Punk rock band Winona Fighter performed at Innings Festival 2025, showcasing their debut album and building their Phoenix fanbase.
Winona Fighter released "My Apologies to the Chef" on Feb. 14, following the success of the lead single "HAMMS IN A GLASS." While based in Nashville, the band started building their Phoenix fanbase after opening for Bayside at The Van Buren in April.
"We've never been here before and we were very pleasantly surprised how many people knew the songs already. (They) told us at the merch table that they just came out to see us," guitarist Dan Fuson said.
The band is composed of frontwoman Coco Kinnon, guitarist Dan Fuson and bassist Austin Luther. The band was founded in Nashville by Kinnon and Fuson.
"Dan and I met each other on a Craigslist ad for a different band," Kinnon said. "I was going to play drums, him guitar, and we had it hit it off immediately."
Luther joined the band later after working with Kinnon on a different project.
"The joke is that he showed up to a rehearsal (once) and never left," Kinnon said.
Winona Fighter prides itself on being a real, DIY punk band. Their music leans into screaming vocals, themes of discontent and powerful bass.
"Not a lot of bands have some of the intricate baselines that Austin can play or some of the finger tapping, solo stuff that I would play," Fuson said. "That kind of hooks other people into it in a natural way."
Especially overworked college students may enjoy the lead single "HAMMS IN A GLASS," a song about the stress of working. The full album consists of 14 songs, each one a package of rage and promise for revenge.
"The intention behind it was just like, 'Here's a giant piece of work that is 100% Winona Fighter.' If you like us, here you go," Kinnon said.
Winona Fighter is signed to Rise Records, but "My Apologies To The Chef" was produced entirely by the band members without outside production.
"We want to do it all ourselves, in our garage studio, all just our hands on it," Kinnon said. "Keep the DIY spirit alive."
Fans from that first show in Phoenix came out to Innings Festival, singing along to even the newly released songs in the set.
"Our whole career has been uncomfortable. So, so uncomfortable," Kinnon said. "This is the first time ever that we're like 'Oh, this is working' after almost a decade."
Two fans, senior Mckayla Morgan and junior Izzy Azar, who both study mechanical engineering at ASU, were in the Innings Fest crowd after hearing the band on social media.
"I never grew out of the emo phase. I love pop punk, punk rock … I love female-fronted bands specifically. I try and make an effort to listen to more female-fronted bands," Morgan said.
Morgan and Azar compared the band to Paramore, an iconic pop punk band led by Hayley Williams. They said Winona Fighter's new album has elements that could appeal to a wide audience of rock music listeners.
"It's a very good album … There's some (songs) that have a more hard rock vibe. You've got the emo screams on it. And then there are some that are maybe more familiar to Fall Out Boy fans," Morgan said.
The band's set at Innings Festival showed Kinnon's powerful vocals to a new audience full of potential fans and ASU students.
"I was impressed that they sound exactly how they do live as they do in their recordings," Azar said.
The band said playing festivals only comes after years of playing tiny shows and grinding for opportunities. They recommended that up-and-coming bands build their fanbase from live events, not social media.
"Put yourself out there, definitely get uncomfortable. Don't just focus on making a career behind a screen, because those are going to be fans for 60 seconds," Kinnon said. "You want fans for life, so go play shows."
Winona Fighter took time to break into bigger venues and tours. Now, they can be supportive of even newer bands looking to spread their unique sound.
"If you are an up-and-coming band, shoot us your stuff. We love to keep our ear to the street," Luther said.
The members of Winona Fighter are currently touring, appearing in festivals across the country.
"If you haven't heard of us and you like real rock music, real punk rock music, please check out our debut album," Kinnon said.
Edited by Andrew Dirst, Abigail Beck and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporter at syramir2@asu.edu and follow @nerdyoso on X.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on X.
Sophia is a senior studying biological sciences. This is her fifth semester with The State Press. She has also worked as a science and technology reporter.
