The Ettes are Coco, Pony, and Jem. The Ettes are tenacious vox bouncing over garage-y guitar and rolling drum beats. The Ettes are a little bit of sex and sugar and rebel Americana. Singer Coco gave CollegeOTR her take on music school stimuli, politics, and that busty-but-not-busted 62-year-old Dolly Parton. The Ettes play their CMJ show at Arlene’s Grocery at midnight Friday for lucky music journalists and NYU students.

OTR: How did you begin playing music? When did you know that you wanted to be a musician?

COCO: My mom and both my sisters played piano, and my dad played guitar. I couldn't read music (still can't!), and both my sisters took lessons, but I could play most of what they played by ear. I would play with them from about age 5, and my dad taught me my first three guitar chords when I was about 13. I always knew I wanted to be a musician, but when I was about 14 and started playing guitar and writing proper songs, I REALLY knew.

OTR: What makes The Ettes distinct? What are the characteristics of a song by The Ettes?

COCO: An Ettes song is powerful and direct, and every element has meaning. We're not a "jam band", even though we are very collaborative. Every beat and sound has a reason. What makes it "Ettes" is when we all agree on that reason and meaning. Our songs are dynamic and tough, but you can hear how much we like country music and '60s pop. What makes it "Ettes" is the punk delivery. It's something to do with the chemistry of the band. It can be the nicest song, but when we play it together, it's raw and intense.

OTR: If you could choose one figure to be your "professor" and teach you everything he/she knew about the music industry, who would it be?

COCO: Dolly Parton. As an artist, a songwriter, a performer, and a businesswoman, I'd ask Dolly.

OTR: If you could make an equation for a great song or album, what would it be?

COCO: My favorite art and music is reactionary to the times, to the culture, to the world all around us. The internal reaction to the external world. To people, to love, to war, to nature, to anything. My equation for a great song or album would be more of a directive: pay attention, react, respond.

OTR: Do you prefer writing, recording, or playing shows?

COCO: Playing shows is my favorite element. It's an exorcism and we get to bring our music to people, live. I love the sweat and the blood and the noise. I love writing, but I'm very private about it. I need a lot of privacy and space when I'm putting songs together, but once I have the skeleton of a song, I bring it to Jem and Poni and we flesh it out and make it an Ettes song. Recording comes in third, but only because it's such a different process. I didn't used to like recording, but when we started working with Liam Watson, he changed the whole world of it for me. It wasn't just about construction of elements, and pressing "record". It was a whole other creative process, which is why I love working with him.

OTR: What are your thoughts on attending music school? Do you believe it's worth it for serious musicians?

COCO: I think that's a personal decision. Different artists react to different stimuli. I wouldn't attend a school for music, because I hate school and have a serious problem with people telling me what to do, let alone how to sing, or how to play guitar, or how to write a song. But I believe everyone has the space and resources to discover their own path, and I believe in personal and creative education. As long as the passion is there, the curiosity, I don't think it matters where you learn.

OTR: It's an election year; do you believe that politics should play a role in music at all?

COCO: I don't know about politics, but I do know about humanity, and that plays a constant role in music. Responsiveness to the world around us, injustice, cruelty, and then kindness, thoughtfulness, selflessness... I'm one of those people who believes that humans are born "bad", and that (for those of us who wish to) being "good" is a constant decision-making process, all day, every day. It's beautiful to see when we succeed at that, and painful to recognize when we don't, or don't try, or don't want to try. I'm very aware, even when I'd rather not be, and I think it's important that people ask questions, that they seek to understand. Politics is a part of that, but true actions and intentions are hidden behind an exhausting facade, television cameras, puppets, jargon, sales pitches based on intensive psychological research... You have to be willing to find out what's really going on and decide whether you'd like to take part in the world you live in.

OTR: What's your next move?

COCO: After CMJ, we'll be back in Nashville, working on our third album. We go on tour in January, all over the US again, and we are releasing a very special single. Then we'll be at SXSW 2009 in Austin, after which we'll record album #3.