THE ETTES Hunter Captured by Game By Fred Mills Several years of stalking is finally paying off. Coco Hames, vocalist/guitarist and primary songwriter for the Ettes, has never been shy about her love for Greg Cartwright and his band the Reigning Sound. Not only did the Ettes cover RS classic “We Repel Each Other” on their 2006 Sympathy For The Record Industry debut Shake the Dust, on numerous occasions the trio’s hi-octane sound has been likened by critics to a distaff Reigning Sound. In interviews Hames has consistently listed Cartwright as one of her heroes, additionally suggesting he was on her shortlist of producers she’d like to work with. And when the Ettes decided to ditch their original base of Los Angeles, the first camp they pitched en route to becoming a fulltime touring concern was in Brevard, NC, just a few miles away from Cartwright’s home in Asheville. (Okay, okay; her parents have a house in Brevard. Work with me here.) Fast-forward to 2009: The Ettes — Hames, bassist Jem Cohen and drummer Poni Silver — are prepping their third album for a September release. Titled Do You Want Power (Take Root Records) it was produced by… drumroll please… Greg Cartwright. “I didn’t really know Greg,” Hames says, coyly, “although we have a bunch of mutual friends. But he agreed to do the record. I told him, ‘It’s good that you’ve decided you’re gonna support this. Because I don’t know where it could go
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next, Greg. I mean…’” — here, she drops her voice down to a sexy purr dripping with veiled menace, like one of James Bond’s femme fatales — “’if you didn’t say yes, I don’t know what could happen. I’d come over to your house, and everyone knows how I feel about you…’” Hames trails off, then cackles loudly. Never fear, PETA supporters; Hames isn’t about to boil any bunnies. Although Power is definitely a steaming, thick, heady cauldron of sound, with everything from widescreen psychedelia and the trio’s trademark girl-group garage-shock to unexpected diversions into baroque pop and countryish freak-folk. It’s at once a logical progression from Dust and 2008’s Look at Life Again Soon and, with its layered production and sophisticated songwriting, a brilliant leap forward artistically. Cartwright’s presence is felt clearly throughout as well, for not only did he helm the whirlwind five-day Nashville recording session, he worked on arrangements, contributed numerous guitar parts (“If there’s anything on there that sounds too good to be Coco, it’s Greg,” advises Hames), and even co-wrote a song. Though doggedly DIY ever since their inception in L.A. in 2004, the Ettes have always sought out career advice, and that’s meant aligning themselves with some of the best ears in the indie world. Their first two albums were cut in England with White Stripes producer Liam Watson, while last year’s Danger Is EP was produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys
(with whom the band has toured). Cartwright himself praised the band’s instincts and work ethic, telling this writer recently what a joy it was to work with them: “They just went in and were ready to do it and keep working until we’d gotten it right, no complaints or aggravations.” The new album’s title is also reflective of their career to date. According to Hames, it refers to freedom achieved through self-sufficiency. “My mom used to make her own clothes, and Poni makes her own too, so it’s like the things you can do on your own, you should: take control of the process. That’s the way we work as a band. We do so much by ourselves, so that ‘power’ would come from the ability to do it all for yourself.” Currently the Ettes split their time between Nashville (where they rent a house), N.C. and London, but if you really press them they’ll admit they’re essentially nomads. Their whomping, stomping, fist-pumping live shows have earned ‘em fans across the U.S. and all over the U.K. and Europe, where they recently played in front of thousands as the Kings of Leon’s opening act. And while Hames admits that being on the road three-fourths of the year inflicts its share of damage, she also insists that she, Cohen and Silver relish the lifestyle. “We go for broke every night [and] then you’ll come off tour and be so exhausted you can’t even form full sentences. But we can’t seem to shake it. I guess it’s just part of the whole mental disorder that has a person sacrificing everything in their life to be in a touring band.” shuf6