What's up with that cool girl with the flying V guitar and the best tie collection this side of Sammy Davis Jr.? Raquel Contreras is one-half of the duo known as $3 Puta. She's also a scholar studying to be a "lesbian architect". Beyond that, she's just one of the raddest people you'll ever meet.

After a year-long hiatus, $3 Puta is returning with a string of shows this summer. Here's six questions with Raquel.



SIX QUESTIONS WITH RAQUEL OF $3 PUTA

1. How did you become a $3 Puta?
I became a Puta when I met my husband-to-be Rudy. It was love at first sight...at first it was overwhelming; all the emotions involved were too much to handle... and then I got over it and we started a band. (hee he) But in all seriousness... I met Rudy, finally, at a show after writing to him for a couple of months and ordering Scutter. I think I was 17 years old. We had talked on and off for a while and had lunch at Baker's Square one Sunday afternoon when we both realized that we had to be in a band together. We had this intense discussion about politics, amazing writers and ground-breaking bands... we talked about being gay and Mexican-American in a scene where no body talks about the things we encounter everyday. It was really powerful for both of us. Rudy called me a few days later and asked if I wanted to be in a band with him, and I said yes.

2. I hear you're going to Germany for a while. What's up with that?
Ja! Germany 2003-2004!!! Woooo Woo! I am going there to complete my fourth year of Architecture school. I'm going through an Exchange program from my school to the Fach Hocschule of a small town called "Biberach". I'll be there from late September to July 2004. Biberach is about 1.5 hrs west of Munich in the Southern part of Germany...it's a quiet Baroque town in the Bavarian part of Germany. I'm really excited but nervous... right now I'm learning how to speak German.

3. Where do you get your hot fashions?
Hee he... I'm not sure if my fashions are so hott... I
guess recently a lot of them are from the mission district... I went to San Francisco a little while ago
and went crazy at thrift town!! Ooh! But my favorite
shirt of all time is light blue with a cheesy 70's graphic on it that says: " I'd rather be sailing in the Bahamas"... and I found it on the floor of my friends back yard a long time ago.


4. Turkey or chicken? Why?
Chicken... definitely chicken. It's just so tender
and moist! mmmmmm... delish!

5. What's your favorite $3 Puta song? Why?
I think my favorite song is "Heartbreak", just because it was such a release. Me and Rudy have a lot of issues with our moms and I just think it was really cathartic for us to finally sing about it. And plus it's a slowjam!!

  

6. I notice you always have a lot of ladies around you and you have a reputation for being a mack. What's your technique for attracting the gals?
. . . running away

  
 

Previously featured on the Shiners:
Shaul Acuna