Hey, it's Coco from Winona Fighter, and you're
listening to My Weekly Mixtape with Brian Colburn.
Welcome to My Weekly Mixtape, a podcast that
takes the classic mixtape approach to building
a modern playlist. I'm your host, Brian Colburn.
Joining me tonight as guest curator is Coco Kinnan,
lead singer and guitarist for Nashville -based
punk group Winona Fighter. Coco, thank you so
much for joining me. Yeah, thanks for having
me. Well, since it's your first time on the program,
I get to start by asking you my first Timers
question, which is, what does the word mixtape
mean to you? Oh man, when I think of mixtape,
I remember when I have two older siblings, and
I remember when they both got their licenses.
I burn them a whole book of CDs. And so when
I think mixtape, I think of downloading on LimeWire,
burning them on CDs and just giving them to your
friends, family and just like stuff that I think
that they'll like or like helping them discover
new stuff. That's what I love about a mixtape
is I feel like it's always someone's approach
to what someone else might like. To me, it is
the perfect algorithm because as much as Spotify
and Apple Music think they know me as a person,
if someone gives me a mixtape saying, here's
some songs I think you'll like, they know who
I am. And I feel like that just means so much
more than an algorithm choosing them. Yeah, I
agree with that. Well, tonight we're going to
be talking about 90s punk rock. And a few months
back on episode 44, I was lucky enough to have
Kay Hanley, lead singer for Letters to Cleo on
the show. And we talked at the beginning of that
episode about the indie music scene in Boston,
which might be familiar to you because that is
where you cut your musical teeth. Am I correct?
Yes, that's true. Grew up as a drummer, and I
was playing drums in punk rock bands in the Boston
area. Well, I had a chance to catch your set
this past week at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville,
New Jersey, where you opened for Armor for Sleep,
Finch, and Bayside. And I just have to say, you
guys truly commanded the room. You've also played
the 2024 edition of The Shiprocked Cruise, which
my friends over at The Itch Rock Radio and Podcast
were able to catch that set. And you also played
Bonnaroo 2023 and several showcases at the 2024
South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin,
Texas. So I think it's safe to say that Winona
Fighter's music has reached a whole new audience
over the last year. Yeah, I think you could say
that. Definitely, it's been an eclectic run of
shows for us recently. And definitely shows that
aren't strictly punk rock, which has been just
awesome for us. You know, like getting to play
the Bonnaroos or like opening for bands like
we opened for Incubus and The Offspring. It's
definitely putting us in front of people that
we wouldn't normally be put in front of. Now,
when you guys play a show opening for a band
that is, let's say, an incubus where they're
not punk rock, do you find a harder time connecting
with an audience? Whereas on a show like Finch
and Bayside, punk rock is right in that wheelhouse.
I think the thing with the incubus shows, everyone
grew up listening to punk rock. I think that's
what helps us is we get. A lot of people who
are like, I remember listening to that stuff
when I was in high school. So I think we definitely
tug on the nostalgic heartstrings with those
audiences. And I think it creates such like a
great dynamic. So then it's like, you know, we
come in blasting, full energy, punk, yelling.
And then Incubus comes on, full blasting, rock,
just melodic, beautiful. I think it's a cool
contrast and I think it helps fill people's cups
a little more. Whereas like with the Bayside
shows, it's still a similar thing where it's
like brings me back to when I first discovered
Bayside or XYZ. I want to bring up something
you did at the show to touch on those nostalgia
strings, which you specifically said on stage.
You guys performed a cover of Blur's song, too.
And to me, that performance truly cemented the
fact that I picked the perfect guest for this
evening. With that being said, what were you
looking for in the songs that you're bringing
to the mixtape this evening? I was looking for.
Well, one of the reasons we cover Song 2 and
then another cover we do is Self -Esteem by The
Offspring. We're a younger band. We're a newer
band. And we want to be able to engage all audiences.
And especially when we know we're playing to
a little bit of an older fan base. And by older,
I mean not teenagers. You know? Yes. It's so
fun to engage them by pulling out those songs
that were part of our childhood. or teenage years
and just kind of bringing everyone back. And
so that's what I kind of looked at when making
my playlist tonight. I was like, what makes me
feel like I'm driving down the highway at a fine
speed and just screaming in the car with my friends?
Because I think that's what 90s pop punk punk
rock had to offer was a lot of just great punk
songs with a lot of pop sensibility. And I love
where you're going with that, because for me,
the 90s punk spectrum is in a way similar to
the 2000s as the word punk, quote unquote, covers
such a huge spectrum. You think about the straight
ahead punk bands. You think about your pop punk.
And in the 90s, we had ska punk, as well as that
blurring of lines with. hardcore bands, and even
indie alternative artists that borrowed some
of the punk sensibilities and brought them to
a mainstream audience while not necessarily being
a punk artist. So my goal for tonight was to
try to cover as much of this spectrum as possible
to give a good representation of what the 90s
was in punk music. Yeah, I was making the playlist
and I was like, Some of these might ruffle some
feathers because a lot of people would probably
say, oh, that's not pop punk or why would you
call that song pop? You know, people would get
maybe a little up in arms, but it's because it's
for me like pop punk is punk music that everyone
loves. You know, like not everyone listens to
no effects, but anything off of punk and drum
wick is singable. And will get stuck in anyone's
head, even if you're not a fan of the band. So
that, to me, is what pop punk is. Well, let's
get down to business. Tonight, as I mentioned
at the top of the show, Coco and I will be curating
a 90s punk rock playlist. And we're going to
use the old cassette deck approach. Coco, as
my special guest, will begin side A with her
first song choice, and then I'll add a song that
I feel best follows up that choice. We'll then
flip -flop choosing songs until we've mapped
out 10 songs for side A. We'll then give our
mixtape a proverbial flip, and we'll map out
side B. Only this time, I'll kick things off
with Coco choosing second. Our overall goal for
the episode is to craft the best 90s punk rock
mixtape possible. At the end of the show, you
can take our conversation to the next level by
visiting the episode page at myweeklymixtape
.com to give our final mixtape a listen. via
the embedded playlist. And if you like what you're
hearing on the show, you can help me out by either
telling a friend, leaving the show a five -star
review wherever you're tuning in, or becoming
a Patreon mixtaper at patreon .com forward slash
myweeklymixtape. There you can enjoy ad -free
episodes of the show, become a future guest,
and so much more. And before we dive into our
picks, a few of the Patreon mixtapers chimed
in with the songs they would use to kick off
a 90s punk rock mixtape with And I don't think
they disappointed. Seeker chimed in with something
from Australia, that being Spider Bait's Buy
Me a Pony, which he describes as a searing indictment
on the music industry in all 105 seconds of rock.
