Interview with . . . Go Betty Go
If I had been more interested in punk rock in the early 2000s, I would have been Go Betty Go’s biggest fan. Back then, I was a new mom so the only things on heavy rotation were Blue’s Clues and Dora the Explorer.
It’s going to be alright. Now I love punk rock. It’s not too late to be Go Betty Go’s number one fan.
Thank God that they got the band back together. Go Betty Go’s lineup includes guitarist Betty Cisneros, singer Nicolette Vilar, bassist Michelle Rangel, and drummer Aixa Vilar.
Aixa and Nicolette took a few minutes out of their day to answer some questions. Welcome Go Betty Go to the blog!
Where has Go Betty Go been? Are you glad to be back?
Aixa: We’ve toured all over the US, Canada, parts of Mexico and Europe. We’re thrilled to be back and playing music! It’s a blast.
Where was your first show as a fan? As a performer?
Aixa: My first show was seeing Officer Negative in a church auditorium in Glendale, CA. As a band, our first show was at a 10 years old birthday party.
What led to doing a reboot of “Reboot?”
Aixa: After reuniting we wanted to put out new music as it had been over 10 years since our last record. It was also the first time writing new music since we had broken up.
Will there be new music from you guys in the near future?
Aixa: Absolutely! We’re working on new material now and hope to be recording in the next few months.
Do you think that you will take a different approach to touring than you did in 2005?
Aixa: We’re definitely more mature and try to make more rational decisions. We look out for our health and soul much more than we did back in 2005.
Are you guys superstitious?
Aixa: Nicolette is the most superstitious of us all. She seems to be a little sensitive when it comes to the supernatural world.
Have you ever worked or visited anywhere that was haunted?
Nicolette: I lived in an apartment in MacArthur Park where the previous owner had died right before I moved in. He had lived there for twenty years and his spirit was very much there. He was a troubled man who had lots of issues and died suddenly so he didn’t really understand what was happening. He didn’t like me and would do things to try and scare me. At first, he would unlock the door every time I went out. After confronting the manager and making sure it wasn’t him coming in, I changed the locks and added a deadbolt just to be safe but during the night I heard the click and sure enough, my ghost had unlocked the door again. I scolded him in the morning because I had enough and he never messed with my door again but he’d do other things. I came home one day and there were black footprints on my toilet. Completely unexplained. It was as if a man just appeared out of thin air with dirty shoes and stood on my toilet with his back to the wall. It was creepy but what could I do? I cleaned them up and went on with my life. One day Aixa and I were writing a song in the living room and we heard a huge crash coming from the kitchen. When we went to go see what it was, there was nothing out of place. Things like that were always happening but I tried to not let it bother me. After all, he was dead and I was alive. It was my turn to live in that apartment and he just had to deal with it.–
What do you hope to accomplish this year?
Aixa: I really want to finish writing some songs we’re proud of and make a new record with them!
Does anyone have a bucket list?
I’ve been really lucky to do a lot of what I’ve wanted to do, but since you ask…. I would love to hold and hang out with a baby monkey and one day be able to fly first class on an overseas flight! Ha!
What do you want people to know about Go Betty Go?
GBG is a 100% DIY band. Nicolette does all of our graphic artwork, including merchandise, tour/show flyers and anything else that the band needs graphics for. We manage ourselves and have worked our butts off to keep playing music. At times it’s been difficult, but at the end of the day, it’s been a rewarding experience.
Show some love for Go Betty Go by visiting their links and buying some merch! They have some really cool t-shirts as well as music.
Originally published at chasingdestino.com on March 5, 2019.
