The Decibel Decoder managed to see Nashville based Winona Fighter three times at SXSW in March 2024. The punk rock trio are fueled by an energy that leaves both listener and gig-goer breathless. They release their debut album My Apologises to the Chef via Rise Records on 14 February and make their UK debut at the Slam Dunk Festival in May. A perfect time then to find out more about Winona Fighter.
Welcome Winona Fighter! Could you please introduce the band and share how you came together?
Hi! Thanks for chatting with us. I’m Coco, the frontwoman! The band consists of myself, Dan (lead guitarist), and Austin (bassist, producer). I had started writing for the project shortly before meeting Dan. We had both answered a craigslist ad for a DIFFERENT project (I was playing drums and him guitar). Dan and I hit it off immediately, so once we both realized that the other band was going south, I poached him. After playing together for a bit, I moved to Los Angeles, with Winona Fighter still based in Nashville. My sister, who I lived with at the time, introduced me to Austin. We started co-writing and eventually both ended up back in Nashville. We joke that Austin just showed up, unasked, to a rehearsal one day… but that IS kind of what happened. He filled in one day and just never left. It definitely worked out for the best.
Where did the band name Winona Fighter come from? And did you have a bundle of names to choose from?
I have to give the band name credit to Austin..in fact I turned it down at first. The project had been going by my name (COCO) in the meantime but we always knew the end goal was to have a band name. We had been mulling through band names for months. Eventually Austin blurted out “Winona Fighter” one night. He thought it was a good balance of femininity and masculinity. A perfect representation of the band. At first I wasn’t on board but after a hike and writing it on paper a few thousands times and different ways, I realised it was the perfect name. We do keep a running list of good band names so if anyone needs one.. Hit us up!
Your debut album My Apologies To The Chef is set for release on 14 February via Rise Records. How was the writing and recording process?
Our writing process is a pretty easy one. Austin and I are constantly in the studio writing. We never stop! That’s why this record is a compilation of our favourite songs from the past two years. What’s more exciting is the recording process. This record was completely DIY. Co-produced by Austin and I in our garage studio. I recorded all of the drums and vocals. Dan recorded all the guitars. Austin recorded all the bass as well as BGV’s with Dan. Not to mention he engineered and mixed the entire thing. This record is 100% real. Real drums, guitars, amps, everything! A real punk-rock record.
What are the main inspirations behind the songs on the album?
The overall inspiration is just the human experience. Sure, it’s my human experience but it’s all stuff other people can go through as well. I write about everything. Every emotion, every memorable moment, it gets a song. I feel fortunate that our listeners can relate so deeply to our music. It makes us all equal. It builds an amazing community.
Your live shows are bursting with energy. How did you capture that on the album? Do you need lots of room in the recording studio!
Haha! We start to capture it at step 1- the song writing. A lot of times we go into the writing process asking “how does this fit into our live show?”. We’ve always said we are a live act before anything so having those conversations in the writing room are super important. The second most important way we capture our energy is through completely live instruments. Like I said before we use real drums, guitars, amps, and so on. We don’t add anything we can’t achieve just the three of us and a drummer live.
I have to ask about the track ‘You Look Like A Drunk Phoebe Bridgers’. How did this come about and what can we expect from the track?
I guess I should start by saying the title has nothing to do with the song. I wrote this song about a nasty man in the music industry that managed someone I’m really close to. I mean just a despicable person… come to find out years later I was not alone in this thought. However at the time I was like, no one can know this song is about him. I just thought “If anyone finds out i’m SCREWED” (so as you can guess a guy with a lot of industry pull). I was young and didn’t want to risk fucking up my career before it even started haha. So I wrote it and then went to the bar with Dan and some friends. I was standing there completely sober when a guy made eye contact with me, walked up, and said “has anyone ever told you you look like a drunk version of Phoebe Bridgers?”… WHAT? SIR? EXCUSE ME? Should’ve been my first few thoughts, but actually my first thought was “that’s the song title”. Totally inconspicuous… sorry to Phoebe for getting the shit end of the stick on this one. This was the lead single on our debut EP Father Figure. Now it’s going on to the debut LP with a few changes. I re-recorded the drums, Austin took over mixing it, and we had the legendary Ted Jensen master it. It definitely sounds how it was supposed to three years ago.
You have an album release show in your hometown Nashville, Tennessee on 13 February before a tour in the US. What does it mean to Winona Fighter to play live?
It means the world to us. All we’ve ever wanted to do with this career is play. It makes it that much more special knowing people are excited to see us live. It’s the dream.
If I looked in your fridge right now what would I find?
You’ll find a bunch of homemade gluten-free sourdough. Staying healthy off the road is so important for a constantly touring band like us so I try to home make as much of my food as possible. Also, I live with Austin so you will find 4 pounds of ground beef…. He’s a fan of dog bowls (beef and white rice). Dan usually has some sort of crockpot meal for the week in his fridge… but when his fiance is out of town he’s the king of cereal and a frozen pizza. Moderation!
For more information on Winona Fighter please check their facebook and instagram.