Winona's Past

Winona Righteous was born in a tiny basement studio apartment on 12th and Emerson in Denver, CO in September of 1992. She recorded her first three songs: "Snake," "Spelled Out for Ka," and "One of Your Aeroplanes", on her friend Robert Schneider's (of the band Apples in Stereo) four track with the assistance of Vince Mole (former Apple). Her next song "The Deserted Canyon" was recorded with the assistance of Hilarie Sidney (Apple) on Jim McIntyre's (former Apple) four track on New Year's Day 0f 1993. So, thanks to the Apples for helping Winona get started!

After that, she bought her own four track and began writing and recording furiously, (with Vince Mole as resident engineer, session musician, and occasional collaborater) all in the discomfort of another basement studio apartment with four cats as backup singers. In mid 1993 she began releasing various versions of a tape called Winona Righteous Sings! Live at the Summer Discomfort Daycamp! to friends and family. Winona's first live performance was opening for Little Fyodor and Babushka in October of 1994 at the Penny Lane Coffee House in Boulder, CO.

This commenced a series of live Winona shows at Penny Lane, the Lion's Lair, and the Mercury Cafe. Winona began recruiting musicians and friends to accompany her at these performances: Little Fyodor and Babooshka graciously assisted at her first performance, then Lycanthropy Bay, then the incredible violinist Kelly Barthule, and assorted percussionists. Out of this the Wryeteous Pybayk Jammbory formed in August of 1995.

WPJ lasted until November of 1996, and in that short duration managed to release a full length cassette,Welcome to the Diskumfort Nursery , to appear on two local band compilations, Cyberpunkture and Another Stupid Record Compilation, go through numerous line-up changes, and give over forty performances, including a spot at the Capitol Hill People's Fair and two occasions of Grant R. Production's International Drag Poet's Ball.

In Spring, 1997, Winona released a cassette through Stupid Records entitled Winona Righteous Sings! Live at the Summer Discomfort Daycamp! She gave numerous performances throughout the Summer and Fall of that year accompanied by guitarist Alan Smith, at places such as Grant R. Production's Urofax, Cricket on the Hill, the Lion's Lair, The Lo-Fi Art Gallery in Fort Collins, CO, and the Bug Theatre. She also organized a show at the Lion's Lair featuring herself, Filmstrip, and In Gowan Ring.

Winona promo flyer from Urofax press kit.
Graphic art by G. Photo by Jason Allen.

1998 brought another Righteous cassette release: The Death Boys Love You!, and another series of performances at Death Equinox '98 and at Henry Alarmclock's Power Series at Rebis Gallery.

Presently, Winona is the featured artist in latest edition of They! Publications. They! has provided pictures from their interview that are currently being displayed on this web site. Winona is currently working on a new release for 2000: Fanatical Missionary Girl Goes to Mars, whose title is a phrase taken from the Phillip K. Dick novel, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch.