By Christopher Petro

Photo by Jewely Bennett

Put a vest on the snare and it’ll sound a lot better,” The Ettes’ drummer Poni explains, referring to the band’s acoustic set on L.A.’s Indie 103.3 FM. She continues: “Improvise. Explore new ideas and eventually something will work.” An ironic choice of words considering Performer‘s interview with The Ettes almost didn’t happen, thanks to the Los Angeles Triathlon bisecting the city and turning Sunset Boulevard into the Berlin Wall. When worried, The Ettes have found it best to follow these words: “All you need to do is trust in fate.”

While peering over the rim of his coffee mug, The Ettes’ bassist Jem declares, “Fate brought us together,” referring to the strange coincidence that each band member came from the East Coast to L.A. in the same week. They met through L.A. day jobs and started playing as a trio of girls until the loss of a bass player created an opening for Jem to join Poni and singer Coco. Fate brought the band to London, and fate got them a contract.

Their critically acclaimed debut Shake the Dust hails from London, garage rock ground zero. Its stripped-down, fist-throwing rhythm nods to The Stooges and the melodic crunch of early Stones. The song “No More Surprises” illustrates the band’s blisteringly-paced, guitar-driven quality that unashamedly exposes the group’s late ’70s punk foundation. Coco’s gritty vocals draw from a Patti Smith swagger, and have an impatient tempo that just seems to grow hastier.

The Ettes aren’t one of those garage rock bands that wishes they had existed in the ’60s; however, when in Liam Watson’s studio, do as the ’60s do. “We recorded the album live, playing together in the same room,” explains Coco. Jem interrupts: “That was essential to create the sound we most desired for Dust. You can hear the discrepancies and important nuances that give an album a human quality. It’s not perfect, neither is rock ’n’ roll and that’s exactly what we want.” The sound on Shake the Dust is undeniably original, the punchy song style and angular structure gives the album modern value, and the fuzz marinates the sound with unshakable tradition.

Considering how famously anti-tech, anti-computer producer Liam Watson (White Stripes, Television Personalities, Holly Golightly) is, his responding to an Ettes email was the band’s second fateful moment. The group soon found itself recording in Watson’s London-based authentic ’60s recording studio (legend has it the most modern device found in the studio is a toaster purchased in the ’80s). It’s only fitting that Watson gave the band a nod to Sympathy for the Record Industry’s anti-mogul Long Gone John, who quickly signed the band to his renowned garage rock label.

If James Brown is the hardest working man in show business, The Ettes are one of the hardest working self-managed and self-promoted bands. Coco explains, “We favor the DIY approach because at this time we don’t need a manager. It’s a better move for the band. We’re getting everything we want — radio, tour and promotion — without the cost of paying someone. We work on our terms, understanding the hard work will pay off for the band.”

Jem stresses, “Working with people you trust, who share your artistic vision, is the most important thing when making a record. We trust Liam’s production decisions and John’s career advice, and they understand what we want to accomplish artistically.” Jem adds, “We’ll certainly work with Liam and John on future albums.”

Putting their trust in the hands of a renowned garage rock production team has worked very well for the band. “We found the perfect label for our sound, and we got to work with [Liam, a] legend in the genre.”

When coming from a credible source, no suggestion is tossed away, no matter how unorthodox. Poni describes a very rock ’n’ roll, impromptu studio moment: “I remember when we were in London recording with Liam, he bolted from the room to his cluttered attic and brought down an old saucepan for me to use as a percussion instrument.” Dripping in reverb by way of vintage equipment, a saucepan makes a sound reminiscent to the sonar ping on a submarine. The saucepan made it onto the album.

With a lot of hard work, some fate, and the most important ingredient, trust, The Ettes have begun their rise to become one of the most promising up-and-coming bands on the Los Angeles rock radar — and they’re just getting started. With active radio and tour support, The Ettes are providing a case for finding the right people, working with the right attitude, and never shying away from the do-it-yourself philosophy.

www.theettes.com