love God and serve Him, love each other well, and parent well. Then somehow let that story spill out into melodies and lyrics. We believe music is meant to be shared—it has the power to bring people together, stir the soul, and speak to hearts in ways words alone never could.
One half of Smoke and Fire is Marty Fleszar. After picking up a guitar at the age of 12, he began to immediately create melodies and lyrics, writing song after song in an attempt to hone the craft. Opportunity came to serve on many different Church worship bands, and to play countless church conferences, camps to lead worship and many solo shows to share original music. The other half is Noelle Fleszar. Starting piano and vocal lessons from a young age, Noelle’s voice grew and she gained experience in many theatrical endavors, often landing lead roles in musicals throughout high school, college, and in community theater in adulthood. Marty and Noelle married in 2016 and quickly became deeply involved in music at their local church. But it wasn’t until the COVID lockdowns of 2020 that they wrote their first original song together—a moment they describe as a spark that lit something entirely new. One song turned into several, which led to intimate “coffee house” performances where they shared those early originals with friends and local audiences.In 2025, they officially stepped into a new chapter, launching “Smoke and Fire” across social media to begin sharing their music more widely. Their goal now is to record their debut album—something that captures their story, their faith, and the message they feel called to share.
The name “Smoke and Fire” carries deep biblical meaning for them. In Genesis, God appears to Abraham as a smoking firepot and a blazing torch (smoke and fire!)—signs of His covenant-keeping promise. In Exodus, the Israelites are guided through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night (smoke and fire!) And in the book of Daniel, three Israelites choose faith over fear when faced with a fiery furnace, trusting God even in the midst of smoke and fire.
Of course, there’s also the lighter reason: Noelle’s fiery red hair and Marty’s long standing dark beard sparked a joke that “for those reasons alone, the name had to stick.” Somehow, the combination of meaning and humor felt just right—much like the duo themselves.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Having young children and a full time job makes the pursuit of music challenging. There is never enough time to accomplish all that we want to do. But that’s the beauty of the whole thing: music is meant to be a shared experience. The whole is more than the sum of its parts. Our kids have gotten to see us perform music in a church context and in a performance context of original music, and we get to talk through the lyrics of all our original music with them and explain the what, the how, and the why we wrote the songs like we did.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
For our full time jobs outside of musical pursuits: Marty is a Human Resources Professional at Stellantis, with over a decade of experience in a variety of HR roles. Many of these roles have been on automotive plants in and around Detroit. Noelle was a school teacher for 11 years (most of the years as a 3rd grade teacher) before taking a break to stay at home with the kids. She has had lots of experience planning, directing and executing theater productions and musicals, both at the schools where she has worked and at our church.
We are proud of our involvement with our church and particularly the youth band musicians. We work with them weekly to help them learn the basics of singing and playing instruments in a group context, and how it all comes together to lead a congregation in singing.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
We feel that there is a space for church music that doesn’t fit into the box of “worship music”. These types of songs have been very meaningful to us in our own personal lives. These types of songs are fun to write and arrange and provide a different function than a song that you’re trying to get a church congregation to sing along with. We have had so much fun writing these songs and can’t wait to get a chance to record them properly and share them with the world.
Your support would mean the world to us! Feel free to follow us on our social media channels and learn more about the music and why we’re making it. Hoping to have a debut album completed in 2026.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://smokeandfireband.wixsite.com/music
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smokeandfireband/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MartyFleszarMusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SmokeandFireBand
