R e c o r d i n g s

Peon Queen
In 1993 when Karen lived in Champaign, Illinois, she gathered a group of friends to record her debut, full-length album, at Pogo Studios with producer Mark Rubel. The songs featured are a diverse and retrospective collection of materials she wrote, one going all the way back to high school. Only 500 copies of the tape were pressed (in a red plastic shell) and most were given away as a part of the Peon Queen promo kit.

After moving to San Francisco in 1997, Mark mailed Karen the DATs of the original mixes, and the single titled "Pink & Blues" which was recorded for the Mother Jones CD "You Are What You Shoot" post PQ in 1995. Karen transferred the DAT to disc, and then compressed the files into MP3 format. Most recently, pictures of the many talented players have been added to this site, along with some of the original artwork used in the package design.

While the project wasn't a financial success story, it was a very rewarding and fulfilling experience. There are even plans to record another album in the works!

  1. Month of March 4.5mb
  2. Can't Figure It Out
  3. Peon Queen 3.9mb
  4. It Takes Time in a PBS documentary
  5. Courage Song
  6. Intergalactic Hitchhiker
7. Fly
8. Hangin' With The Boys
9. Sleepy Dawg
10. Housework
11. View From A Bridge 3.8mb
12. Watch The Falling

You Are What You Shoot
Produced by Matt North and Mother Jones Magazine in 1995, this disk is an amazing collection of artists from the Midwest, including The Mekons, Seam, Freakwater, Adam Schmidt, and Karen Hellyer. The project benefited the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, and can still be found in many "used" compilation bins.

1.Pink & Blues (3.8 mb)


Early Years...
Coming soon.

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