Sean Goff chimed in with Gob's cover of the Rolling
Stones' Paint It Black. Tom Hutchinson chimed
in with NoFX, like you had mentioned before.
He went with Linoleum, Lagwagon's Violins, and
Therapy's Nowhere. Ben from the Too Vague podcast
chimed in with Chicago's DIY band, The Reverse,
in their track Warning Attention Announcement.
Chad LaMassa chimed in with Babes in Toyland's
Sweet 69. And last but not least, brand new Patreon
mixtaper Jen Fink chimed in with L7's Shit List,
though she could have went with any of their
hits. Jen, first off, welcome to the Patreon
mixtaper family. I'm glad to have you on board
and I'm looking forward to talking music with
you over on the forums. Love that pick. Once
again, if you'd like to join the Patreon mixtaper
family and chime in on future episodes, you could
do so at patreon .com forward slash my weekly
mixtape. With that, Coco, I'm officially pressing
the record button on our mixtape and turning
the mic over to you. What song did you choose
to kick off our 90s punk rock playlist? Well,
you mentioned it earlier. I'm going to kick it
off with Song 2 by Blur. Nice. I chose this song
because it is truly a personal favorite. And
I think that it was written as a big F you to
the music industry. And there's not really anything
more punk rock than that than being signed to
a label and pissing you off and you write the
biggest hit in the world about it. Couldn't agree
more with what you said there. And I do have
to add that you guys did such an amazing cover
of that track. I'm going to post a video of it
over at myweeklymixtape .com on the episode page.
So the mixtapers listening can be sure to check
that one out. Now we're going back to 1997 and
their self -titled album here. The thing about
this song, it has that punk rock sensibility,
that punk rock mindset. But if you listen to
Blur's catalog, it's... One of those instances
where I said it kind of toes the line, the song
is punk in nature, but it might have misled people
who were introduced to Blur by Song 2 thinking,
oh, this is a punk band. They're a lot more indie
alternative, but they really brought the punk
vibe, flavor and flair for this track. So I love
the opening pick. Thank you. I am going to follow
that up with something that is. very very punk
and this is a band that in no way shape or form
has ever leaned outside of the punk spectrum
they are a tried and true punk band one of the
big names in punk and i think one of the more
influential punk bands and i'm gonna go with
a song that actually appeared on two of this
band's albums the first being 1990s against the
grain but the version i'm gonna go with is off
their album Stranger Than Fiction, which came
out in 1994. I'm going to go with Bad Religion's
21st Century Digital Boy. There's something about
Andy Wallace's production on Stranger Than Fiction,
on the album, that just hit the sweet spot for
me. And Stranger Than Fiction is probably in
my top 10 favorite punk albums of all time. So
I definitely wanted to go with something from
this album. But I will say it's... Pretty damn
hard to choose a 90s bad religion song because
they had a ridiculous run of punk albums throughout
the decade. And for me, the sweet spot is really
the three album run of 93's Recipe for Hate,
94's Stranger Than Fiction, and 96's The Gray
Race, which was produced by one of my favorite...
producers, songwriters of all time, Rick Okasik
of the Cars. He did that album after his work
on Weezer's Blue Album and Bad Brain's God of
Love. I think Bad Religion is just an iconic
group. I feel they're very underrated. They never
hit the mainstream level like a Green Day or
a Blink -182, but I don't think you get a Green
Day or a Blink -182 without a band like Bad Religion.
Well, I was going to say it's so bizarre to me
that I truly think like bad religion, no effects
started to pave the way for punk music in a mainstream
way. And, you know, they walked so Blank and
Green Day could run. I agree with you. I think
they're completely underrated and I think they
should have gotten their their wings for sure.
Well, now you get to follow up Song 2 and 21st
Century Digital Boy. What are you going with?
Yeah, I'll go with one. One of your Patreon members
recommended because it's high on my list. I'm
going to go with Linoleum by NoFX from Punk and
Drublet. One of my all -time favorite punk records.
And I just, as we mentioned before, I just think
that NoFX does such a good job of just having
this raw, energy and this pure punkness to them
but it could get anyone singing along and I think
if you're looking to dip your toes into punk
music that is like the perfect place to start
is that album oh god yeah 1994 this is my senior
year in high school this was a band that at the
time everybody at least that I knew was either
listening to Hip hop at the time, which was incredible
in 1994. Don't get me wrong. Or a lot of the
alternative bands, the Pearl Jams, the Sound
Gardens, the Alice in Chains. Yet I used to go
to this record shop in Kearney, New Jersey. It
was called St. Mark's Place. And he was always
blasting punk music. And he had this little bin
at the front door that had 25 cent CD singles
in it. And it was all different. bands that I
would go on to discover later in life and become
huge fans of. And one of the singles I bought
was actually the single for leave it alone, which
is the second track on punk and trouble. I had
that one in my bank, but then at the last second,
before we started recording, I actually switched
it to linoleum because I thought to myself, real
no effects fans, if they were going to introduce
no effects to somebody who never heard no effects
before. what song would they choose? And I thought
linoleum would be it. And sure enough, that's
the one you picked. And I think to introduce
somebody to a band like no effects, if you start
somewhere outside of punk and drublick, they
might not give the band the chance. I feel like
punk and drublick is their most digestible album
for somebody who's never heard their music before.
Yeah, I agree. And I think it is such an easy
segue into harder punk stuff. by listening to
that album first. It's one of my just all -time
favorites. And I'm going to follow that up with
something that is a little heavier in the punk
spectrum. And this one might ruffle some feathers.
Not the band. I know right now, when I say the
band, everyone's going to go, yes. And then when
I say the song, some people I think are going
to go, yes. And other people I think are going
to go, but what about Ruby Soho? Or what about
Salvation? I am going to go with Rancid, but
I am going up to 1998's Life Won't Wait because
coming out of linoleum, I want the haze in the
hose from Blood Clot. I like that. I like that
take. I just feel like it's that heavy. side
of rancid that still incorporates a little bit
of that ska vibe but it's definitely a lot more
aggressive and don't get me wrong i love time
bomb i love ruby soho and outcome the wolves
is an absolute masterpiece of an album but blood
clot might low -key be my favorite Rancid song
of all time. And it was also used for an entire
scene in 1999's horror slash comedy, Idle Hands,
yet never made the soundtrack with bands like
The Offspring and all these other punk groups.
How it didn't is beyond me, but I just love this
song. I think they're a great band. Speaking
of Segway bands, you know, I think they do have
that ska vibe to them, but I don't think it's
too much. I think there are ska punk bands that
are in your face, like, this is ska, get used
to it, buddy. But they just kind of ease into
it, which I really liked. And I think that got
me into more ska music, was by listening to them
first. They're definitely a way to transition
from the punk side of ska to the third wave side
of ska. Where I would say Rancid is more of that
two -tone sound, which you hear in bands, in
modern bands like The Interrupters now, versus
the third wave ska, which gives you the bands
like Real Big Fish, Mighty Mighty Boss Tones,
Goldfinger, that whole scene, which I love. Don't
get me wrong. I've done an entire episode on
ska punk already, and I probably will do several
more because I love that scene. For some people,
it's hard to go from punk to the third wave.
