The Fiery Furnaces are brother and sister Eleanor and Matt Friedberger (both on vocals and guitar, Matt on synth and organ). The band also contains Andy Knowles on drums and Toshi Yano on bass and synth. Andy and Toshi both joined the band in time for their 2004 tour.

Eleanor and Matt were born and raised in Oak Park, IL and they weren't exactly the closest of siblings growing up.

Before forming the Fiery Furnaces, Eleanor earned a University of Texas B.A and worked as a telemarketer for the Texas Republican Party. Her subsequent years included a year spent in London and trips with her mother to the south of France, Italy and Greece. Matt, on the other hand, went to Germany at 17, and managed to learn not a word of German or even have a good time