It takes conviction to sing and play guitar in a rock band. And Coco has conviction – not to mention a wicked knack for melody and an uncannily anachronistic sense of style.
The Ettes lead singer also has great hair, all-knowing eyes and a seemingly endless supply of jet-black eyeliner. But another possession that plays an essential role in her rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle is her credit card.
“I got a credit card so we could all go to London to record,” Lindsay “Coco” Hames said recently from the road, on a tour that brings her band to the Larimer Lounge on Tuesday. “In fact, I paid that bill yesterday – but we’re not anywhere near paying it off.”
That’s right. It takes conviction and confidence to stand on a stage, instrument in hand, and belt out your soul. But it takes a different kind of conviction to take out a credit card in your name with the intent of flying you and your bandmates (and your equipment) to London to work with a legendary producer who digs your sound.
But that’s what Coco did.
“We stayed with a friend, and we were able to eke out food and stuff,” she said. “But it was a really good idea, because we were really happy with Liam (Watson) and the recordings.”
In certain circles, including those in which the Ettes live and breathe, Liam Watson is a god. He is the man behind London’s legendary Toe Rag Studios – and the producer of recordings by Thee Headcoats, the Buff Medways and more recently the Kills, the Datsuns and the White Stripes, who recorded their last CD, “Elephant,” with him.
His past recordings share a certain aesthetic – punk/garage/’60s rock fuzz. It was very attractive to Coco and her bandmates Maria “Poni” Silver and Jeremy “Jem” Cohen, who first reached out to Watson via e-mail.
“When Poni and I first met, all we talked about was (Thee Headcoats and Buff Medways frontman) Billy Childish – we wanted to be Thee Headcoatees,” Coco said, referring to a girl-group side project of the British punk legend. “We liked that ’60s and punk rock thing they had going on.”
And so the Los Angeles group recorded 12 songs with Watson at Toe Rag before returning to the United States, where they set out to find a home for the music.
“Sympathy (For the Record Industry) were the only people who were really psyched about it at first,” Coco said. “But we were really happy that (Long Gone) John from Sympathy wanted to do it right away, because we didn’t want to wait to put this music out.”
The Ettes couldn’t wait to put out their music for a reason. Even if their sound is rooted in the ’60s, their music is urgent – right now. The thick fuzz of the guitars comes in heavy waves that lap against the shores of the minimalist rhythm section. Some have compared these kids to the Gore Gore Girls, and while it’s not a perfect match, the similarities are obvious.
The Ettes, fronted by a woman, love the dirty simplicity of punk and garage. And while the band would have been at home at any number of American record labels, it made sense when they signed to Sympathy for the Record Industry, a label that later sent them to London a second time to finish the record, “Shake the Dust,” with Watson.
Sympathy is the occasional imprint of such raucous artists as Billy Childish, the Bloody Hollies, the Crackpipes, the Detroit Cobras, Mr. Airplane Man, Rocket From the Crypt and the Reigning Sound – the latter of which is fronted by neo-garage maestro Greg Cartwright.
The Ettes, like many neo-’60s bands playing today, have an intimate connection to Cartwright and his music – so much so that they released their Reigning Sound cover, “We Repel Each Other,” on a 45-rpm vinyl single, split with labelmates the Fondas. The single was titled “From the Songbook of Greg Cartwright.”
“John thought it would be a nice homage,” Coco said. “We just went through Memphis and Asheville (N.C.), where he (Cartwright) lives now, and everybody was excited to hear it. Covers are dangerous ground for some people. But we couldn’t resist. Nobody’s really doing rock ‘n’ roll like that anymore.”
She said the Ettes are drawing in a host of garage-rock fans, punk kids and rockabilly ravers – and she appreciates the cross-section.
“These fans are more discerning than your average music fan, which makes the warm receptions we’ve been getting even better,” she said. “It’s not a really broad spectrum of music, in terms of how it can be categorized these days. This is such a specific subcategory of rock ‘n’ roll. And the fans are very careful about what they listen to.
“But we’re just really genuine, and this is the kind of sound that comes out of us when we play. We don’t try to fit it into that. We don’t go out trying to put a label on it. But (our music) does fit into certain categories.”
Pop music critic Ricardo Baca can be reached at 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com.
The Ettes
NEO-’60s ROCK|Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St.; 9 p.m. Tuesday with Eyes and Ears and the Milkshakes|$7| larimerlounge.com; bigmarkstickets.com
2more
LUPE FIASCO This buzzy MC has the chops needed to rock a big room and open for a group such as The Roots – and it’s a good thing, because that’s exactly what he’s doing Saturday at the Fillmore. More: fillmoreauditorium.com
BLUE OCTOBER Whoa. This light-rock band really took off via the single “Into the Ocean,” and now it’s headlining Saturday and Sunday at the Ogden. The band’s newfound popularity is surprising, but obviously members are connecting with the kids. More: nipp.com.
-Ricardo Baca
