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Girl In A Coma
Posted by Laila Hanson on 23-May-08 @ 04:25 PM|
HQ: San Antonio, TX NOW PLAYING: Both Before I'm Gone (BLACKHEART; blackheart.com) WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW 'EM: Not only do these three talented ladies recall Kathleen Hannah at her angriest, but they were also handpicked by the Moz to open his fall 2007 tour. YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE: Pixies / Sleater-Kinney / the Smiths STORY: Sam Sutherland Bands like to say they're "living the dream," but this female trio from San Antonio, Texas, may, in fact, be living it. Comprised of two life-long friends-Jenn Alva and Phanie Diaz-along with Phanie's kid-sister, Nina, Girl In A Coma boast the kind of career trajectory most bands can only, well, dream about. "I think it's all because of our great looks," says bassist Alva, laughing. "Everything that's happened to us is what bands dream of happening to them. It started off with Boz Boorer, Morrissey's guitar player, inviting us to London to do a demo." In reality, the band's streak of luck probably started a lot earlier than that. While Alva and Phanie would spend their high-school weekends hanging out with friends and going to shows, little sister Nina, eight years their junior, was quietly plucking away at the her older sister's guitar. At the age of 12, she asked the girls to listen to a song she wrote. "We really didn't know what she was doing," admits Alva. "My first question was if she [really] wrote it [because it] was just so mature. I mean, she was 12." Fast forward four years filled with local shows and self-booked tours, and the band found themselves flying to England to track demos with Boorer. Add a few more years, and the band's continued hard work would earn them a chance to perform for punk legend Joan Jett. "We did this television show [Si TV's Jammin] that had a surprise element that involved meeting one of our idols," Alva says. "We were practicing in New York at the time, and [Jett] was just supposed to give us advice. She and [producer] Kenny Laguna liked us so much that they signed us [to Jett's Blackheart Records] on the spot." With some high-profile backing, the band finally set out to record their first full-length with producers Erick Sanger and Gabe Gonzales, formerly of Sparta. The result is Both Before I'm Gone, a powerful mix of riot grrrl-inspired instrumentals alongside Nina's dynamic vocal range. Songs like "In The Background" meld the grit of old-school American punk rock with the strident power of British rock 'n' roll. A born-again vigor for touring and a powerful recording ensure Girl In A Coma's luck from running out any time soon. "Not that long ago, we played a show at the Viper Room [in L.A.] and Boz invited Morrissey," remembers Alva while calling from a stop on the Moz's fall 2007 tour. "He liked us. So now we're on our eighth show with him. I'm glad this happened when it did. If this happened when we were younger, I don't think we would have been able to handle it." ALT |
