Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth
Nearly a year after its local release ("Texas Platters," May 4, 2007), Girl in a Coma's debut, Both Before I'm Gone, has landed on Billboard's Heatseekers chart and outsold both Gnarls Barkley and Vampire Weekend upon its addition to iTunes. Of course it helps that the album is backed by Joan Jett, whom the San Antonio-based trio first encountered through Sí TV cable series Jammin in 2006. "The climax of the program was for us to meet someone who could give us helpful advice," recalls singer/guitarist Nina Diaz. "Instead she ended up signing us to Blackheart Records." Following a brief run on the East Coast last year, the Smiths-inspired group recently joined Morrissey for a full European tour. "We didn't know what they were going to think of us, three Hispanic girls from Texas," Diaz says. "We're just glad they didn't boo." Even better, Moz toasted the girls with a bottle of Champagne backstage before their last show in Paris. "It was pretty surreal," Diaz recounts. Settled back home and writing new material, Girl in a Coma makes graves on Saturday at Jovita's.