Monica Richards began singing in her early teens, fronting a number of bands during the heyday of the Washington D.C. 80s' 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.

She first performed in 1982 with Hate From Ignorance, a band she had recently joined after the original male singer had quit, which led to a number of gigs in support of bands including Circle Jerks, Bad Brains, and Meat Puppets. In 1983, she and drummer Daniel Ingram formed the hard-edged punk outfit, Madhouse, a power-punk/early Deathrock outfit that had a hard time fitting in with the male-dominated bands and audiences. (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, Tower Records, and any bookstore that sells Independent publishers.

"I began singing for bands in 1981, and at that time, the harDCore punk scene in Washington DC was in its heyday. There was no term for different looks; costumes and hairstyles ran the spectrum - it was all seen as Punk Rock. There were kids with torn jeans and combat boots, kids dressed as Nosferatu, some dressed in S & M gear, some in T-shirts and safety pins, there was spiked hair, greased hair, black hair, blue hair, one might have no makeup on or one might wear thick makeup - it was all joined under the Punk label, and everyone dressed according to their own taste. The D.C. scene back then was fantastic. Everyone knew each other and everyone was at every show supporting the bands and the scene really flourished. New people were accepted as if to a family. We were all unified at being outsiders, at being thought of as different or weird, and it wasn't until around 1984 that looks began to take shape under different labels." - MR

Madhouse recorded and released a self-titled album on FOY Records in 1984, and went on to become a staple act in the Washington D.C. punk scene, branching out and finding a home in the darker-edged realm of 80s' Underground bands, such as Xmal Deutschland, TSOL, and UK Decay. In the later stages of Madhouse, the band began to lean in a darker direction and Monica as a singer began to display a tremendous amount of diversity. In 1985 and early 1986, the band began to record a second album, but line-up changes and creative differences began to rattle the band. The album was never released. In Spring, 1986, due to her severe vocal experimentations, Monica suffered a complete loss of her voice. This resulted in the band's forced hiatus while Monica went through months of voice therapy and training, and when Prince offered the band a helpful sum of money for their name (which he wanted for his jazz project), the group conceded that Madhouse had run its course. 

Spring of 1987 heralded the formation of Strange Boutique; a band which Monica, Daniel, and ex-Beefeater guitarist Fred Smith founded with the intention of exploring an art-driven side of their musical interests. With the addition of bassist Steve Willett, the band's first EP, "Easter Island" was released in the Spring of 1989, showcasing Monica's newly refined voice and the band's diverse musical talents.

Strange Boutique set out on tour around the East Coast in support of the EP, and due to the distinct looks and on-stage energy of each bandmember, SB earned quite a reputation for their spirited and unusual liveshows. Strange Boutique quickly established itself as one of Washington DC's major alternative acts.

"It was around 1989, that a new generation of kids began to appear at our shows, and they showed a respect and appreciation for our music that I was not quite used to. Our performances began to be consistently sold out, and after the release of the 'Easter Island' EP, there was a contingent of fans who sang along with the lyrics. That's when the scene really began to change; girls and especially boys were springing up from everywhere with an air of dreaminess and sensitivity not evident in the generation before them. It gave me a sense of belief in the direction I was going. It was also then that we began to have reviews where we were described as "Gothic" - and our music as "doom and gloom". I didn't mind it so much, it described how I viewed my place in the world well. My lyrics often spoke of a longing for ages past, for heroes and heroines fighting for their lives, of the search for one's place in the world, for the need for understanding, full of literary references and poetic refrains. Having a degree in Literature, I studied my share of poets, and the Gothic writers of the old days, their sense of escapism into chivalry, Romantic love, ideals of the past, a sense of drama and mysticism, ghosts and regal beings, it all very much made sense to me. " - MR

In November 1992, Strange Boutique began recording the Charm album, again for Bedazzled Records, and released it in February 1993. The group flew to the West Coast in March for a double-bill tour with the immortal This Ascension, as well as a crowded show at San Francisco's House of Usher with Switchblade Symphony.

It was during this time that Monica met William Faith again, and, during a break in between shows, the two collaborated on their first musical effort together; the result of which was the song "Heal", and "Faith and the Muse" seemed to be the obvious title for the project. The concept took wing from there. Strange Boutique continued writing and touring in the ensuing months, but for numerous personal reasons (cited in the liner notes of their third album), the band decided to go on a possibly permanent respite. The Kindest Worlds was released in late Summer of 1994. Strange Boutique's farewell performance took place at the Black Cat in Washington D.C. on November 11th, 1993, which resulted in an emotional evening for the band and fans alike.

"As far as Strange Boutique was concerned, we were very tired of striving so hard, and not breaking any ground in the music business. We are especially proud that we went ahead and released our own music, as larger record labels ignored us, which often made us wonder whether or not we were as good as we thought we were.... After so many years of recording, releasing and touring, I began to watch my life slip by, and knew I had to either really give my life completely to my art or quit altogether. In 1993, Steve, Fred and I went through some very hard times in our personal lives, and it really took its toll on the band; it became evident that we all had our own paths to follow. I cherish my memories of my years in Strange Boutique and I am much happier that the band broke up in its heyday before the enthusiasm disappeared. Some bands tend to stay together because they're afraid of change; I think SB will always be remembered in a much better light for having stopped while things were still good..." - MR

Monica Richards moved permanently to Los Angeles in December 1993, and she and William Faith began to concentrate entirely on Faith and the Muse. See Faith and the Muse Biography.

Strange Boutique • 2004 by Jenny Inman

In 2004, Monica Richards reunited with Strange Boutique for a Reunion show in Washington D.C. on July 3rd, and a Best Of CD of Strange Boutique songs was released on Metropolis Records, entitled "Strange Boutique - The Collection: 1988-1994".

As singer/songwriterwriter and half of Faith and the Muse, Monica has found a home for her abilities and talents with the release of her a solo CD, InfraWarrior, based around her own poetry and music. Monica's distinctive vocals have also been featured on other projects, including Jarboe, Viva Death, Collide, Matt Howden, Real Space Noise, In The Nursery, Eden House, and Lamé Immortelle. She has also sung live with Conflict and also released a CD with her punk band, Anima Mundi.

Monica Richards is also an internationally known creative visual artist; her distinctive work has graced CD covers, commercial ads and brochures, websites and gallery walls. As a visual artist, her talents run the entire spectrum, from Graphic Imaging, Pen & Ink, Colored Pencil, Sculpture and traditional Fine Art paintings. She is best known for her larger-than-life expressive mythical symbolism, and her intense use of color and contrast. Monica's designs have been featured in the artwork of Strange Boutique and Faith and the Muse: her artwork can be found on SB's Charm, and F&TM's Annwyn and Vera Causa CD covers. In 2003 and 2004, she took part in the Rawk Show in Austin, TX - a group art show featuring the works of musicians, including Mark Mothersbaugh, Exene Cervenka, Penelope Houston, and members of groups such as Hole, Atari, and L7. She is available for gallery showings.

Monica is also a published writer and poet. She has released three books, including her highly acclaimed Book of Annwyn. Her own poetry and art site can be found at MonicaRichards.com . 2007 sees the release of her graphic novel, entitled Anafae.

Monica Richards: Discography • MonicaRichards.com • Strange Boutique