Coco Hames

Lindsay "Coco" Hames launched her music journey singing and playing guitar for the Ettes, a garage rock trio based in New York, during the first years of the 2000s. Alongside Poni Silver on drums and Jem Cohen on bass, the group blended the style of Nancy Sinatra, the twang of Patsy Cline, and Stonesy rock infused with punk attitude. Throughout the rest of the decade, the trio put out multiple singles and albums, collaborating with Liam Watson as producer at Toe Rag Studio in London and Greg Cartwright of the Reigning Sound in Nashville. During the sessions for their 2009 album Do You Want Power alongside Cartwright, Hames connected with the producer, leading them to establish the Parting Gifts, which issued Strychnine Dandelion via In the Red in 2010. Having relocated the band to Nashville by that point, they continued their schedule of tours and recordings, culminating in the 2011 release Wicked Will. Next, the group secured a retail location in Nashville to establish Fond Object, a combined record store and artist space that launched in April 2013. A few years later, the store expanded by creating a record label under the same name. This project put the band on hold, prompting Hames to join the New Pornographers for their 2014 tour dates. As a solo performer, she inked a deal with Merge Records and started work in 2016 on a record produced by Andrija Tokic, known for work with Alabama Shakes and Hurray for the Riff Raff. A central lineup featuring Adam Meisterhans of the Weight on lead guitar, Jack Lawrence of the Raconteurs on bass, and Julian Dorio of the Whigs on drums was assembled, with additional organ contributions from Dave Amels of the Reigning Sound. The resulting sound was a refined take on Americana incorporating plenty of girl group drama. Hames' debut album under her own name came out in early 2017.