“Monica Richards is the Original Riot Grrrl and the Fairytale Queen all rolled up into one unbelievably talented artist. She belongs in the Avante Garde of today’s music, forever changing, evolving, true to herself.” – a lovely quote from an old fan magazine.
One truly appreciates Monica Richards not just for her unmistakeable style but for the heart she puts in her work. Best known for her musical work as half of the critically acclaimed duo, Faith and the Muse, Monica is a long-time musician and songwriter who also happens to be a visual artist, graphic designer as well as a writer. Much of the spectrum of her creative work is centered around the Feminine and the Familiar: Matriarchal mythological themes with all the cultural echoes and seasonal faces they present.
In over thirty years as a front woman in Underground music, Monica Richards has a far reaching reputation of the highest respect for her powerful voice and theatrical stage presence. An old school punk rocker who began writing songs at the age of 15, her sharp, intelligent lyrics and musical talents are the highlights of Faith and the Muse, as well as her solo music.
A graduate of American University with honors in Literature, Monica has self-published illustrated books of tales & poetry. Her first published work, The Book of Annwyn, based on Welsh Mythology, is a full reworking of ancient Celtic tales and illustrations.
Monica is also a multimedia visual artist and graphic designer – her first love has always been the visual arts. Monica’s diehard fans have been collecting her art for years – from her original work and art prints to the stunning jewelry pieces she designs. In her own Folk Art, Monica explores larger-than-life Mythologial Themes, created in cultural and colorful Art Nouveau-influenced patterns and styles. Much of her artwork is centered on world-wide Matriarchal mythology; her paintings and design work can be seen on all Faith and the Muse and her solo CD covers, as well as her own art prints and handmade pieces available on this site. She created 2 Adult Coloring Books in 2015, beginning with “The Goddess”. The Goddess book brought out her love of colorful Folk Art, featuring each Goddess in her own cultural style. “I adore pattern work, so creating a coloring book seemed like such a perfect project. Each Goddess has information on her background, as well as notes on my research and the style in which I chose to present her.”
A Sampling of Monica’s Music
Musical Roots
Early Years
Monica began singing in her teens, fronting a number of bands (Hate From Ignorance:82-’83, Madhouse: 83-’86) during the heyday of the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene. She performed at the same time as other well-known D.C. Punk bands – Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and SOA (Henry Rollins’ first band), and was one of the earliest female singers in the harDCore scene.
Her early days are well documented in books that chronicle the harDCore scene: “Banned In D.C.” [Connolly/Clague/Cheslow] and “Dance of Days” [Anderson/Jenkins], which can be found on Amazon.com and any bookstore that sells Independent publishers.
Strange Boutique
Monica formed Strange Boutique in 1987 with the intention of exploring a more art-driven style of music. With Daniel Ingram (Ex-Untouchables/Youth Brigade/Madhouse), Ex-Beefeater guitarist Fred “Freak” Smith, and the addition of bassist Steve Willett in 1988, the band’s first EP, “Easter Island” was released in 1989, showcasing Monica’s more refined voice and the band’s diverse musical talents.
Strange Boutique released 3 CDs on their own Bedazzled records label, performed throughout the U.S. and even in the UK in support of Killing Joke before the band broke up in late 1993. Monica reunited with Strange Boutique for a Reunion show in Washington D.C. on July 3rd, 2004, and a ‘Best Of’ CD of Strange Boutique songs was released on Metropolis Records, Strange Boutique – The Collection: 1988-1994 (now out of print).
After the senseless loss of guitarist Fred “Freak” Smith in 2017, singer Monica Richards and bassist Steve Willett began reminiscing about their love of Fred and the music they wrote with him. This began a dialogue about getting together in Washington DC for an evening of music.
In 2019, Strange Boutique reunited to begin practice for a single show in honor of Fred, yet something unexpected happened… While rehearsing with Dennis Kane who was filling in on guitar, it became apparent that even after such an extended hiatus, all the music of Strange Boutique came naturally to the new lineup.
Strange Boutique has since reformed and have been performing live, as well as releasing a new album in 2025, “Let the Lonely Heart Sing”. They have also re-released all albums. See the Strange Boutique website for more info and live dates.
