"In family lies strength, friends have the power." L.A.'s GO BETTY GO lives those principles in its passionately tuneful, pure pop-punk anthems, created by four self-proclaimed chiquitas picantes who create music in their Glendale garage from that combination of pride, self-respect and empowerment.
Their five-song SideOneDummy Records debut, WORST ENEMY was produced by the label's Joe Sib and Bill Armstrong, and engineered by Flogging Molly's Ted Hutt at El Dorado Studios and EMG in Los Angeles. The EP is the culmination of three years of steady playing from the Sunset Strip to a Tecate, Mexico pool hall, where they've sold upwards of 5,000 of their three-song EP. The group has also been the subject of glowing articles in papers from the cover of Music Connection to La Opinion to the L.A. Weekly. Last summer, the foursome appeared at several California Warped dates and will go out on the blockbuster tour again this year.
Aixa and Nicolette, who are sisters, have been in bands since they were nine, forming early groups like the Eeries and later, The Nerd Vomits. Both now in their early 20s, Aixa, the oldest, was born in Argentina, her mother's native country, while Nicolette is a native Californian; their father's from Uruguay, so they grew up with one foot planted in both worlds. They listened to local rock radio while speaking both English and fluent Spanish around the house. That bilingual heritage is maintained in set staples like "Mis Locuras" ("My Craziness") on Worst Enemy, and "No Hay Perdon" ("You Are Not Forgiven"), which was one of the three songs on their indie CD. Just don't call 'em an all-girl Latina punk-rockband.
"I'm not a fan of all-girl bands, even though I'm in one, but this is no gimmick," says Aixa, whose own favorites are classic punk and new wave outfits like the Clash, the Ramones, Minor Threat, U2, The Cure and The Police. "We don't fit into the stereotype of screaming, angry girls. And we're not feminists, either. We just want to be accepted on our own terms. We'll play to a Spanish rock crowd one night and a regular punk audience the next."
"I don't think of myself as a Latin rock person. I sing in Spanish because we speak the language. Right now, if anything, I'm listening to more French music, stuff like Edit Piaf." says Nicolette, whose favorite vocalists are a decidedly eclectic mix that includes Billie Holiday, Otis Redding, James Brown and Janis Joplin.
"Our songs represent personal experiences we've gone through," explains Aixa, who co-writes most of the material with guitarist Betty Cisneros. "Real-life situations for each of us." "The music I play today sounds nothing like the music I listen to. I wouldn't exactly say that I've been influenced by the music of the past or the present, but I would say that because I listen to everything, it makes it easier for me to write. I don't feel limited to my options" adds Betty.
When they began writing songs together in their teens, Aixa and Nicolette joined up with Betty Cisneros, GO BETTY GO'S guitarist is darkly mysterious, sarcastic "I picked up guitar 'cause I had to take an elective in junior high. It came pretty natural for me to learn how to play it" says Betty. A fan of hip-hop and funk stars like Missy Elliott, Eminem, 50 Cent, Nelly and Jay-Z, Betty plays exactly the opposite-short bursts of melodic, buzzsaw, metallic chords that recall the best of groups like Blondie, the Go-Go's, L7 and Hole. "I grew up listening to many different kinds of music. That includes artist such as Janis Joplin, The Supremes, Doo Wop, Queen, Peter Frampton, Public Enemy, NWA, Madonna, a lot of Spanish Music as well. Not exactly Spanish rock, more like Boleros. I guess because of the fact every member of my family listened to completely different styles of music as I was growing up, helped me respect all kinds of music as an adult" Betty adds. The three came together in 2000; the following year, GO BETTY GO was completed by "sweet, quiet and kind" Michelle Rangel on bass.
"We've all grown up with this passion for music, and we're doing it as long as we're allowed to," says Aixa. "If everything were to end right now, we'd be happy with what we've done. We feel that we have already accomplished so much."
The band is thrilled about doing its first official recording for influential independent SideOneDummy. Says Aixa, "It's gratifying to know we're taking a few steps forward. That's important to us. We wouldn't have gone to a major, even if we were offered a deal. It wouldn't be smart. We're so young at this point. There's no rush for us. We don't want to be molded into something else. Everything's happening naturally. All that we've done for the past three years is now being supported by an independent label with a strong backbone."
"I just want to have fun, and evolve as a singer and artist," adds Nicolette. "I want to take everything we've experienced and turn it into something. I don't feel we've wasted our time. Let's just take this and go with it. We've come pretty far already."
With WORST ENEMY, GO BETTY GO is poised to go even further.
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