Worn out from a tour with MxPx, Go Betty Go give it another go

They took their name from an encouragement they shouted to guitarist Betty Cisneros, who sometimes had a little trouble on the downbeat. Go Betty Go were, and are anew, Cisneros plus bassist Michelle Rangel and a pair of sisters, Aixa and Nicolette Vilar on drums and lead vocals, respectively.

“Unfortunately,” laughs Aixa, “our most memorable San Diego show, was the show that never happened. It was our dramatic breakup, mid-way drive from Phoenix to San Diego on tour with MxPx, when Nicolette decided she was done.”

The band, now back to its original all-female foursome, hits the Space Bar on March 28. They’ve aged and mellowed, but they still slam down the speed-punk-pop sound. Aixa admits she’s not sorry about leaving behind some of that wildness. “The weirdest would be a scary situation, where some odd fellow started banging loudly on our hotel door at 4 am in Dallas and wouldn’t leave. We felt like we were in some cheesy scary movie, but it was the real deal. He scared us enough to arm ourselves with drum sticks, guitars, and cymbals as weapons, as we waited for the police to arrive. Luckily, he did no harm and simply left — but he did freak us out!”

The band members regret what went down back then, but life on the road wore them down same as it wears anybody. “When you’re living in confined spaces like a van, or an RV,” says Aixa, “with a tight schedule, no daily showering, crappy food, no comfortable home amenities, and a life of a gypsy, traveling around town like a circus show, you tend to feel overwhelmed. Add to that five people and a dog, and certain small situations can blow up quite easily.

“Looking back, we should have just taken a good break and talked certain things out. Would we have done things differently, yes. But things always happen for a reason, and here we are again in 2019 with a better, more mature, healthier mind, spirit, and soul.”

Their Reboot EP dates from 2015, and their full-length, 2005’s Nothing Is More, just came out on vinyl. Asked if the others still shout Betty’s catchphrase for her, Aixa chuckles again: “Not really, ha! But occasionally during some rehearsals it may come up.

“We never said it during shows ourselves. Sometimes people shout it from the audience.”