Faith and the Muse
In 1993, Monica created Faith and the Muse along with partner, William Faith, with the purpose of having no boundaries to their music, reaching across historical genre and cultural style. Amidst a diverse musical background ranging from Dark Alternative Rock and Electronica to World Music & Neo-Classical, to Jazz, Avant Garde and Folk, Faith and the Muse allowed Monica to combine her love of art, theater and music.
With the release of five albums and one double CD live/remix album, along with extensive touring throughout the U.S. and Europe over the last 15 years, the band has managed to gain the attention of a vast assortment of music fans, owing to their constantly evolving sound: indefinable but unmistakable. Faith And The Muse have been called “an art band with a pop sensibility”; refusing to conform to current fads in music. Well-known and widely respected in the Underground community, Faith And The Muse have already made their indelible mark on Independent music.
Solo Music and Beyond
Monica released her tribal/classical/electro solo CD, “InfraWarrior”, in 2007. Focusing on “the power within” as well as songs based on Matriarchal mythological themes, the connection between Woman and Nature was shown as a prominent theme in Monica’s work…
In 2011, Monica Richards brought her personas of ‘InfraWarrior’ to vivid life with an interactive multimedia performance. Like theater, the film interacted with Monica on every song to create a living art piece. Photo at right is from this performance.
In 2012, Monica released “Naiades” to wide critical acclaim, working with new collaborator and partner, renowned horror writer and musician, Steve Niles. With the help of fans who donated, Naiades was a very unique release, a 32 page hardcover book featuring exlusive art from today’s most innovative artists. The music carried classical as well as rock and ambient styles, all themed around the water nymphs and sea creatures.
In 2014, Monica released her third solo album, “Kindred”. A 16 page DVD sized release, her most personal album yet, the songs were written for all the kindred spirits in her life. Included in every song are animal and natural sounds she recorded from her backyard, which bordered a nature preserve and creek.
In 2016, Monica joined forces with Anthony Jones (now Roumanis), a versatile and innovative artist with a phenomenal voice. The two began to chat back and forth about their mutual admiration, and a new duo emerged. With Anthony’s solo albums featuring old world instrumentation fused with darkwave synths and beats, and Monica’s solo work in such a similar fashion, it was very easy to merge their musical styles to create some new songs for their performances.
Their first musical merging happened when Monica added her piece “The Mighty” from her solo album, Naiades, to Anthony’s “We’re the Vikings, Remember?” from his own album, Guardian of the Wolf. The subsequent combination, which they titled, “The Mighty Vikings/ We are the Mighty, Remember!”, has become a sensational live piece. This made them join together other songs, with Monica even singing new variations from her work in Faith and the Muse.
After live shows on the West Coast and European shows at the 2018 WGT and 2019 Black Easter Festival, they decided to put out “Aestuarium”, featuring some of their most beloved song fusions. Their live shows are eclectic and inspiring, featuring multiple guest performers.
Monica has also performed numerous songs with UK’s The Eden House, culminating in live performances in England as well as Germany and Poland in 2017 and 2018. Through the years, she has worked a number of other underground artists, including Jarboe, Lustmord, Viva Death, Mirabilis, Matt Howden, and has also sung with Conflict & Anima Mundi.
Scoring for Film
Monica’s music has that special quality that could easily translate to film. She released an album of her demos of Faith and the Muse songs as well as her solo music, called “Instrumentals 1”, which highlights her talent as a composer.
In 2017, Monica collaborated with actress/director Juliet Landau for Miss Landau’s movie, “A Place Among the Dead”. The movie is a revealing blend of fact, fiction and the fantastical, and Monica was able to compose everything from songs on the radio, spine-tingling horror , as well as delicate melodies and Classical character themes. The film has received numerous festival awards, including Lady Filmmakers 2021 and Shockfest 2021. More to come!
Monica resides outside of Los Angeles, California with her husband, Steve Niles, and a menagerie of animals. She is restoring their land after a wildfire came through in 2020.
HIRAETH
Monica will be releasing her fourth studio album, HIRAETH, in February, 2027.