Pfaff was born to Janet Pfaff and her first husband, Mike Parco, in Buffalo, New York. Her birth father comes from a family of several highly successful musicians. Her parents divorced when she was a child, and her mother remarried to Norman Pfaff, who adopted Kristen and gave her his surname. She had two younger brothers, including Jason, a musician. She studied classical piano and cello.
After graduating from Catholic school Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart in 1985, Pfaff spent a short time in Europe and briefly attended Boston College before ultimately finishing at the University of Minnesota, majoring in Women's Studies. There, she also worked as a counselor for rape victims. She was a part of Restore of the Sexual Violence Program, which offered a crisis line, counseling services and training in self-defense programs. Pfaff also took part in the annual 24 Hour Rape Free Zone in 1990, and was quoted as saying the goal was "to draw attention to violence brought against women on campus and in the world".[citation needed] During this time, she participated in the college radio station, Radio K, and she can be heard doing this in a short clip available on Soundcloud.
While living in Minneapolis, Minnesota following her graduation, Pfaff taught herself to play bass guitar. Pfaff, guitarist/vocalist Joachim Breuer (formerly of Minneapolis band "The Bastards") and drummer Matt Entsminger formed the band Janitor Joe in 1991.

Return to Kristen Pfaff Autograph Profile