The Ettes
Interview with Lindsay “Coco” Hames
Words: Michael Rabinowitz
Photos: Duffy-Marie Arnoult

She may sing with a Nancy Sinatra purr and crank her axe as quickly as Joe Strummer, but Lindsay “Coco” Hames is as sweet and energetic as a Homecoming Parade cheerleader.  Along with drummer Maria “Poni” Silver and Jeremy “Jem” Cohen (see a pattern with their nicknames?), The Ettes present a quick-jabbing pop rock, and are an excellent addition to the neo-garage low-fi sound made so prominent by the The White Stripes and The Kills.  Now the Los Angeles trio, by way of Winter Park, are coming back home to release their second LP, Look At Life Again Soon.  Before the band’s Park Ave CD release show, Coco discussed working on the new album with legendary producer Liam Watson, becoming a free agent, and how to tell if your favorite rock star is on drugs or just suffering from over exhaustion.

REAX:  Was there any question you were not going to record with Liam Watson again?
Lindsay “Coco” Hames:  None at all.  We had been talking about doing the second album when we were there finishing the first!  We have a very responsive relationship with Liam and didn't even think of working with anyone else for this one.

REAX:  Was the process any different having gone through the exercise with Liam before?  More confidence on your part?
LH:  There was more confidence, but also more curiosity.  Since we'd worked together before, there were things we just knew about each other and the way we all worked. So this time it was more about finding out what else we could do together.  It was a tougher session because we brought songs that were just written on the road, not songs that had been around and fleshed out.  So there was more active creativity every day.  Plus,  we recorded on 4-track, which meant absolute ninja precision every take, all at once.  It was stressful, but you can definitely hear the elastic tension in the recordings.

REAX:  It seemed like you guys toured your asses off in 2007.  Any lessons learned? 
LH:  Plenty of lessons!  And here's one for people who go to shows: musicians love their drugs, but when you encounter one who looks stoned and bleary eyed and like they might keel over any minute, and they don't respond to their name being called, and they just seemed confused – it is possible that they're not arrogant drug addicts, but that they have been on the road. So, you know, don't jump to conclusions!  We love touring, it just stretches all of your mental and physical limits to the point where you actually become superhuman.  It's exhausting, but exhilarating too.  The freedom is addictive.

REAX:  Are you guys officially free-agents?  Why are you no longer with Sympathy For the Record Industry?
LH:  Sympathy has put out an amazing amount of records and done incredible things, but they've been doing it for a long time, and I think they're  just enjoying being Sympathy.  It's more of a catalog label now.  We are free agents and will be looking for some new friends at SXSW this year.  We did a limited edition pressing of a yellow vinyl LP for the tour out there, which we'll be releasing on March 5th at Park Ave CDs in Orlando and it'll be available online on March 11th.

REAX:  I saw a Youtube interview where Jem describes The Ettes as a “gang.”  Is that how you guys are when together?
LH:  I think that was the video from Berlin.  We played a show in London for VICE the night before, then flew from London to Berlin to play an in-store, and after that we were at the Magnet Club in Berlin.  An Austrian TV station did that interview video, and I don't think any of us has ever looked so busted!  This is what I'm talking about, kids.  Are The Ettes stoned out of their minds or just operating on no sleep, traveling and/or performing for 36 hours straight?  But yes, what Jem said is true.  We're a gang.  It's just something we all do and are together.  We know each other very well and take care of each other.  And that definitely helps on twelve-hour hauls through Idaho, or stressful multi-language travel in Europe.  It's the most fun in the world, and made even more so by how close we all are.  It's a demanding life, but we love it.  We demand a great deal from life, so we demand a lot from each other. Not that we don't attack each other now and again. I mean, all families do.  Sometimes nothing clears the air like a good wrastlin' punch-up.  All in love, of course.  Tough love.

Theettes.com