Prototype Issue
Chicana Punk
By Ann Murray
(page 1 of 1)Not very many punk bands can talk about hard-core screaming and lines of boys begging for kisses after concerts all in one sentence.
Not very many punk bands can talk about hard-core screaming and lines of boys begging for kisses after concerts all in one sentence. The Sirens, a quartet of mystifying and talented young Latinas, can do that and play a sick-ass prank on you at the same time (just ask their manager/teacher, Raul Martinez, who has his fair share of firecracker stories). Band members Michelle, Marina, Dejah and Heidi names are vivacious 17- and 18-year-old girls who have the LA music scene buzzing and major producers signing on to work with them.
When you meet them, it’s hard to imagine that these attractive chicas, who remind you of your cool younger sister, can produce the guttural and forceful energy of “Burrito Song” or the quick ska-punk guitars of “Veneno.” Looks can be deceiving though. When I ask the girls what types of music they like, Dejah quickly straightened up, turned her head at a menacing angle and said, “My favorite band is X.”
She doesn’t miss a beat. Suddenly, she looks like an older, sophisticated punk-rock connoisseur. I can see the same look in the eyes of the other girls as they mention their favorites: No Means No, The Melvins, Tom Waits, classical and R&B music and No Doubt, which doesn’t surprise me. I get the feeling this is what it must have been like to interview Gwen Stefani 15 years ago—except there are four of her.
The Sirens’ eclectic influences reverberate through their album Try Not To Choke, a mixture of ska, reggae, metal, punk and even pop. Marina explained the mix of styles: “I consider myself to be a musician, so I try to be really open-minded. When I am writing, I am thinking of classical rifts or jazz rifts or blues. It all comes together generally as rock.”
This openness to musical diversity may be by virtue of the band members’ cultural diversity. All the girls trace their roots to countries such as Mexico and Guatemala: The girls live in Highland Park and Echo Park, communities with strong Latino roots. The Sirens often point to their March 2007 Mexicali show as perhaps their best one; Marina mentioned that she connected with family members there whom she had not seen in years. However, the highlight of that show seems to have been the throng of crush-prone Mexicali boys.
Marina narrated while the other girls laughed: “When we were signing [autographs] after we played, we had to go through the back, ’cause they were gonna attack us, this massive amount of people. So we take our equipment back to the car and go back and sign and talk to our fans, and there is a point where all the guys have gotten in line and go, ‘Quiero un beso!’ And we’re like, ‘Uhhhh.’”
Dejah and Heidi chime in with “Yeah, that was weird” and “Funny, but it kind of sucks.” You get the feeling that there is a lot more fan adoration in store for them. Look for a new album later this year, in which the girls collaborate with Beck producer Carl Stevenson.
The Sirens are Marina Bravo (lead guitar/vocals), Dejah Sandoval (bass/ vocals), Heidi Bringuez (rhythm guitar/vocals), and Jasmin Guevara (drums) who came together while attending Romona Hall, an arts education center in Highland Park. After three years of working together they continue to develop as a band and as friends. The four girls contribute to the songwriting process and through their set they have a medley of songs with Marina, Dejah, and Heidi taking turns on lead vocals.
The Sirens perform throughout southern California and have made appearances on MTV, had their music licensed for MTV’s Call To Greatness and Smash Box, been featured in ABC’s Vista L.A., the Los Angeles Times, Tu Ciudad Los Angeles magazine and KPFK’s Travel Tips of Atzlan and opened for bands like Go Betty Go and Los Abandoned.
The Sirens play at Sabor Lounge on May 10. 847 S. Union Ave., Pico-Union, LA. For updates, check out www.myspace.com/thesirens.
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