In Los Angeles, few bands stay active long enough to celebrate a 25th anniversary. For the women in Go Betty Go, this milestone came as hard, fast and furious as one of their songs.
Imagine a Latina version of the Ramones, with hints of Descendents and Blink-182 thrown in. Though the band hasn’t gained major notoriety, its sound has earned the group a cult following. With a newly infused burst of energy and optimism, the band is on cloud nine now that guitarist Betty Cisneros is officially in remission from cancer, which was diagnosed over two years ago.
“When I was first diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer, it was too personal to share,” Cisneros said during a recent studio session with her band at Blue Beach Studios in Redondo Beach. “I didn’t even tell my family right away. I just told people it was Stage 4 cancer and left it at that.”
Eventually, Cisneros began sharing her story, not with her close family or her band, but with the world, through posts on social media. “That vulnerability sparked something powerful. Now I’ve got to meet so many people who’ve reached out to me, other cancer survivors, people going through the same thing. We’ve shared our stories. It’s therapeutic for all of us.”
Last week, Cisneros received the news from her doctors that her scans were clear, meaning that she’s in remission. “I am so thankful for this great news, but I still have a lot of recovery ahead of me,” Cisneros said. “I still can’t feel my hands or feet. “Playing guitar again meant relearning everything, since I had a lot of issues with my hands and feet. But, thankfully, we made it happen.”
As it turns out, Go Betty Go had begun writing new music in 2018, but when COVID-19 hit, obviously, things were delayed. The band went back to the studio after the pandemic began to wind down, but all noticed something was wrong with Cisneros. “We knew something was going on with Betty,” bassist Michelle Rangel recalled. “But we all kept pushing forward. The music gave us something to hold onto, as she went through this.”
For a band like Go Betty Go, the music is vital, but so is the sense of sisterhood. “We consider this band [a] family. So, of course, we all were behind Betty, supporting her during that difficult time,” Rangel said. “And when Betty had to step away to take care of her health, we held the torch for her while she recovered,” vocalist Nicolette Vilar said. “But we knew she’d be back. She never gave up.”
The power of the music helped Cisneros during her recovery, she says. “The music helped me focus on something else,” Cisneros said. “If I stayed at home thinking about what I was going through, that’s how you can get into a hole, you know?”
As a band with 25 years of history and touring, including tours with bands like Flogging Molly, several appearances on Warped Tour in the early 2000s, and countless Southern California shows and nationwide tours over the years, it’s noticeable how humble the musicians still are, sticking to their DIY work ethic.
“We book our shows. We design our merchandise. We don’t have a huge team at all,” said drummer/band manager Aixa Vilar (who is also Nicolette’s sister). “Nicolette does our graphics, and Betty’s our tour manager. We’re running this ship ourselves, and we love it; we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Cisneros agreed and laughed when asked how she juggled it all. “I’m kind of the mom of the group. I like being in charge. Even though life has a way of pulling the rug out from under you, planning makes me feel grounded.”
In a quarter-century playing music, the bandmates love the memories they have made and the music they have gotten to share with their fans. They’ve had the experience of watching fans grow up with them too. “We have seen parents with their kids coming to our shows, and we love that,” Rangel said. “It’s amazing that fans can share our music with their kids and younger fans. We love that our music can inspire and influence people of all ages.”
Cisneros recalled a recent show in Las Vegas and an encounter with a fan that moved her. “After the show, I had a fan approach me and say, ‘I have an ileostomy too.’ This created an instant bond between us, and it was moving,” she said. “We talked like we knew each other; it was very special.”
With summer in full swing, and Cisneros’ recent good news of remission, Go Betty Go does have plans for tours, but things are still being finalized, so nothing can be announced yet, the band said. But, for now, the band is beginning a weeklong tour of the West Coast, with its friends in the Dollyrots, which will make a stop in L.A. at the Echo on July 3.
“We do this because it’s still fun,” Cisneros said. “We’re grateful people care. This all started from passion, and that’s still what drives us.”
This story originally appeared on LA Times
