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An Interview with Monica Richards of Faith and The Muse
Posted: Sunday, November 04, 2007
By: Matthew Johnson
Features Editor

Monica Richards is most familiar as half of legendary gothic duo Faith and The Muse, but that's only one of a number of projects she's been involved in lately. Perhaps the most daunting is the creation of Ars Terra, her ecological foundation, whose aim is to create a sanctuary built according to the principles of permaculture, an alternative agricultural movement that incorporates the natural landscape, strives toward sustainability, and stands in stark opposition to corporate-owned factory farms.

With the ultimate goal of creating a sanctuary for animals and artists alike, Ars Terra is merely the most concrete representation of Richards' world view, which incorporates a reverence for nature and a fascination with the Goddess figure in mythology, themes that are also expressed in her graphic novel, Anafae, and her debut solo album, InfraWarrior, which draws on her favorite Welsh myths in songs like "The Hunt" and "The Antler King" and expresses her activist side through a cover of The Avengers' "We Are the One" and an understated rendition of "Like Animals," from the 1967 film Dr. Dolittle. Featuring guest appearances from such artists as Jarboe, Lustmord, Betsy Martin of Purr Machine, and her Faith and The Muse partner William Faith, InfraWarrior is Richards' urgent declaration of her "power within," as she explains to ReGen, as well as a call to action.

You have a lot of projects going on right now, but let's start by talking about your new solo album. First of all, what is the significance of the title Infrawarrior?

Richards: It's my own word, and it means the 'Inner Warrior,' the essence of 'power from within.' InfraWarrior is my personal view of primal energy and its release.

InfraWarrior is a pretty broad mix of styles and themes. How did you go about creating it? How long was the process? Had these songs been germinating for a long time before you put them together for a solo album?

Richards: It had been brewing for years, though I actually began to compose a couple years ago. I wanted to go into a tribal direction, speak out on things close to my heart. Much of the CD is Goddess-based, but there are songs about women's issues, animals, and then very personal pieces from my own childhood. A bit of it is quirky, but it's all me!

The music on the album ranges from punk, like your interpretation of The Avengers' 'We Are the One,' to tribal, ethereal, and gothic rock. What were the biggest musical influences on InfraWarrior? Who would you say are your biggest musical influences in general?

Richards: I seem to really prefer tribal musics, primal beats, but I also love experimental orchestral musics and soundscapes. But after 25 years, I think I have my own unique voice, not from just from music that influenced me, but my own experiences and path as an artist. I've loved bands like The Damned and The Beatles as well as the music of Wagner and Balkan folksinging; it's too much of a mish-mash for me to find a particular influence. Putting out my own solo album is similar to putting out a book, a graphic novel, or a painting. I originally thought it would be all tribal, but as I wrote, it just came out as it did.

Do you have a favorite song from the album? Which one, and why?

Richards: It changes, but I think 'A Good Thing' is my fave. I actually cried a bit while writing and recording it. I had a hard time as a kid and would never want to wish that kind of childhood on anyone, which is why I wrote that song.

You worked with a number of guest artists on InfraWarrior, like Brian Williams from Lustmord and Jarboe. Can you tell us a little about how some of these collaborations came about?

Richards: Being an artist, you get to know and admire other artists, and as I wrote the songs, I had some of them in mind. I wanted a special siren for 'In Answer,' so I called kaRIN from Collide. I needed a murky sea goddess for an epic dirge on 'Sedna,' so I asked Jarboe. I wanted a great rock vocalist to help me on 'A Good Thing,' so I called in Betsy Martin from Purr Machine. I needed violins in some pieces, so I asked Matt Howden (Sieben) as well as Paul Mercer (The Changelings), and for cello parts, I called Marzia Rangel (The Deadfly Ensemble). It became a 'Who would be great in this song?' type of thing. Lustmord is a great friend of ours; Jarboe introduced us. He's a fantastic guy with an amazing sense of humor. We have the Welsh connection; he grew up in Wales and speaks it fluently and loves to laugh at me, the American-Welshy! I gave him 'The Hunt' and asked him to do what he wanted; he gave back to me a gift from the depths. 'The Hunt' is beyond what I had hoped now, a piece of art in sound.

