CheekyChicago

The modest one-line bio describes Texas-based trio Girl in a Coma as “a rock band from San Antonio, Texas – land of puffy tacos, Lone Star beer, and the place where Ozzy pissed on the Alamo.” Although their sound may stem from San Antonio’s Latin community, it transcends musical taxonomy, spanning myriad sources of influence, and combining them to create something quite interesting.

I discovered Girl in a Coma when I found myself drawn to the backing song on NYLON TV. I instantly searched around the web, and discovered the band, whose name is a reference to the Smiths’ song, “Girlfriend in a Coma.” The trio consists of sisters, Nina and Phanie Diaz, and long-time friend, Jenn Alva. Upon a quick Google Image search, I realized these gals are indeed tough cookies, often photographed clad in fishnets and punk-rock tees, and donning spiky hair and elaborate tattoos. My kind of chicks.

Girl in a Coma’s Mexican-American influence shines through in their recurrent Latin-swayed sound; but their influences run deep – including Tejano, Rockabilly, new-wave and a heavy rose of 90’s alternative-rock and punk-rock, a la Nirvana, Bikini Kill and the Raincoats. In a nod to their Mexican heritage, the group named their most recent release, Trio B.C., after their grandfather’s 1950′s Tejano band. The album, which was released on Joan Jett’s label, Blackheart Records, encompasses the band’s varied influences, which together, seem to traverse classification into just one genre. “BB” boasts a surf-rock guitar style, while “Ven Cerca” is sung entirely in Spanish. According to the band’s website bio, writer/singer Nina Diaz describes “Joanie in the City” (which features Joan Jett) as a song about “females in the music business… having that tough attitude, and doing what you want.” With this quote, Diaz seems to not only sum up the band’s cheeky-with-an-edge vibe, but also our sentiments exactly. Girl in a Coma doesn’t quite fit into the cookie-cutter, women-in-music mold – and that’s what I love about them.

And how lucky for us, these tough Texans will be ringing in the New Year Chicago-style; they play Palatine’s Durty Nellie’s December 31^st. Click here to visit Girl in a Coma.

Photo courtesy of Adam Stockstill.