Houston-born Patria spent her childhood between her birthplace and the East Texas “piney woods.” In her formative years, she was obsessed with the television shows Laugh-In and Dean Martin’s Golddiggers; in a first-grade creative writing report she vowed to “move to Hollywood” (and she eventually did). Patria took guitar and dance classes, performing in elementary school talent shows every chance she got. When she was 12, her family settled on six acres in New Caney, a rural area north of Houston. She experienced a delightful country life, spending hours outdoors riding on forest trails with her horse, Mr. Bojangles, and along sandy beaches of Caney Creek, the rapidly flowing river down the road from their homestead.

Her Mom began driving 14-year-old Patria to Houston after school to study classical guitar at the renowned Guitar Gallery. Patria gave guitar lessons at home and started playing at high school talent shows, backing up singers and eventually accompanying herself. During high school, she became involved in local politics, which led to an internship for a U.S. Congressional campaign; then, after graduation, Patria experienced a brief stint at Baylor, an ill-suited provincial college in Waco, Texas. She moved back to Houston a couple of years later, working myriad jobs from waitress to makeup artist to accounting clerk. Meanwhile she was going out in the vibrant Montrose nightclub scene, loving the new wave music that was emerging at the time.

Patria spent one influential semester at the University of Houston, but the city was by then all too familiar and she felt stuck in her hometown, so with a one-way ticket, she bolted for California and the city by the sea, San Francisco. After a few months of working odd jobs, she read a want ad posted by an “all-girl band” seeking a female guitarist and she knew at that moment it was exactly what she was supposed to do. A week later, she auditioned, joined the band (The Startles), and bought her first electric guitar. Within a couple of months the group had their first show at the punk club Sound of Music. With friend and bandmate Jane Fujimoto (drummer from St. Louis’ legendary band The Welders), the two became musical writing partners while devouring the SF music scene. That world soon became insular, though, and Patria and Jane headed for Los Angeles together—but not before getting busted by cops on Haight Street for setting up a sidewalk sale to raise money for their trip to L.A.

Los Angeles was huge and sprawling, and so was its music scene. At first Patria lived near the ocean and worked temp office jobs, directionless, though continuing to play guitar and write songs, intent on starting a band. Through classified ads in music magazines, Patria met guitarist Russell Chaput, a veteran of bands from L.A.’s Paisley Underground scene (Thru The Lookinglass). The two began furiously writing songs, adding band members, and Rubyfish was conceived. After playing their first show at Bebop Records, eventually Patria and Russell secured Bil Keeling, Colin Jenkinson, and Jean Holley, and regular gigs around Los Angeles soon followed. 

Patria relocated to the Silverlake neighborhood at a time when eastbound Sunset Boulevard primarily sported shuttered storefronts, and a few taquerias and psychics. At the newly opened Buzz Coffee café, she started hosting regular shows on their terrace, with Rubyfish playing a summer series there on the patio (which later became Café Stella). Makeshift venues and house parties were popping up everywhere, and L.A.’s music scene began to shift eastward from the Sunset Strip to the Silverlake area and the more unpredictable and volatile alternative/grunge indie sound.  

Rubyfish flourished during this creative time, regularly playing at Spaceland, Al’s Bar, the Pik-Me-Up, and numerous other venues with bands and friends from Lutefisk, the Negro Problem, WACO, Beck, Extra Fancy, Glue, and Possum Dixon, among so many others. The Rubyfish lineup changed to include Derrick Anderson on bass and Andy Sykora on drums. During this era, the band released an EP (“Rubyfish”) and a 7” single, “Mr. Toad,” which received considerable airplay.

While the Silverlake scene was blowing up, Patria gave up her apartment and put her things in storage to spend some time in Texas and Arkansas with her parents. Her Dad passed away four months later. Remaining in Hot Springs, Arkansas, for the rest of the year, she sat in diners, eavesdropping on conversations in her journal, and immersing herself again in Southern dialect. Those writings evolved into “Do The Pink,” a spoken word/dance tune that became her first solo release, recorded with Natalie Woodlawn (Lutefisk, Miss Spiritual Tramp of 1948), released as an EP on CD and 12” pink vinyl. The song was remixed by Cheeba (Mackrosoft, Cheebacabra), The Mighty One, and others. An animated video directed by Allison Foust was distributed internationally by RockAmerica Video, then selected for rotation at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles. “Do The Pink” charted on Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Seattle DJs’ Top 50 playlists. 

After returning briefly to L.A., Patria moved to Santa Cruz, writing songs that would become her first full-length album, Poison of the Sea. She turned to good friends Marc Doten (Shelby Lynne, Dave Alvin, John Doe) and Stew (Negro Problem, Passing Strange) to co-produce the record. Poison of the Sea was named one of the Top 10 CDs of the Year by KPFK’s The Music Never Stops (Head Room) and selected as a “Homegrown” favorite by Amoeba Records. Contributors on the album included Probyn Gregory (Brian Wilson Band), Heidi Rodewald (Negro Problem, Passing Strange, Wednesday Week), Paul Lacques (I See Hawks in L.A.), and legendary jazz harpist Corky Hale (Liberace, Frank Sinatra, Bjork).

Patria has completed recording her next solo album which is currently being mixed by Marc Doten. Silver Lining will be released in 2026 and features her dreamy, folk-tinged, husky vocals and lovelorn heartbreak lyrics. Three singles have been released to date: “Silver Lining,” “Happy Lucky Bye,” and “On the Lake.”

Patria’s new album features performances by a stellar list of musicians including J’Anna Jacoby (Rod Stewart, Glen Campbell), Brian Whelan (Dwight Yoakam, Mike Stinson), Jim Laspesa (Brian Wilson Band, Dave Davies, Susanna Hoffs, the Muffs), Heidi Rodewald, Probyn Gregory (Brian Wilson, Monkees, “Weird Al” Yankovic), Skip Heller (Voodoo 5, NRBQ, Bootsy Collins), Nelson Bragg (Brian Wilson, Al Jardine), Brandon Jay (Lutefisk, Quazar and the Bamboozled, Orange Is the New Black), Bernard Yin (Par Avion, the Fuzztones, the BellRays), Marc Doten, Andy Sykora (Stew, Rubyfish, Enrich’d White), Carey Fosse (Possum Dixon, Wayne Kramer), and backing vocals from friend posse Maryanne Window (Monique Brumby, Mary Lou Lord), Michelle Olsen (Mercy and the Merkettes), Bridie Macdonald (Band of Singers), and Laura Smith (Ferdinand, Third Grade Teacher). The epic musical lineup is cemented by Patria’s longtime friend, musical partner, and former Rubyfish bassist Derrick Anderson (Bangles, the Smithereens, Marshall Crenshaw).

Patria has returned to performing and has several shows booked for Summer 2026 in Southern California. Playing in her current lineup will be Derrick Anderson, Andy Sykora, Carey Fosse, Bernard Yin, Marc Doten, Lee Joseph and Danny Frankel, among others. Stay tuned.