Formed in early 2023, this group of San Diego transplants have been honing their sound and crafting a diverse set of indie rock tunes heavily influenced by 90s alt rock and 2000s indie. Electric harpist Catherine Skinner adds an engaging twist to the standard rock band configuration, weaving beautiful melodic lines over the choppy rhythm guitar and a pulsing rhythm section. Courtside Betty released their debut single, “Poison,” on 12/13/23. Interested in hearing more? Give us a listen and stream “Worry” here.
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
We have Craigslist to thank for getting the band together. We were all looking for a new project and outlet to play music in early 2023 - Clay put up an ad that enticed Catherine and Felipe to reach out. After meeting up in person we knew it was going to be a good fit! The bassist and drummer on our initial singles were with us for the recording process, after which Catherine helped us to rope in Conner as our current bassist.
The band name holds special meaning for us as it was born out of many (many, many) sessions of disagreement after which we thought we would never be able to agree on a name. We probably went through more than a hundred iterations and ideas before coming to an agreement! The name itself was a mishmash of other name ideas that some of us liked but didn’t make the cut. We know what it means to us and who Courtside Betty is, but we think it’s more fun to leave it open to interpretation…
Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
We all have really varied backgrounds in music. Clay has been in a variety of bands on the East Coast ranging from 90s-influenced alternative rock to metal. Most recently he was active in a DC sludge outfit called Blunt Horse and a post-metal trio called Lapsarian. He’s always been a big fan of indie music but this is his first venture into actually writing it!
Felipe was in a post-hardcore band years ago and eventually left to experiment in electronic and indie/pop music. He took a break from music for a few years before joining Courtside Betty.
This is Catherine’s first band, however, she’s been classically taught and trained since she was a kid. After trying out a variety of instruments in childhood, she transitioned to harp in college and played regularly in classical ensembles throughout her college years.
This is also Conner’s first band, although he also has classical training in piano and upright bass.
First concert that you ever went to?
Clay: Oof, I didn’t go to a whole lot of concerts growing up. I think my first ever concert was Metallica in 2009 followed by Foo Fighters in 2011. I think both of those influences shine through pretty heavily in this track.
Catherine:I went to a Five for Fighting concert with my mom when I was like 8. And then a Hannah Montana concert when I was 10 haha. My music taste has definitely evolved since then.
Felipe: The first concert I went to was an As Cities Burn show. I can’t recall what other bands were on the lineup, but I do remember that they were my inspiration for picking up a guitar. To this day, I still listen to their 2007 album, Come Now Sleep, on repeat.
Conner: Oh man. I think the first ever concert I went to was Coldplay in 2007 when I was 10 with my family. My dad listened to a lot of their early albums growing up and so we all knew most of their songs from riding in the car on road trips. It was a fun introduction to live music for me and my brothers.
What's your writing process like?
Our song writing process varies song-to-song. “Worry” began with the chord progression and “Poison” with an arpeggio and vocal melody - but the music almost always comes before the words. Lyrically, I usually start brainstorming until I write a line or verse that feels like it elevates the music beneath it and then I’ll start to develop the story I want to tell. With “Worry,” the first line I wrote was “worry takes up all of my time,” and once I couldn’t get that phrase out of my head, I started to write the rest of the chorus and around that idea. Once I had a rough draft of the chorus, I worked the vocal melody to fit the chords but also the emotions I wanted to convey with the lyrics I’d chosen.
For both singles, I wanted to capture similar snapshots of what I was feeling. Both narrators sing about similar complex emotions around break-ups, but view them through vastly different lenses. I’m also a big fan of unorthodox song structures. I find that I feel uninspired when I get into a rut of writing standard verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structures. Instead, I like to match the structure to the emotional journey. Does it ebb and flow at the right times? Break-ups (and grief in general) are an emotional roller-coaster but they’re certainly not linear or predictable. But at the end of the day, so much of our writing process is trial and error. I wrote a LOT of songs about these experiences that will never reach anyone’s ears but mine - but I also took something away from each of those ideas.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
In terms of inspiration for “Worry,” the chord progression and harp motif were definitely influenced by bands like Slow Pulp and Soccer Mommy. I love their use of interesting chord shapes and unique melodies. Lyrically, I drew inspiration from the brutal honesty and tender vulnerability of some of my favorite songwriters including Ada Lea, Indigo De Souza and Lomelda (and Soccer Mommy again). I find it so much easier to connect with a song and an artist when I can tell the lyrics are coming from a genuine place. Even if I can’t relate with the exact narrative or experience being described, I can connect to the feelings. So when I sat down to flesh out the lyrics for “Worry,” I challenged myself to capture what I was feeling during that time in my life as sincerely as possible, not worrying so much about the facts or narrative as much as the internal dialogue and swirl of emotions they generated.
For our first set of singles, we opted for a darker, more intimate production style inspired by artists, like Flock of dimes, and Margaret Glaspy. We wanted it to feel like the listener is in the room with us and I think we got pretty close to that. We’re still a young band finding our voice, but I think we walked away from this studio experience feeling pretty confident in our sound, and where we want to take it in the future!
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be its own thing?
We absolutely believe that the live versions of our music should be their own thing and for our shows to capture a different experience of the music. You can listen to the recorded versions on streaming services whenever you want. We want to make sure everybody who comes to see us perform walks away with a unique experience. When we practice our live set it’s about more than just playing the songs. If you put in the effort to come see us, we’re going to make sure we put in the effort to make it memorable.
Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows? Worst shows?
We’re putting the finishing touches on our first live set and are planning to play our first shows around the SoCal area later this year!
For our first set of singles, we opted for a darker, more intimate production style inspired by artists, like Flock of dimes, and Margaret Glaspy. We wanted it to feel like the listener is in the room with us and I think we got pretty close to that. We’re still a young band finding our voice, but I think we walked away from this studio experience feeling pretty confident in our sound, and where we want to take it in the future!
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be its own thing?
We absolutely believe that the live versions of our music should be their own thing and for our shows to capture a different experience of the music. You can listen to the recorded versions on streaming services whenever you want. We want to make sure everybody who comes to see us perform walks away with a unique experience. When we practice our live set it’s about more than just playing the songs. If you put in the effort to come see us, we’re going to make sure we put in the effort to make it memorable.
Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows? Worst shows?
We’re putting the finishing touches on our first live set and are planning to play our first shows around the SoCal area later this year!
What's up next for the band?
Courtside Betty has a big year planned! We’ve got one more song coming out in early March, studio time scheduled in May, and we’ll be playing our first shows around SoCal later this year. Last year we wrote a ton of music and we can’t wait to start releasing and playing it for you all!
Courtside Betty has a big year planned! We’ve got one more song coming out in early March, studio time scheduled in May, and we’ll be playing our first shows around SoCal later this year. Last year we wrote a ton of music and we can’t wait to start releasing and playing it for you all!
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