They need a band to kind of ease them into that.
And Rancid does it so effortlessly, you might
not even be aware you're listening to something
with a little bit of a ska touch. Yeah, it's
just so nice. I think it's such a breath of fresh
air, just having those little extra touches of
ska in there. But again, it's not gonna... blow
you out of the water could not agree more and
this has been a pretty heavy first half of uh
side a what are you following up blood clot with
okay i am going to follow it up with come out
and play the offspring smash awesome again i'm
going off like my favorite albums of all time
right now This album was like a game changer
for me, and I think it's a very influential album
on Winona Fighter's sound. We cover Self -Esteem,
which was also off of Smash, but there's something
about Come Out and Play that's got just a little
more aggression to it. It just kind of has a
grit to it that when you listen to Come Out and
Play and then it goes into Self -Esteem, you're
already amped up and you're ready to... hit those
singing along parts and self -esteem. And so
I think come out and play is one of the best
songs on that album. One of the best officer
spring songs of all time. Bite me. I don't care.
Ah, it's time to relax. And you know what that
means? A glass of wine, your favorite easy chair.
And of course this compact disc playing on your
home stereo, believe it or not. My first copy
of the Offspring smash I got on vacation with
my parents in North Carolina in 1994. And it
was on cassette, meaning it did not include time
to relax on it. I didn't get that joke until
getting the CD years later. It's a 30 year anniversary
smash. I know. I know. I had bad habit on my
list. But I could have also, depending on if
you started going into the ska realm of 90s pop
punk, I also had What Happened to You. It was
such an amazing album. They covered so many different
styles. And I have to applaud Come Out and Play
because at the end of the day, that was the song
that introduced me to The Offspring as well as
a lot of people. Because this was their mainstream
introduction. Yeah. And I couldn't think of a...
A better one for them. I mean, again, it's pop
sensibility, but it is like there's that grit
to it that you just it's undeniable punk. So
I love that song. I love that album. Put it on
the playlist. All right. And I am going to follow
it up. I'm going to get a little little heavier
here because I had a song on my list that one
of the new Patreon mixtapers chose. And I have
to agree wholeheartedly. It was one of the first
songs I wrote down. Because I wanted to make
sure we were including some of the female punk
artists in our mixtape. And the first one that
came to mind was L7's Shit List from 1992's Bricks
Are Heavy. And that song, to me, I had already
been familiar with the album. But two years later,
I took a then -girlfriend to see the movie Natural
Born Killers. And the opening scene of that movie...
I had no idea what that movie was when we walked
into it and we both walked out with our jaws
on the ground. But that movie and this song in
that movie just sends it on a whole different
level. And at the end of the day, L7 were so
influential and they brought such an aggression
that I don't think you get a lot of, at least
in the mainstream. I would say that there were
groups like. but trumpet or which then became
Betty blowtorch, which really leaned into that
heavy, aggressive, angry sound. But that was
much more in the underground scene. You were
not even hearing that on college radio. And the
fact that L seven was able to bring their sound
to the college level. And even some mainstream
radio to me was such a huge leap. And it's an
important thing in the nineties. So I'm going
to go with shit list. I think that's a great
choice. I love L7. I really didn't get into them
until about maybe like I was like 18, 19. But
I think it's there's not a lot of influential
females in the punk rock scene. It's like when
you're like exposed to such bad asses, especially
as a woman who is. pursuing the same thing it's
like it's just so sick it's so inspiring and
i think it's just cool to see a band who one
like they're not out here being like oh like
we're the most punk band you know they're like
we're here with the guys we're rocking we're
rolling deal with it and i i just think that's
sick i think they're awesome and man oh man would
i love to meet them one day And I'm not going
to lie. I know you guys like to mix in cover
songs. After seeing you live and hearing some
of the notes that you can hit when you're screaming,
I would love to hear you on that third verse
of Shit List. I think you would nail that one.
That would be sick. All right. So what are you
coming out of that with? All right. I will do
another one for the ladies. I have Bruise Violet
by Babes in Toyland, 1992. fontanelle i chose
that song because when i was learning how to
scream that was my go -to song it's so aggressive
and you have to use your voice in such a way
that it taught me how to appropriately and like
properly sing aggressively or scream while still
like protecting my voice and again it's just
like such an inspiring group that i truly think
they're under so underrated oh god and i think
everyone should get the chance to listen to them
and i'm also glad that that's another one that
we get to check off for the patreon mixtapers
because chad lamassa chimed in with sweet 69
yeah i mean another great song again very influential
band you would not have groups like Veruca salt,
which definitely leaned a little bit more alternative,
but they definitely, I hear elements of babes
and toy landing groups like that in the latter
part of the nineties. And I think that's amazing.
And it just blows my mind that a group like babes
and toy land is still regulated to that kind
of off outside the mainstream cuff that how did
they not break mainstream? Because they're just.
So good at what they do was so effortless. Yeah,
they deserve their flowers and they did get them
within the scene. But I mean, I think they should
have been celebrated way more just across the
board in the industry. They're awesome. 100%.
And I'm going to follow that up with a band that
I feel like has gotten their flowers in some
sense. And in other sense, I feel like they deserve
so much more because I used to draw. this band's
iconic character on every textbook. When you
would fold the brown paper bag inside out and
you'd have your textbooks, they used to make
you cover them back in the nineties. I would
always draw Milo. Yes. On my textbooks. And I
want to go off of 1996 is everything sucks. Even
though I discovered the descendants, believe
it or not through the movie, pump up the volume.
With Christian Slater. He plays and screams along
to their song Wienerschnitzel during the movie.
And I said, what is that band? And I immediately
started asking everybody I knew. My older cousin's
like, dude, it's the Descendants. And he gave
me the cassette. And that was it. I was a Descendants
fan. And in 1996, I picked up an Epitaph Records
compilation called Punk -O -Rama Volume 2. This
featured songs from, like I said, Descendants,
Pennywise, Pulley, Rancid, Me First and the Gimme
Gimmes, Down by Law, Bad Religion. And I think
the CD cost me like $3 .99. So at the time, it
was a no -brainer way to check out a bunch of
different punk bands. Really, really cheap. There
was no streaming music at the time. There was
no YouTube. It was either radio, MTV, or your
friends. So this was a great way to kind of discover.
