Go Betty Go

Wednesday, 15 August 2007 09:40

Girl bands are a rare act that is often seen as nothing more than a gimmick. 

For the most part, you have your usual pretty faces with the perfect body and enough skin showing to make bikini models seem like a bunch of prudes.What started as just another side project for sisters Aixa and Nicolette Vilar has actually become a landmark to the Latin Alternative scene.  First impressions always play a major role, but it’s something that you definitely have to overlook when you check out Go Betty Go.   Although they are in fact an all girl band, they do pretty much everything but follow the pattern of what is expected from similar acts.

"C'mon" | video from: albordemobile

For starters, they don’t consider themselves to be feministas- which seems to be a must in most girl rock bands-. Also, they shy away from the much sought after Hollywood appeal, keeping a healthy and down-to-earth look.  When they started playing in 2001, they generated enough buzz to score many appearances on LATV, as well as several gigs per month.  That’s when they landed a deal with SideOneDummy Records, and on 2003 recorded their first EP, “Worst Enemy”, which sold like pan caliente wherever they performed.   In 2005 they released  their first full length album, “Nothing Is More”.

Coming from different backgrounds, every member contributes something unique and original to the final product, be it a new album or a gig. All of them have extremely eclectic musical tastes which range from M.I.A. and Timbaland to Bob Marley and Queens of the Stone Age.  Those differences are what brought them together and helped them create outstanding music, but it is also something that has brought them many problems.  While working on a new album their conflicting ideas clashed tremendously and created artistic differences while that caused original vocalist Nicolette Vilar to quit the band.  They were joined a year later by Emily Wynne-Hughes; ironically,  the band’s motto at the beginning of their career was stated by a sign posted in their rehearsal space in Glendale: “No one is replaceable”.  On July 27, Go Betty Go headlined Al Borde’s “Mujer Power” edition of the “Acoustic Sessions” series.   

Go Betty Go is:

Emily Wynne-Hughes (Vocals)

Betty Cisneros (Guitar)

Michelle Rangel (Bass)

Aixa Vilar (Drums).

www.gobettygo.com www.myspace.com/gobettygo