Several of the songs on the new album, like 'Fell to Regret' and your cover of 'Like Animals' from the original Dr. Dolittle, seem more overtly political than your previous work. Did you make a conscious decision to do songs that came from a more directly activist perspective?

Richards: I think my overall intention was to speak my mind on how our current culture has pulled us from nature, but also it is about my own experiences as a woman, as an artist, and as someone at odds with the modern world—more and more very year. I needed the freedom to say what I want and do the music that comes from my heart.

You've also been doing a lot of activism yourself with Ars Terra, your animal sanctuary and nature preserve. For fans that are only familiar with your music, can you tell us about this project, the history of the ideas, and your eventual plans for an eco-sanctuary?

Richards: Well, to go further, we as 'modern humanity' have cut the cord to our Mother, as it were, and we are beginning to flounder in disease, depression and global destruction. We must get back to the cycle of life. This culture has ripped us from it, and politics and money keep us from getting back there, but if enough people take their lives in their own hands, begin to get involved in gardening, community, caring for what's important in life, we may have a chance. We have been looking for land for a couple years now. Ars Terra is a nonprofit organization started by us as artists to truly move forward in our goals to have an off-grid eco-sanctuary. To live with nature, grow food locally, and to rescue factory-farmed animals and give them a chance to rediscover their natural instincts is what we are working towards. This is the biggest project of our lives, and therefore we need support of all kinds to secure land and start the work!

How did you originally become aware of permaculture, and how did you make the leap from learning about it to actually putting it practice by designing a permaculture farm?

Richards: Funnily enough, it was from watching a video of some punk rock kids in Mexico helping a village by covering their asbestos-ridden huts with cob to make them healthier. William and I ended up going to The Farm in Tennessee to take our course, and everything about it rang true to me, almost like discovering that everything I wished for as a child—to live with nature and animals—could really come true. Permaculture is a 'common sense' way of living your life along natural ecologies, working with nature to reduce your waste and create more beneficial intake. It's about reading our land carefully before building—where the sun hits, the wind blows, if the hills face north or south—as this affects your gardens and houses, and making the most of every natural system on your land so that it is easier to care for. It was necessary for us to go and learn this before looking for land.

While we're talking about nature, your views on nature seem to be tied into a sort of pagan pantheism, expressed in songs like 'Sedna' and 'Death Is the Ultimate Woman' on the album. You've also expressed that in Anafae, your graphic novel. Can you tell us a little about that project?

Richards: It's the truth of life, there's no denying. Anafae is something I'd been wanting to do for years, but didn't know where to start. I had written a short story about 'Spring' not returning to the land because the season manifested into a woman and began to walk the earth while all people, animals, and crops died mysteriously, but as I began to research further, I saw that that this notion was already happening from man's industrialization and the destruction of lands for wealth, and it became a different sort of story. Now 'Spring' walks the land to see what man has done to her realm. I am working with a fantastic artist by the name of Jim Neely, and it all came together. Anafae is currently in its first black and white test issue. We are now going to color and are working with Praxis Comics in the UK. We are selling it directly from our Web site, the Mercyground.

You've recently completed the first volume of the series. Are there more volumes in the works? Will this going to be an ongoing project, or do you already have an end to the story in mind?

Richards: There will be all sorts of issues coming over the next few years.

You're very interested in mythology, and in particular the various mythological personifications of mother nature. What are some of your favorite myths and stories? Is there a particular pantheon you feel drawn to more than any other?

Richards: Welsh-Celtic, because that is my heritage and main source of study. I love all stories and fairy tales, as they come from original oral mythology; 'Sleeping Beauty' has the same source as 'Persephone/Demeter.' They are all grounded in explaining the earth and the seasons as well as the duality within everything: birth/death, light/dark/, good/evil, etc.

Are you and William currently working on any new Faith and The Muse material? You've recently done a series of acoustic shows in Europe, but it's been almost five years since we've had a new album. Do you have any news you can let us in on?

Richards: We are on the path towards doing a new album, but we're thinking it through, what we have to express, etc. Summer may be a good time to ask that question again! The first release will be a DVD from our live show in Portland in May. We do also plan to release a CD of acoustic versions of our songs to raise funds for our sanctuary.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?

Richards: Start a garden, watch things grow, and reconnect with what is important. Even if you have an apartment, you can create one in a container!