Winona Fighter is a Nashville-based, woman-fronted group that burst into the music scene in 2022 with their debut album My Apologies to the Chef. Led by multi-instrumentalist Coco Kinnon (Dan Fusion- guitar, Austin Luther-bass&production), the band now offers an acoustic take on the Violent Femmes classic “Blister in the Sun.” It is stripped-down instrumentally, and the performance matches the original tune’s infectious, raw energy.
The general vibe of the song keeps its happy-go-lucky yet gritty folk-pop spirit alive and light on its feet. Kinnon adds a delicious up-the-octave section to the chorus, while her touches of vocal distortion and vocal fry at the ends of phrases give it a personalized edge that truly makes the track feel like a perfect fit for the band.
“The inspiration for doing a cover of ‘Blister in the Sun’ came when we were talking about doing an acoustic variant of our record,” Kinnon continued “We love to honor those who have paved the way in everything we do, so it was only natural for us to pay homage to the folk-punk legends themselves, Violent Femmes. We are really stoked about this cover, and getting a nod of approval from the band themselves made us all the more proud and excited.”
Said approval came directly from Violent Femmes bassist Brian Ritchie, who shared this: “I am thrilled to hear Winona Fighter’s reinterpretation of our eternal standard, ‘Blister in the Sun.’ We are always proud when our music seeps into subsequent generations of musicians and listeners. Winona’s pithy approach keeps much of the original energy, while adding several novel details. Coco’s lead vocal seems true to Gordon’s blueprint until she substitutes attention-getting high harmonies for the melody. The song was always androgynous and non-gendered. This is amplified in Winona Fighter’s take. I also love it when, after a relaxed pace for the bulk of the song, the band sends the song into the stratosphere like a rocket ship at the very end by kicking ass and turning up the volume. Nice touch.”
On September 5, Winona Fighter will release their deluxe edition of My Apologies to the Chef, featuring this cover along with their rendition of “Sabotage.”