And I saw a Descendants song on there. And I
went, ooh, the Descendants must have a new album
out. And sure enough, it was 1996's Everything
Sucks. And the song that I chose is actually
only 35 seconds long. So I've already spoken
at least three times longer than the actual song
length. However, Coffee Mug is 35 seconds of
aggression that puts a smile on my face every
time I hear it. The fact that they snuck the
word mug into a 35 second song 13 times shows
you the manic intensity you're getting from this
one. Yes, it's a little silly. Yes, it's that
descendant sense of humor. But I don't think
there's ever been a morning that I've gotten
up and walked down to the Keurig without going
mug, mug, mug. So I had to go with coffee mug.
I think that's a great choice. And, you know,
I think hug can be a little silly. I mean, we
have a song that's. just kind of pure satire
and man the descendants we played a festival
with them back in 2022 and they were just killing
they were insane it was such like uh it wasn't
like shocking but it was like holy shit these
guys can still rock i felt the same way i saw
youth of today and gorilla biscuits last year
nice and they were Just mind blowing. And it's
so cool to continue to be inspired by a band
that's been around so long. They're pioneers.
They're pioneers. And it shows that, yes, look,
the one thing that is imminent in this world
is that father time always ends up winning at
the end of the day. But these guys are out there
having done this for decades and they still command
that stage. just as well as any of the young
bucks with a lot more energy and a lot less back
pain can do. Yeah. And I, I think that's so one
of the reasons why it's so inspiring because
you do like get a lot of people who are like,
well, what are you going to, cause I move around
and I thrash around and I am running around.
Everyone's like, what are you going to do? Like,
you know, when you're 50, I was like, well, I
hope I'm still up there playing shows. What are
you talking about? And to see those guys. Kill
it to see Walter and Gorilla Biscuits trying
to do like handstands on the drum riser. It's
so cool. And it just makes you realize you can
do it as long as you want to do it. Punk is an
attitude. It's got nothing to do with age. Exactly.
So what are you following up Coffee Mug with?
Oh, man. Okay. I am going to go off of the album
1994 Teenage Politics. I'm going to go MXPX Punk
Rock Show. Nice. I chose this one because I saw
them perform it this past fall at Furnace Fest.
And it was just another situation where you felt
like they were at their peak again watching it.
And so I just love moments like that. And now
every time I listen to the song, it just brings
me back to seeing them perform it live. And I
think it's such a good. segue for people to get
again to get into mxpx i think it has that it
just energizes you i don't know it just you know
it's probably my favorite mxpx record probably
one of my favorite songs punk rock show r -a
-w -k well i love that song i saw them perform
that at the birch hill nightclub which was it's
now a condo development in old bridge new jersey
but this was one of those venues that was Just
to me, one of my favorite, smaller, intimate
venues where you got to see bigger name bands
because the venue just happened to draw them
in somehow. And it was always somehow, no matter
how big the band was, even if the show was sold
out, somehow people always managed to get in.
And MXPX was sold out when we got there. And
the guy was just like, just give me the money
and go up. Like, I don't even know. So I got
to see this show. The one thing I'll never forget
about this song. We were right up front during
Punk Rock Show. And at the time I was 315 pounds
and somebody in the front thought that they would
be able to jump into me and knock me over in
the pit. And I'll never forget the song was playing
and this kid tried to do like a swinging kick
into me and I caught him. And he looked me dead
in the eye. He goes, that backfired. I said,
it certainly did. And I just flog him up over
my head. I love that. So I love that song. I
love MXPX. And I'm so glad that they're still
out doing what they do. Because Mike Herrera
is just such an amazing talent. Such a great
singer. Such a great bass player. He plays in
Goldfinger now. He does shows with them on bass.
So I love it. And to close out Side A, we've
done such a unique spectrum here. I want to go
with another iconic punk rock group. And I want
to go with one that, because Coffee Mug was a
little bit on the sillier side, I want to go
to the other end of that spectrum and do something
that's a little bit more introspective, maybe.
I don't want to say serious, but definitely something
that when you listen to the lyrics, it can kind
of hit you in a way. And this is a song that
has hit me decade by decade. More and more as
the years go by. And I'm going to go off their
1990 self -titled album. And I'm going with Social
Distortion's Story of My Life. That was on my
list. Nice. There's something about the lyrics
in this song. The older I get, the more they
resonate with me. And the more the song means
to me. Because you can kind of feel the years
behind you in this song. And obviously. Film
fans will remember this song from Reality Bites.
It was in the movie, but not on the soundtrack,
which is ridiculous to me, but regardless. And
in 2005, Real Big Fish covered the song in a
full two -tone ska version on their We're Not
Happy Till You're Not Happy album. I don't think
you can do a 90s punk episode and not bring up
Mike Ness. He is a pioneer in punk. He is somebody
that I think the scene. has rallied around, looked
up to. They've put out such an incredible catalog
of albums. And they're one of those bands that
never got massive, but are so well -respected
and so influential. I don't think they ever needed
the mainstream because they have somehow cemented
their legacy without it. And to me, there's nothing
more punk rock than that. Yeah, I mean, you can't
say their name and not... I think they were not
huge. but they're still like a household name,
you know? And I think that's so special. And
I saw them open for, I think, the Foo Fighters
when I was in middle school. And I just thought
it was the coolest thing ever. And then they
closed it out with Story of My Life. And I just
remember being like wide -eyed because that's
when I was still getting into older punk rock
music, like 90s. I was born in 97, so 90s. punk
rock that's when I was like kind of diving into
it a little more and and just realizing oh like
you can be a punk rock band you can have heavier
punk rock songs but you can also have your story
of my life which is just so it's so nice you
know it just it's like it's like you're on a
beach that's like what I think when I hear that
song it's just enlightening and it can't help
but like put a smile on your face and You don't
have to be angry all the time. Amen. Yeah. I
think that's a great one to close it out with.
Well, there you have it. Side A of our ultimate
90s punk mixtape, which kicked off with Blur's
Song 2, Bad Religion's 21st Century Digital Boy,
NoFX's Linoleum, Rancid's Blood Clot, The Offspring's
Come Out and Play, L7's Shitlist, Babe's in Toyland's
Bruise Violet, Descendant's Coffee Mug, MXPX's
Punk Rock Show, and Social Distortion's Story
of My Life. Head over to myweeklymixtape .com
to hear all the songs we've discussed in this
mix through the playlist embedded on the episode
page. Now, Coco, we've been talking about 90s
punk the entire time, but now I'd like to take
some time to talk about 2024 punk being Winona
Fighter's music. As I mentioned at the top of
the show, you started off in the Boston music
scene before you upped and moved to Nashville.
Did you have any musical culture shock when you
first made that move? Because Nashville is not
one of the meccas of punk rock, at least on paper.
It was. A tough transition, but it's what inspired
me to start when I'm a fighter. And Nashville
has a way better rock and alternative scene now.
