Go-Go’s Valentine Is Back With a New Band : She went back to her roots in forming the Blue Bonnets. See for yourself at the Revival in Santa Barbara on New Year’s Eve.

Kathy Valentine probably made so much money with her last band that she could start a Go-Go’s channel on cable. Instead, she’s starting again with her current band, the Blue Bonnets, a roadhouse rockin’ blues band. The quartet will be making its Santa Barbara debut New Year’s Eve at Revival.

Valentine was born in Texas, home to zillions of great guitarists and too many Cowboys’ fans. As a teen-ager, she was making a name for herself by sitting in with such local legends as Doug Sahm. During a visit to London with her mom, Valentine answered an ad and joined Girlschool, an all-girl hard rock band. She got sick and left the band before they made their debut. Back in Texas, Valentine formed an all-girl punk band.

After moving to Los Angeles, Valentine and Carla Olson formed the Textones, who lived long and prospered in the L.A. scene. In the early ‘80s, Valentine met Charlotte Caffey and soon joined the Go-Go’s as the bass player. The peppy Go-Go’s sold about a zillion records of happy new wave pop until they broke up in 1985.

It probably took them a good five years to count all the money they made, but the Go-Go’s re-formed for a reunion tour in 1990. Valentine, meanwhile, went back to her roots (also to her lead guitar) and formed the Blue Bonnets, a band that’s heard the Stones before. The girls in the band, about 750,000% cuter than the real Stones, are: Valentine on lead guitar, Dominique Davalos on bass, Sherri McGee on drums and Shannon Moore as the new singer.

Valentine recently talked things over during a telephone interview.

Why are there so many good guitar players in Texas?

I dunno why that is, but that’s definitely why I became a guitar player.

When did you know you wanted to rock?

I wanted to play guitar since I was 15, especially after I heard the Stones. I learned to play originally by playing along with records; I was really into the blues. Two years after I moved out here, I joined the Go-Go’s. I put my guitar down and became the bass player. For a while, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but then decided I wanted to be a lead guitar player. So I started the Blue Bonnets a few years ago. We learned a bunch of Stones’ covers at first.

It seems like every band in transition is looking for a bass player. Are there more bands than bass players?

I think so. I know our bass player, Dominique Davalos, can get as much work as she wants.

In the basic rock band, the singer and lead guitar player get the spotlight while the bass player and the drummer get to carry the stuff to the truck. Is that true?

No, not for us. We move everything together.

What’s it like to go from bass to lead guitar?

Being a bass player really helped my lead playing. When I hear a record, I always listen to the bass lines; I never listen to the vocals. I learn the bass part first when I write a song.

Why were the Go-Go’s so popular?

I think chemistry had a lot to do with our success. Everyone in that band had something special, and it just clicked. I’ve seen great players that played great, looked great, but didn’t have that spark. I think people just responded to the chemistry of the Go-Go’s. We always had a good time on stage. We never cared about the audience; we just wanted to have fun up there.

Will there be another Go-Go’s reunion?

I don’t think so. The last reunion a couple of years ago was a real closer for a lot of us. It was fun for me to go back and experience it all again with a new perspective. I’ve been playing in clubs for the last few years, so it was nice to stay in nice hotels and all that.

So what’s up with the Blue Bonnets?

We’re still growing very much, and we just got a new singer in November. It took us three months and 30 singers to find Shannon Moore. She’s never done other people’s songs before, but we share the same vision. We’ve been rehearsing like crazy lately. The bottom line, I think, is whether or not we can write as a band. It’s very important for the singer to feel like a good, contributing writer. The key is playing live. I think there’s a lot in store for this band. This band is really special.

Do you have trouble with male groupies?

No. I think male groupies are different than female groupies. There are guys who come to shows repeatedly, but they’re basically shy. A guy may flirt and ask you for your phone number, but at the gigs they hardly even talk to you. They’re too shy.

What’s the L.A. scene like these days?

Well, I don’t hang out a lot, but I like playing. Because of the nature of the band, there seems to be a lot of places for us to play. We play with the street bands, but also at the Palomino and lots of smaller clubs because we seem to fit into a lot of different formats. Our songs cover a wide spectrum of musical styles, but there’s a connecting thread. Basically, we’re all blues lovers.

How does a band get signed these days?

My principal philosophy is that I don’t want to make a tape and then try to shop it. This area is crawling with industry people. All I want to do is play. If you’re good enough, they’ll come.

What’s the best thing about playing on New Year’s Eve?

You don’t have to worry about what you’re gonna do.

Details

* WHAT: The Blue Bonnets

* WHEN: New Year’s Eve, 9 p.m.

* WHERE: Revival, 18 E. Ortega St., Santa Barbara, 730-7383.

* COST: Before the show: $15 per person, $25 couples. Day of show: $20 per person, $35 couples.