Every week, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 36-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
Putting together paintings for the Jean Smith $100 USD Paintings show at Land Gallery in Portland in May. Thrilled that the folks at the gallery are supportive of my objective to open the Free Artist Residency For Progressive Social Change. Mecca Normal plays the opening May 9.
“Gravity Believes” from Sitting On Snaps (Matador, 1995) (download):
Every week, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 36-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
Recording “Cyclone” in Germany in the ’90s was one of the more chaotic situations Mecca Normal has ever ended up in. And when I say ended up in, I suppose it was my fault. After Peter Jefferies and I met at a festival in Holland, he made his way to southern Germany by train to play piano in our spontaneously booked (me again) recording session. I wanted our tour manager Dirk Hugsam to play acoustic guitar and, as basically a non-guitar player, he somewhat reluctantly obliged. Then I had to dream up some lyrics. Whether it all works is debatable, but it is a document of an exciting time for all of us. Touring and recording in Europe in the ’90s. Der Spiegel and Rolling Stone running in-depth pieces on our doings.
Every week, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 36-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
Turns out Bikini Kill are in fact “the band the world needs now,” as stated in the recent issue of a national music magazine. I’m sure their leadership in cancelling shows at a crucial juncture in the pandemic guided others in making difficult decisions regarding gatherings, travel and other containment strategies.
Every week, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 36-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
Every week, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 36-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
I know I’ve told some stories more than once. Whatever. I made the video for this song using footage I shot alone at the local nude beach on my 50thbirthday in 2010. I forget how it happened, but somehow I accidentally started to upload all the footage from the nude beach onto Facebook. Obviously I hit stop, cancel, halt, etc., and then I went to have a nap. When I returned to the computer, the entire video of me walking toward the camera all sexy-50-year-old feminist like and me walking away from the camera so I could do another take of me walking toward the camera had been uploaded to Facebook. I was mort-i-fucking-fied. I think only one person saw it and commented. I blocked him immediately, as one would.
“Trapped Inside Your Heart” from Sitting On Snaps (Matador, 1995) (download):