But when I moved here in 2015, I would go to
Cafe Coco and the Family Wash and a couple times
a week. And I just never felt like I could find
what I was missing from Boston. And so I was
like, well, I'll just do it. myself. So it was
definitely a culture shock, but I think it inspired
me that much more to have a punk band of my own
and get out from behind the drum kit and be a
front person. Well, apologies in advance for
the comparison, but you mentioned the band name
before, and then you mentioned you were a drummer.
So you have taken the quote unquote, Dave Grohl
approach heading towards the microphone because
you started off. on the drum kit. And you're
an incredible drummer, I should add, because
I saw your older drum cover of the Chainsmokers'
Don't Let Me Down, which was awesome. Can you
talk about that transition for you from behind
the kit to in front of the microphone? Because
personally, from my experience as a bassist and
a lead singer, depending on what I'm doing on
stage, it's a completely different mindset. biggest
influence and I think it was nice to be influenced
by him as a drummer and then when I was ready
to kind of like make the switch be like oh well
like he did it I'll do it you know and so I think
that the biggest like mental change was I think
the attention that you get as a front person
because when I was back on the drums I'm a hard
hitter I'm a heavy hitter And I am like an animal
back there, but I couldn't see anyone. So like,
I can't see them. They can't see me. I don't
have to talk to the crowd. I just have to play
these drums as hard as possible. And I think
making that transition to being in front of everyone,
it took me a second to kind of like realize that
all attention is on you. And I think that's one
of the reasons why. I am so comfortable making
little jokes as a front person is because it
makes me more comfortable being up there and
being up front. It's like when you joke about
your trauma to like make it easier. So I think
that was the biggest transition was not necessarily
the aspect of playing live, but just the you
can see everyone and they see you and it's all
eyes on you. So that was the biggest thing. Well,
given your experience on drums, do you personally
record the drums for Renona Fighters tracks in
the studio? I do. Yep. So everything 2023 and
forward are all my drums. Given that, how do
you transition the songs from what you recorded
to the live stage with your other drummer? Do
you let him put his... touch or flare on them?
Or do you try to keep them as close to the studio
recordings as possible? I sent him the recordings
and, you know, I were two completely different
drummers. I am a guard hitting, stick to the
basics and play in the pocket. And he is a very
talented, loves like the intricate fills and
stuff. So I just send him the things, like play
the songs correctly. But do what you want to
do. And I think that's great. I think it's better
that way. I would never, as a drummer, I never
liked when someone told me how to play. And so
I'm not going to hire a drummer who I know has
a different style than me and try to make them
change their style. It's like if he's to do something
that I hear that I don't like, I'll say it. But
at the end of the day, I don't believe in making
him a drummer that he's not. Because I wouldn't
want that. So there's like the pros and cons.
Like I know what it's like to be the drummer.
But that being said, I also hear everything.
So like one little thing is wrong. I'm like,
what was that? It's a very hard gig. I give him
all the credit in the world. It's a very hard
gig. Well, I have to ask because I've been intrigued
by the band name since I first was introduced
to it. What's the story behind Winona Fighter?
So for I started the project, I started writing
for it in like 2015, started in 2016. And Dan
is an OG member. And we were just going by my
nickname for a while, which is Coco. And that's
what everyone knows me as is Coco. And we were
on beat and put on these like rock bills and
these punk bills. And it just like didn't look
right. I hated it. And also I'm very private
too. So I'm like, I don't know if I want just
like my name as the name. And we did the father
figure EP. And I was like, do we want to release
our debut EP under this name? And so it was actually
Austin and I were going back and forth. Like
just, we would walk by each other and say a band
name. And I would either be like, no, or he would
be like, no. And then one night he came up with.
Winona Fighter and at first I was like no and
then I woke up the next morning I kept playing
it over in my head and I was like writing it
down and he was like I think that's cool I think
Winona Fighter is cool and I was like oh I don't
know and then later that day I was like you know
what no that's sick oh that's how we came up
with the name we just wanted to do something
that had like a feminine but also aggressive
edge to it. And I think it really resembles us
as a band. Oh, mission accomplished for sure.
Yeah. And you recently signed to Rise Records.
Can you talk about how that connection came about?
Yeah, we had been talking to a few labels and
doing the whole shopping our songs around and
seeing if anyone bites. And I remember my manager
over at Indigute. He introduced me to Sean, who
works over at Rise Records, and we chatted it
up. And it was like the first meeting where I
felt seen as an artist. I felt like they genuinely
cared about what we wanted to accomplish as a
band. And they were just like, what you're doing
is working. We're not going to make you change
anything. We're not going to make you start like...
doing these TikToks or we're not going to, if
you want to record the whole album in your house,
go for it. Like we're talking to you. So it's
working obviously. And I just felt so good after
talking to them. I was like, I don't, I don't
think I want to talk to anyone else. You know,
it was like when you're dating around. Yeah.
And then I think it was like after that meeting,
they were like, we would love to sign you guys.
Obviously that's a slow process. Cut to six months
later, January 2024, we signed a record deal
with them. And it's probably the most artist
-friendly record deal an up -and -coming band
could ask for. Amazing. Well, let's take a listen
to the band's latest single, I'm in the Market
to Please No One. Now, Coco, this track is an
anthemic way to stand up for yourself in the
midst of toxicity. While the lyrics could feel
like it's coming from, I'd say, a place of anger,
you've stated that it's much more than that.
Could you elaborate on that? Yeah, I wrote, I'm
in the market to please no one. I had found a
note. It must have been from like a therapy homework
assignment. It was a letter I had written to
an ex -partner. And I just felt so weak reading
it. And I think there comes a point in every
musician's career where you realize you have
a voice and people want to listen to you. And
so I had never written about this situation before.
And I decided if I was going to write about it,
then I'm going to do it in a way that's empowering
and a way that... makes people want to stand
up for themselves instead of in a way that is
like solemn and I'm a victim and xyz it's like
get up kick some ass and just kind of be strong
so I was definitely like it was hard though to
get to the process of releasing it because when
I I know like when I showed it to Austin and
Dan I was like but it's not a single when I showed
it to management I was like it's not a single
though Because I think it's tough writing about
those things, but now that it is a single and
it is out in the world, it's so cool to see how
it's resonated with people. I had a dad with
a 14 -year -old daughter come up to me the other
day being like, it is so awesome for there to
be an empowered female in the punk scene. And
I had a domestic violence attorney come up to
me at the show the other night being like, I
send your song to all my clients. Like how it's
resonated is so cool. And it's resonating in
the exact way that I felt when I wrote it. Well,
I have to echo what the other father said, because
I have a teenager and soon to be teenager, both
girls. And when I hear songs like this that empower
women, it puts a smile on my face because That
is why I have no problem taking the girls to
see The Interrupters because I would rather them
sing Take Back the Power and other songs along
those lines where the power is given and not
taken from them. And I think that it's rare in
music now. And I'm glad to see more voices coming
out with songs like this. So thank you for that.
