Biography
Monica Richards, a native of Washington, D.C., is a musician/artist/poet/scholar. She met William Faith in 1993 when her band, Strange Boutique, opened for Shadow Project in Norfolk, VA. Before starting Faith and the Muse, both had had experience in the gothic rock and post-punk culture of the 1980s. Richards had sung for the band Strange Boutique, while Faith had performed with gothic/death rock icons Shadow Project, Christian Death, Mephisto Walz, and Sex Gang Children. Faith and the Muse was started in 1993 with Richards and Faith exchanging tapes while Richards was still living on the east coast. Shortly thereafter she moved to Los Angeles where the duo is still based.
They recorded their debut album Elyria in March 1994, following it in 1995 with the concept album Annwyn, Beneath the Waves, based around Welsh mythology. The band followed this up with an extensive touring schedule, playing with both guest musicians as a full line-up and as an acoustic duo - the latter tour documented on the Vera Causa album in 2001.
Their third album, Evidence of Heaven (1999), marked the end of the first creative phase of Faith and the Muse. They then modernised both their image and their overall sound, the result appearing on their 2003 album The Burning Season - their first on Metropolis Records.
They have toured extensively in North America and Europe, and performed at major alternative events such as the 13th Convergence festival and several Whitby Gothic Weekends. Their live performances feature a full band with a rotating line-up of live musicians.
Outside of the band, Faith and Richards are permaculture designers who are actively working to retrofit their home into a practical example of a sustainable suburban homestead.
Richards has also recently been active contributing vocals to The Eden House - a collaborative musical project initiated by Tony Pettitt (formerly of Fields of the Nephilim and Rubicon) and Steve Carey (formerly of This Burning Effigy) and involving a varied collection of guest musicians and vocalists.
Read more about this topic: Faith And The Muse
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