Girl in a Coma

I approached Girl In A Coma with caution because I’m often wary of all-girl rock groups, even before I’ve heard them play; they seem to carry a stigma with them, that they are playing music for more than just the guitars and the fans and the sheer enjoyment of it – they often get in front of the mic to prove something to the world.

Joan Jett did it. The “I Don’t Give A Damn About My Bad Reputation” Joan Jett who just happens to be Girl In A Coma’s record producer and claim to fame when she signed them to her label, Blackheart Records, after hearing them play in 2006.

But the band’s 2007 debut album, “Both Before I’m Gone”, was a critical hit with raves from Alternative Press Magazine, the LA Weekly, Bust magazine, among many others, with the album reaching No. 23 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart and No. 21 on iTunes. “Clumsy Sky,” the band’s first single, won a 2007 Independent Music Award in the Best Song-Punk category. The last of the four singles released, “Their Cell,” was recently voted by TV viewers into the Top 10 on Logo’s The Click List show.

So okay, maybe they are making music because they love it. And I think their second album, “Trio B.C.” shows this from the very first time you listen to it. As with their first album, the end result is “a unique amalgamation of eclectic influences: oldies, rockabilly, 90s alternative, and contemporary bands both indie and mainstream. And in a nod to their San Antonio, Texas background, the Girls place their cutting-edge rock sound in a familiar context.”

“We chose Trio B.C. as the album title because it was the name of our grandfather’s Tejano band way back in the 50s,” Phanie Diaz explains. “He was our first musical influence. He would play us guitar and sing and we would love to watch him in the garage with a cold beer in his hand playing his records and singing along like he meant it. His passion is our inspiration. We hope to make people feel that way about our music.”

So Girl In A Coma has set me right – they’re not in the spotlight to try and prove anything to anyone because they’re girls. They’re simply getting up there to make you rock out and have a good time. Good for them.

Check out www.girlinacoma.com for more info on the band and keep checking back for our review of their new CD and report on their gig on the 19th of June at the Highline Ballroom here in NYC.