Thank you. Now I'd like to play a couple of other
clips. The first being a song that I think, really
lit up the Starland when I saw you guys last
week, and that is Hams in a Glass. And along
with Hams in a Glass, I'd also like to share
a clip of another 2023 single from the band entitled
Johnny's Dead. Now, Coco, is it safe to assume
that these two songs that I just played, Hams
in the Glass and Johnny's Dead, along with I'm
in the Market to Please No One and another single
you released, I Think You Should Leave, are those
part of a larger, full -length Winona Fighter
album? Or is the band taking the singles approach?
I'm a firm believer in albums. There will be
an album. Over my dead body will there not be
enough. Well, the other thing I wanted to bring
up from the recent live set, we talked about
it earlier, your cover of Blur's Song 2, which
you also covered, like you said, The Offspring's
Self -Esteem. And I've seen a video of you guys
covering Blink -182's Damn It. What is the band's
mindset in terms of covering a song and bringing
it into the set? Because from what I've seen
live and as well as online, you guys are really
hitting the nail on the head with the song choices.
Thank you. I think the whole point of the covers
is to engage people who have never heard of us
and don't know the songs. And I always say that
I believe in shows where everyone can sing along
at least once. I mean, that's it's so freeing.
It's such a just exciting experience. And so
picking these songs that aren't deep cuts that
are just like everyone knows this. You don't
have to learn it. I don't have to teach it to
you. I think. That brings excitement to our set
for people who have never heard of us and don't
know our music. Yeah, I love it. I love doing
covers. I think a lot of bands shy away from
it, but I think it's a great way to engage the
audience. So with that, is there any chance you
guys might record some of your cover songs at
some point and release them as studio singles?
I'd love to. Yeah, I think I could picture us
doing. We did a video of a song, too, a while
ago. But I would love to record self -esteem
or maybe even pick something new and do like
a studio version of it. Awesome. Well, with that,
we're going to transition over to side B of our
90s punk rock mixtape. And I get to kick things
off. And there's one band that is on the yes,
we're going to be obvious list. And I'm going
to check it off. But I'm going to go with a song
that might not be as obvious. So Big Name. And
I'll say a little bit of a deeper cut. And this
song came out in 1995 and it was featured on
a soundtrack. And that soundtrack is one of my
favorite soundtracks of the decade to a little
known movie called Angus, which really hit home
for me. It was a high school movie. And the opening
track on the soundtrack was Green Day. And the
song is called J .A .R. or Jason Andrew Relva.
It's an outtake from the Dookie Sessions. It's
now on the Dookie box set. But to me, it was
always from the Angus soundtrack. Such an amazing
opening bass line right up there with Longview.
Mike Dern is one of my favorite bass players
of the 90s. I love the way he walks during these
punk songs. And there's something about Jason
Andrew Relva knowing the story behind the song.
It's about a friend of Mike Dern's who committed
suicide in a car crash. The lyrics are a lot
different than the teenage Longview style of
Green Day. And it's a much deeper song. And it
was at that point that I realized that pop punk
could tug at the heartstrings a little bit. And
to me, that was a defining moment in punk rock
for me, because here was a song that at the time
in 1995, Story of My Life. didn't hit like it
does now so what i had ended on side a it took
me a long time to realize what those words meant
but the first time i heard jason andrew relva
it hit me and i knew what those words meant and
the song is just be on top of the fact that it's
powerful it's also just a ridiculously catchy
punk song yeah i love that song i 90s green day
will always have a special place in my heart
However, on our van ride yesterday, I was blasting
All of American Idiot. You can't tell me that's
not a good record, okay? No, it's awesome. People
my age are haters about it. Really? And I'm shutting
that down right now. But that being said, 90s
Green Day will always just top that for me. It's
weird for me because when people... say to me
because i host a music podcast i get random like
what's your favorite album by blank and when
people say what's your favorite album by green
day i don't even stop i go insomniac and people
go what and they're like why insomniac that doesn't
really have a lot of hits on it and i'm like
aha exactly and yes brain stew is my least favorite
song on the album because it was the big radio
hit insomniac was kind of green days kind of
flipping their flexing their punk rock muscles
on that album and it's the heaviest most aggressive
green day album but as far as single songs go
no green day song hits me like jason andrew relva
does so it's like i was really struggling trying
to decide if i wanted to go with something off
of insomniac or go with jar and that's what i
ended up going with okay let me take a look at
my list okay You know what? I'm going to follow
suit, and I'm going to also do well -known band,
well -known album, maybe a little bit of a deeper
cut, because I think this song just rips. I'm
going to go Year I Was Born, 1997, Blink -182's
Dude Ranch, and I'm going to go Josie. Nice.
With that album as a whole, I think it's definitely
more raw. As far as Blink -182 goes, I think
they're kind of starting to get into that more
produced pop punkness, but it still has that
like raw DIY energy to it. And I think Josie's
just fast. It's fun. The lyrics are just so wild.
And I think everyone can listen to this song.
And again, it could be a segue. You listen to
this song and then a bad religion song comes
on after it. Then a no effect song comes on after
it. I think it's a nice slope to just listening
to, you know, punk rock across the board. Damn
it was the song that probably introduced a lot
of people to blink 182 because that was like
their first breakout hit. Yeah. But Josie was
the song to me that told the world we're more
than just damn it. And the first time I heard
that drumbeat, I'm going, what? the oh my god
what is this madness that's happening in this
song it was almost like a thrash blast beat but
spun into a punk rock form and it worked so effortlessly
i i think it's such a great song and i think
it definitely ties it's like a nice little bow
on damn it it's like hey like we can be this
mainstream act but Here's what we're about. So
Josie, 1997, Dude Ranch. I love it. And I'm going
to follow that up. This is where it's going to
get a little weird. But that drumbeat, as soon
as I thought of it, I'm like, what do I want
to come out of that song with? And I'm going
to go with a song that really is going to be
divisive amongst people listening to this episode.
And when I say the band name. Everyone's going
to immediately know that I'm not talking about
the band that is currently selling out arenas
because that version is the original Misfits
with Glenn Danzig. But I am going to go with
the Michael Graves era of the Misfits and the
title track from 1997's American Psycho because
that song uses straight up thrash metal blast
beats. In a punk song. And then pivots. Into
a whoa whoa sing along. Which is very punk rock.
So it keeps teetering between. Is it punk is
it metal. Is it punk is it metal. And to me the
misfits of the 90s. The Michael Graves era. Is
a completely different band. Than the Danzig
fronted misfits. This was much more aggressive.
