I Love Girl in a Coma

Friday night I saw for the second time live, San Antonio’s own Girl in a Coma. I don’t think I can express in words how much I love Girl in a Coma. I only discovered them last November at a show they played here in Austin at Stubb’s indoor with The Cliks.

At that time, I had never heard of Girl in a Coma. I remember the day of the show was my last day of finals for the fall semester and I just wanted to go downtown. None of my friends were free that night so I went down Red River by myself. I went to Stubbs to eat barbeque and found out a “girl” band from San Antonio was playing there that night for ten bucks. That sounded good to me so I went downstairs to see the show. Both bands, The Cliks and Girl in a Coma, won me over that night.

Girl in a Coma is signed to rock goddess Joan Jett’s label, Black Heart Records. They are a three piece band of Latina women from San Antonio that sing in English. They named themselves after a Morrissey song “Girlfriend in a Coma”, but oddly enough they do not sound anything like Morrissey (Side note: Mexicans from San Antonio are obsessed with Morrissey). Their sound is a blend of punk, garage rock, and melodic rock.

What really captivates me about Girl in a Coma is their combination of energy, well written music, and Nina Diaz’s (lead vocals/guitar) voice. She does scare me a little when she sings. She makes such mean facial expressions but her voice still melts me none the less. Nina’s voice is the best blend of strong and feminine that I have ever heard in a female lead rock band. I know it is bold to say that, but listen for yourself. You should find it to be true. It also doesn’t hurt that Nina Diaz is gorgeous.

Last night I got to experience Girl in a Coma’s greatness again as they played at Emo’s inside. This is after months of listening to their album “Both Before I’m Gone”, which is a phenomenal album. Despite feeling under the weather, I drug myself out to Emo’s. There was no way I was going to miss their show. Somehow I started to feel better once their set started. Maybe it was all mental, I don’t know.

It seemed that all of Girl in a Coma’s San Antonio fans made the drive up for their show. It was no surprise to me because Girl in a Coma has a loyal and devout fan base in their hometown. Their fan base is mostly young women as I saw last night, but by no means are they a “chick band”. They rock too hard and the few guys in the house were digging their set. Even the staff at Emo’s took notice as I caught them bobbing their heads a little and listening.

The crowd last night also got treated to a few new songs from Girl in a Coma. My first impression was that when they wrote those new songs, they were listening to blues and maybe some stuff from The Doors. It was a different sound for them but still very good. I look forward to anything new from Girl in a Coma, but am curious about those particular songs. According to their set list Jenn gave me, I believe they were called “Empty Promises” and “Vino”. Look out for those on this tour.

Their set did not disappoint. Rather than elaborate on that, I wanted to share with you all some thoughts I had last night. There were three differences I noticed since I last saw them in November. Lead singer Nina Diaz shrunk. By that I mean she lost a lot of weight. She also played a set with her hair down and in a presentable shirt, which looked really good on her. In November, she was heavier, had her hair slicked back in a pony tail and was in a wife beater tank with Dickies slacks. Now honestly I could care less what a band looks like, but I think these changes should help the band go forward and get an even bigger fan base. They already have an amazing sound and are genuinely cool people. I expect nothing but big things for Girl in a Coma from here on.

If Girl in a Coma is unfamiliar to you, get acquainted first with this seemingly controversial video for one of my favorite songs, titled “Road To Home”:

Standout tracks: Say, Clumsy Sky, Their Cell