Female rock trio Girl in a Coma formed in San Antonio, Texas in 2001. Their first show at Sin13 that same year left their audience in awe of the group’s extraordinary sound (courtesy of childhood friends Jenn Alva on bass and Phanie D. on drums) and Nina Diaz’s jaw-dropping vocals, which have been compared to those of Bjork and Patsy Cline.
Girl in a Coma’s history began in 1993 when Phanie and Jenn found themselves seated next to each other in an art class at Longfellow Junior High School and decided to form their first band. The group, called Day Old Rice (D.O.R.), featured Phanie on guitar and Jenn on bass. They played regularly at local clubs in the San Antonio area, but constant lineup changes took a toll and the group disbanded after only a year.
During this time period, Phanie noticed that her younger sister, Nina, was also showing quite an interest in music. With a few guitar lessons from Phanie, Nina began to write her own songs and develop her own style at the age of twelve. When Phanie and Jenn decided to form a new band in mid-2000, Nina played them some of the songs she had been working on. It was immediately clear to Phanie and Jenn that they had found their vocalist. Nina had also become such a skilled guitarist that Phanie taught herself to play the drums in order to leave the strumming to Nina. The lineup was then complete.
While Nina is often referred to as “the female version of Morrissey,” the band as a whole has been compared to The Smiths, Interpol and the Pixies.
There is something to get excited about in south-central Texas. In fact the buzz surrounding San Antonio’s Hacienda may signal a rebirth of young rock n’ roll -with emphasis on the “roll”- to the country’s landscape. Formed by cousins Abraham Villanueva (piano/vocals) and Dante Schwebel (guitar/vocals), together with Abraham’s brothers Jaime (drums/vocals) and Rene Villanueva (bass/vocals), this Mexican-American quartet blends a raw yet sophisticated style of pop music with harmonies reminiscent of the Beatles and Beach Boys. As fate would have it, a demo of 6 songs landed in the hands of Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, and the band’s life was forever changed. Soon after they were opening for The Black Keys in Austin Texas, as well as for Dr. Dog, gaining some much needed exposure. Under Auerbach’s watch, Hacienda would write and arrange more than twenty songs, sending him demos periodically in preparation for their debut album, ultimately recording in Dan’s own studio in Akron, Ohio.
In order to keep the integrity of the music, “Loud Is The Night” was largely captured live in the room with a helping hand from new friends Scott and Frank of Dr. Dog. With them they worked on existing vocal harmonies and created new ones, greatly embellishing the album. The result is a beautiful collection of songs played with integrity and soul to spare, and while the band is aware of its 60’s influences, the music on “Loud is the Night” is far from derivative, and the finished product is modern pop music performed with genuineness and taste.
In 2009, all four members of Hacienda have also joined with Patrick Hallahan in The Fast Five, performing as the backing band for Dan Auerbach.
Sick Of Sarah began in Minneapolis, MN in April 2005 as an all-female band with catchy hooks, unique lyrics and thoughtful, well-crafted music. The band displays talent, passion, and an ever-present sense of humor that shapes many of their songs. They combine sympathetic acoustic moments with driving electric rock, often in the same song. With influences ranging from John Fogerty to Joan Jett, Sleater-Kinney toVanessa Carlton, Sick Of Sarah brings an energy and blended alternative pop-rock style that has listeners singing along after the first chorus.