Has a lot more hints of metal in it. But still
carries that. Macabre nature of. the misfits
into the lyrics, but musically, I don't know
if I can hear Danzig singing these songs. It
was a different band, but I'm just thinking drum
wise coming out of Josie, that frantic drum beat
that Travis Barker's playing. And then you pivot
into American psycho and you get this blast beat.
It's, it's a different song based on everything
we've talked about tonight, but I feel like it
has a spot here. I think so too. I agree with
you. And misfits were, One of my first introductions
to punk rock. I think it would be silly not to
add them to the list. All right. And you are
up now to follow Green Day, Blink -182, and the
Misfits. Oh, boy. Okay. I'm going to go with
a personal favorite. Underrated band. And they're
still playing today. Completely underrated, in
my opinion. I'm going to go... 1999, FTTW, H2O,
the song One Life, One Chance. Nice! H2O was
one of the first bands, one of the first very
punk -leaning bands that their melodies are so
fucking good, dude. Oh, yeah. Like, it's raw,
it's heavy, but it's just so catchy. And I think
that they are the... Perfect. Like perfectly
encapsulate. Like when I tell someone like about
Winona fighter and I was like, we're punk, but
we have pop sensibility and we're punk pop. You
know, I think, I think H2O fits in that category
so well. And I think there's such like a cool
inspiration for us. So, and Toby Morse is just
bad -ass and seems like such a cool guy. I'm
so glad that we're 70 episodes into this show.
And now this marks the third time that we've
talked about H2O on this show. I have talked
about their cover of Like a Prayer on episode
10, the 2000s punk rock playlist, as well as
episode 26, the ultimate punk rock cover songs
playlist. These guys bring a little bit of hardcore
into their sound. But they blend it so effortlessly
that they could play a hardcore show and a punk
show. and fit in as if they were 100 % on either
side of that spectrum. And that's what I love
about H2O's music. Yeah. I think they're just
such a special band where, as you said, I think
they could stick them on any bill and they will
rush it and they will fit right in. And I think
that's like, that is a dream for any band is
to be able to do that. And they do it so effortlessly.
Amen. I'm going to lean into your mindset for
your song pick there, because you went with a
song that's one of your favorites. And I'm going
to do the same. And I'm going to go with a band
that also adds a little bit of that hardcore
sound into the punk that they put together. And
this is a song by a band that I have been a fan
of since the 90s. And they're based out of New
Jersey. I think they're criminally underrated.
And the album I'm going to go from is actually
not even available on Spotify. It was released
on Earache Records in 1997. So I'm going to have
to throw the YouTube video up on the episode
page at myweeklymixtape .com. But the band I'm
going with is called IDK, meaning the letters
I period D period K period. And the song is called
Fireman Song, and it's from 1997's Taking on
the Monster. This group is, if you're from the
New Jersey area and you're in the New Jersey
punk scene, you are familiar with them. And they
also have grown outside of the New Jersey area.
And I feel like this group should have exploded.
I was listening to this group when they were
still putting out demos on cassette. And for
anyone that doesn't know them, they do have some
albums on streaming. 1996's EP, To Kill for the
Good of the Fight, For the Right to Be Right.
as well as 1998's Till Death Do Us Part. If you
want to look them up on social, they're on Facebook
at IDKNJ. That's all letters, IDKNJ. And I messaged
the band on Facebook and word is, there's going
to be some new music coming from them in 2024.
So if you like what you hear on the episode page,
be sure to check out IDK because like H2O, I
think criminally underrated. Yeah, it's crazy
to me how many phenomenal punk bands that could
have been easily mainstream just flew under the
radar. But I will go with a band that did not
fly under the radar. And this one's going to
be a hot take as to whether people think it's
punk or not. Uh -oh. I think this is one of the
most punk rock acts ever. I'm going... Beastie
Boys Sabotage. Nice. 1994. The thing with punk
music is I think it's such an umbrella. And I
think it's so cool that, I mean, if I were to
do a punk lineup and I put the Beastie Boys on
there, they would fit right in. You can't tell
me that it's like Beastie Boys, Rage Against
the Machine. You can't tell me that those guys
are not punk rock as fuck. And that is like a
hill I will die on. Beastie Boys on my list and
one of the greatest punk rock acts ever. If you've
ever listened to the Some Old Bullshit album
by Beastie Boys, there's no question that punk
was always a part of their sound. Egg Raid on
Mojo, Transit Cop, they pivoted to hip hop, but
then still brought some of those elements throughout
the years. And Sabotage might be one of my favorite.
pump up songs of all time. Every time that song
comes on, if I'm in a car driving, that car is
going so much faster than it should. If I'm out
for a run, I am throwing my back out. Like this
song just makes you want to smash stuff. And
it's done in such a way that even when they performed
it live, they performed it on one of the late
night TV shows. I want to say it was David Letterman.
And they just blew the roof off the place. So
I love that pick. And I am 100 % behind it. But
following that up, hmm. All right. I don't know
if this would be considered deep or not, but
this is another one of those bands that I think
they're definitely recognized within the punk
scene. I'm just not sure how far beyond it they
go in terms of name recognition. Okay. This song
originally appeared on their 1992 debut album,
Don't Turn Away. And it was remixed for a 1994
EP called Over It. However, after the song started
receiving radio airplay, their label asked them
to re -record the song for 1995's Big Choice.
And I'm going with Face to Face and Disconnected.
Nice. This is the version of the song that was
made into a music video. And that is how I discovered
Face to Face. And it reached number 39 on the
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. So it's not
like a massive hit, but it put them into the
mainstream. So much so that they were asked to
be on the Saturday Morning Cartoons compilation,
which is one of my favorite compilations of the
90s. And they did a kick -ass version of, I don't
care, yes, kick -ass version of Popeye the Sailor
Man. I love this band so much. They are punk
to their core. And on the same album, following
up Disconnected, the thing I love about the version
on Big Choice is there's a hidden track right
before Disconnected. And it's about a minute
and a half of the band explaining why they don't
want to rerecord Disconnected. And then boom,
it just goes into their new version of it. I
think it's brilliant. And then following that
was a cover of The Descendants' Bikage, which...
We talked about our love for the Descendants
on Side A. When Face to Face covered the Descendants
on this album, I was like, these guys are speaking
my punk rock language. And they've done so much
over that course of the 90s that I feel like
gets overshadowed and overlooked by the bands
like the Green Days and the Blink -182 that I
would be upset if Face to Face wasn't in this
discussion at some point. Yeah, I think that's
a great pick. And I think like, In this playlist,
we could do the Green Day, Blink -182, Weezer,
if you'd even consider that, all day long. But
I think the cool thing is all of these bands
that you know inspired what are now some of the
biggest punk rock bands ever. So I think that's
a great choice, and I fully approve of it. So
I think I... We'll follow that with, oh man,
you know what? I'm going to go just a classic.
