Girl In A Coma

By Brandon Caylor

Before They Were Gone

Music fans in Sacramento were recently treated to a performance by a special band that is creating a buzz in the industry. That band is Girl in a Coma, a three-piece, all-female act based out of San Antonio, Texas. Made up of sisters nina and Phanie (guitar/ vocals and drums) and Jenn on bass, these girls have quite the amazing story to tell.

Huge fans of the Smiths and Morrissey, best friends Phanie and Jenn had tried putting a band together for a long time, but nothing ever panned out. But, wouldn’t you know it, along came little sister nina with Phanie’s guitar. She played the guitar and sang a song, and the other girls were completely blown away. They named their band Girl in a Coma, after the popular song from the Smiths.

Now fast forward a few years, and their music catches the attention of Joan Jett, who promptly signed the girls to her record label. not only that, but their music was also heard by a member of Morrissey’s live band, and the girls were invited to open for Mr. Morrissey himself on a European tour. Sometimes dreams do come true.

So what was it like being able to tour with a singer you’ve admired for so many years?

“it’s one of those things that you never expect would happen,” Jenn explained. “it was pretty amazing. on the last night of the tour, in Paris, Morrissey came in and sat down with us in our dressing room. He sat next to Phanie, and she was freaking out. He was really sweet. He even gave us a present, and we talked about music and stuff.”

“Our dressing room was a total mess,” nina added. “i wanted to say, ‘you know, if we knew you were coming, we would have cleaned up a bit.’” Success came quick for the girls. Was this something they had always wanted?

“It happened really fast. We knew that this is what we really wanted to do full time, and we’re lucky that we get to do it,” Jenn said. “We didn’t have jobs or anything, and we stayed with friends most of the time.” and what is touring like?

“You mean describe the smell?” Jenn asked, laughing.

Nina laughed. “Yeah, it can get pretty bad. We all have our own little corner in the van. My corner is off limits to everybody. and i have to pee all the time.”

Phanie added, “Yeah, that’s true. it’s like every 10 minutes on the road, ‘we have to pull over!’”

“I can’t help it, I drink a lot of water,” Nina explained.
Phanie is the main driver of the van, as she is the only one brave enough to drive it. “I make her drive the van,” Nina said, “because I don’t want to die.”
“Touring is the best thing in the world,” Jenn said. “Once you learn to deal with the traffic in the big cities and stuff, and get over the worries of where we’re going to park and stuff, it’s so much fun once you realize you can actually do it. I encourage every band to go on the road. It’s a great experience.”

Girl in a Coma has been on a U.S. tour for the last six months, in support of their debut CD, “Both Before I’m Gone,” a CD that has been getting the girls a ton of attention. Their sound has been described as a cross between the Smiths, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and the Pixies, which is pretty close to the mark. Nina’s singing style has been compared to Morrissey’s on more than one occasion.
“I think it’s because my singing style is similar. But, I guess if I have to be compared to someone, it’s nice to be compared to him,” Nina explained. “I kind of just feed off what I’m listening to at the time. I was listening to a lot of Morrissey at that time. Right now I’m listening to a lot of other stuff, so the next album might sound different. I’m listening to a lot of Sonic Youth and Jeff Buckley, so we’ll see what happens, if any of that comes out or not.”
“We listen to a lot of ’50s music, like Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash,” Nina added, “and a lot of new indie stuff too.”
After another short tour with Tegan and Sara, Girl in a Coma will record their second CD.

“We have two weeks booked in the studio,” Nina said. “We’ve got the songs written, and we’re pretty much going to be in there 24 hours a day to get this done. We’re pretty much going to be living in the studio.”
Keep an eye on these girls, as their new music is quite amazing, as displayed at their recent show at the Fire Escape in Citrus Heights. For those of you who missed it, shame on you. They’ll be back soon though, as Jenn gave me her pinky-promise. Until then, pick up a copy of “Both Before I’m Gone” and just enjoy it!