Local pop-rockers mommi im scared implemented a no-overdub approach when recording the self-released Sno-Cone. But economics, not artistic vision or self-confidence, was what inspired the Germantown-based quartet to become one-take wonders. “If you’re paying for your own studio time and you’re broke, as we were, you better be able to bang these songs out,” laughs lead guitarist Mikey Roadkill. He adds that fans have placed the band’s sound “somewhere between Wilson Phillips and the Sex Pistols.” That dichotomous description seems especially apt when listening to either the attractively schmaltzy “Rachel Ran Away” or “Crybaby” (the CD’s edgy closing cut, which opens, “Is that a pizza? Is that your face?”). Apt or not, lead singer Kathi is perturbed by the pigeonholing. “As soon as people see a female vocalist, they want the Bangles or Joan Jett,” she says. “They don’t want to hear that we don’t have any formula for what we play.” Roadkill, again pointing out the economic hardships his band went through to put out Sno-Cone, asserts that major-label rules don’t apply to DIYers. “I think we’ve done a good job of showing all of our influences on Sno-Cone,” he says, “and that’s everything from hard blues rock to harder punky stuff. One thing I’ve learned about the music business is that [major labels] want something very focused, some easy way they can tag you. We just like playing what we like playing.” Mommi im scared will be playing what it likes Jan. 14 at Asylum in Exile and Jan. 17 at Nicks. Sno-Cone can be had for $10 (includes postage) from TAP Management, 18945 Birdseye Drive, Suite 200, Germantown, MD 20874.—