I'm going to go classic. I'm going to go with
Cannonball by The Breeders. Nice. That song and
that band, again, was one of my first introductions
to punk rock or heavy alternative. I think they're
badass. I think that they have such a unique
sound to them too. I think they were really inspiring
in the way that you don't have to be cookie cutter.
And they were definitely part of an era where
you were getting a lot of the same stuff, but
they definitely stepped outside the box and I
think could be considered a big influence for
us. But I'm going Cannonball because I think
if you're going to listen to the Breeders, if
you're going to get into them, start with that
song. As a bass player, of course, that bass
line just puts a smile on my face every time
I hear it. We've talked about that song on several
episodes of the show, including episode three,
The Ultimate Songs of 1993, and episode 17, The
Ultimate 90s Indie Alternative Playlist. Anytime
I get the chance to talk about the incredible
Deal Sisters, I'm all in. That song just immediately
captivated me, and the Breeders are influential.
There was a time in 1993 where you were getting
bands like the Breeders and the Muffs that were
bringing these strong female vocalists to the
table. And I brought up the Muffs because I think
about how sad I am that Kim Shattuck is no longer
with us. But like these iconic voices that paved
the way for groups like Veruca Salt to come along
and continue that and groups like Winona Fighter.
There's a door that got opened. With these groups
that had these punk stylings, but with a female
vocalist. And I feel like that part of the genre
didn't get explored enough. And I'm so thankful
for groups like the Breeders and the Muffs that
kind of made it more mainstream and more digestible.
So that way, a group like, and I know it's a
little bit of a different sound, but a group
like No Doubt can come out of the Orange County
ska scene and explode to one of the biggest bands
on the planet. I agree. And back to your point
about how, I mean, her voice is just so unique.
That was really important to me when I was starting
to sing in bands and stuff, because like, I don't
have this classic voice. I don't have this polished,
pretty voice. And it's so cool to listen to another
woman who is rocking out and doing it and not
have this pretty polished. classically trained
voice it's unique it's awesome and I feel like
right now in punk rock there are a lot of like
super talented female front women who do have
that just like clean and nice and I'm gonna hit
all the the high notes and do all the runs and
it can be intimidating for someone like me who
doesn't have that type of voice so looking back
in the 90s and getting to be inspired by women
in those these bands the breeders baby in toyland
i think it's it's awesome wow well following
that up i only have one song left and we have
talked a lot over this episode about cover songs
and i would be remiss if i didn't include one
of my favorite albums of the 90s, period, hard
stop, hands down, because I've always been a
cover song fanatic. I talk about covers all the
time on the show. When people talk about cover
songs, I'm like, oh, have you heard this band's
version and that band's version? Because there's
something being a musician myself, I always love
to hear how a musician puts their stamp on someone
else's art and makes it their own. And a band
that I discovered at that same record shop in
Kearney, New Jersey. was Me First and the Gimme
Gimmes. And this is a group that was made up
of some people we've talked about tonight. Fat
Mike, No Effects. You have a guy named Chris
Shifflett. While we didn't mention him by name,
he is a member of the Foo Fighters. And Me First
and the Gimme Gimmes put out an album in 1997
that blew my mind. It was called Have a Ball
Plus Bowling Tips from the Gutter Punks. And
the opening track on it was a cover of Loggins
and Messina's Danny's Song. Anyone that knows
the Yacht Rock song Danny's Song pictures this
beautiful folky ballad with nice harmonies. The
first time you hear Me First and the Gimme Gimme's
version, you're like, whoa, these guys turned
this into a punk song. And immediately they blew
my mind because they took a song that my parents
would listen to and made it into something that
psychs me up. And the entire album does that,
doing stuff like Uptown Girl by Billy Joel, Sweet
Caroline by Neil Diamond, Fire and Rain by James
Taylor, Rocketman by Elton John. These guys took
my parents' musical discography and spoke to
my generation with it. And to me, I love cover
songs so much that I had to somehow introduce
them into this episode. And if I'm going Me First
and the Gimme Gimmes, Danny's song is the perfect
place to go. I love that. I think that's a great
pick. I think that's a great way to kind of like
lead us out. And I'm going to end it on a very
Winona Fyre note as to why we do covers is to
so people can sing along. People have something
familiar. And it's just like, so I'm going to
end with a sing along. I started with a sing
along. I'm going to end with one. I'm going Fly
Pulsida. by Harvey Danger, 1997. If someone gets
through our whole playlist and they know nothing
about punk, ending it on this song, it's a nice
little palate cleanser. Everyone knows it. Even
if you think you don't know it, you know it.
I love this song. And that's really all I can
say is that I just fucking love this song. Couldn't
agree more. 1997's Where Have All The Merrymakers
Gone. This song was actually, here's a stupid
fact. I don't know why I know, but I do because
I'm just a big nerd. This was actually featured
on the now one, the now one compilation of the
U S one. Like we are at how now what? Like now
a hundred and million number one flagpole SIDA.
And this song is literally every time I've gone
to see a cover band in the last 20 something
years, they play this and everybody in the room.
just lights up with happiness and joy. And it's
one of those songs that just puts a smile on
people's faces. And sometimes there's nothing
more punk rock than that as far as I'm concerned.
I agree. There you have it, folks. Side B of
our ultimate 90s punk rock mixtape, which kicked
off with Green Day's J .A .R., Jason Andrew Relva,
Blink -182's Josie. Misfits, American Psycho,
H2O's One Life, One Chance, IDK's Fireman Song,
Beastie Boys, Sabotage, Face to Face, Disconnected,
The Breeders, Cannonball, Me First and the Gimme
Gimme's Danny Song, and Harvey Danger's Flagpole
Sitta. Head over to myweeklymixtape .com to hear
all the songs we've discussed in this mix through
the playlist embedded on the episode page. Now,
Coco, the band has some massive... Festival shows
coming up this summer, including appearances
at Ocean's Calling, Louder Than Life, and Aftershock,
among others. Along with those big festivals,
what does the rest of 2024 have in store for
Winona Fighter in terms of touring and new music?
We're finishing up our tour of Bayside in May
and then playing Shaky Knees. Otherwise, we're
hitting the studio and you can expect new music
very, very soon. Coco, this has been an absolute
pleasure. Thank you so much for joining me on
My Weekly Mixtape. Thank you. I had fun. As did
I. I want to thank all the amazing mixtapers
for listening, as well as the Patreon mixtapers
for chiming in with their picks. Glad we were
able to get some of those into the playlist tonight.
Remember, you can find My Weekly Mixtape on almost
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That's all for this week. Thanks again for listening.
And until next time, enjoy the tunes.