June 20, 2007

Another up-and-coming act mentored by an influential feminist forerunner rolls into town this weekend, taking the Sunset stage on Saturday, June 23. San Antonio, Texas' Girl in a Coma are as influenced by the Smiths as their moniker implies, but the all-female, Latina trio also put plenty of spit-polished guitar and intimidating atmospherics into their silver-throated sound, elements that pricked the ears of riot godmamma Joan Jett and got them signed last year to her label, Blackheart Records. They've just released Both Before I'm Gone, a slickly produced but smartly executed collection of dreamy, anthemic hard rock that sounds like what
Throwing Muses might have committed to tape if they had bigger budgets. "Joan is great," says drummer Phanie Diaz via e-mail. "Every time we see her, it's nothing but words of encouragement—she always gives us that smile. What we've learned from her is to never
give up on what makes you happy."