When you name your band after a song by a very famous, nearly legendary band like The Smiths, you’re bound to suffer from endless comparisons. If I were going to make comparisons between Girl In A Coma (GIAC) and The Smiths it would probably be something along the lines of, smooth sounds, passionate, ironic lyrics, and Morrissey-esque vocals. Let me say right now, I’m not a huge fan of Morrissey, what with his famous bouts of diva-esque behaviourfrequent displays of arrogance and attitude, and his apparent disregard for his fans. You won’t see me making comparisons lightly. However frontwoman Nina Diaz has the kind of voice that makes you think of a young Morrissey, addictive to listen to, creamy smooth, warblingly melodic and alt-rock rich. GIAC’s retro cool sound has shades of The Smiths, with the attitude of Nirvana, and the smell of Elvis; ultra cool, laid-back punk with alt rock sensibilities, and that 1950’s aw-shucks style charm.
Sisters Nina (vocals, guitar) and Phanie Diaz (drums) and high school chum Jenn Alva (bass) from San Antonio, Texas have been playing together, writing songs, and developing their retro-cool, unique sound over the last eight years; and now, signed to the queen-of-rock-cool Joan Jett’s label Blackheart Records, they have released their debut album Both Before I’m Gone and are embarking on a tour of the UK, opening for none other than Morrissey himself. Unfortunately their recent tour schedule means I had to conduct this Band of the Week interview via email, something I hate doing. However with a band as exciting and talented as GIAC I was willing to make an exception. Below are the questions as answered by Phaine, and beneath that I have attached the video for GIAC’s hot single “Clumsy Sky”. Enjoy!
How did Girl in a Coma come together?
We came together in 2001. Jenn and I [Phanie] had been playing in punk bands around San Antonio through the mid '90s. Then we decided to stop for a while since we could never find the perfect chemistry with anyone. While we were playing I had shown Nina (my younger sister) some chords and she kept at it. One day she asked to show us a song she had written. When she was done we were completely blown away with her writing skills and voice. We immediately started a band with her despite our eight year age gap.
Article comments
1 - Rose
Interesting! I'm glad you did this interview, because I've never heard of these guys before. I'm kinda digging it, which surprises me because it goes against my usual reaction of "bands named after another band's song suck." These guys have proved it's possible to pull it off, and how...