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David Lester is the guitar player in the Vancouver, Canada based band Mecca Normal.
Lester met Mecca Normal bandmate Smith in 1981 while the two were working together at a Vancouver newspaper.[1] As a result of their collaboration, Mecca Normal is considered a forerunner and an inspiration to the 1990s politically charged riot grrrl and D-I-Y movements.[2]
Mecca Normal's albums have been released on K Records, Matador Records, Kill Rock Stars and the band's own Smarten Up! Records—created in 1986 to release their first LP.[3]
In 2007, Mecca Normal was named one of 10 famous Canadians you’ve never heard of by Canada's national newspaper, The Globe & Mail.[4]
Lester has also collaborated with experimental bassist Wendy Atkinson to form the duo Horde of Two. They released their debut CD Guitar & Bass Actions on Smarten Up! & Get To The Point Records in 2009.[5]
In 2016, Mecca Normal‘s song Man Thinks Woman (1987) is included in Pitchfork‘s "The Story of Feminist Punk in 33 Songs: From Patti Smith to Bikini Kill, the songs that have crushed stereotypes and steered progress".[6]
In 2019, Lester illustrates the graphic novel 1919: A Graphic History of the Winnipeg General Strike (Between The Lines Books), written by The Graphic History Collective.[7] The book is published in German (Bahoe Books) and French (Between The Lines) editions.[8]
Lester creates a 5 x 3’ mural for a 2019 permanent exhibit called Coal, Conflict and Community at Cumberland Museum & Archives depicting significant figures in the areas political and social history.[9][10]
The New York Times in 2019, lists Mecca Normal‘s I Walk Alone as an essential song in their article, Riot Grrrl United Feminism and Punk. An Essential Listening Guide. 25 songs that fueled a rock revolution.[11]
In a 2020 Rolling Stone magazine feature on Riot Grrrl, Mecca Normal’s I Walk Alone is included on a playlist of 23 songs.[12]
References
edit- ^ http://thehighhat.com/Pop&Clicks/002/mecca_normal.html Archived 2018-07-07 at the Wayback Machine :: The High Hat
- ^ "Empsfm.org - EXHIBITIONS - Online Features". Archived from the original on 2010-06-15. Retrieved 2010-05-15. :: Experience Music Project
- ^ "..:: Mecca Normal Online ::...History". mecca_normal.tripod.com. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- ^ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/article767812.ece :: Globe & Mail
- ^ http://www.wonkavisionmagazine.com/reviews09/?p=1356 :: WonkaVision Magazine
- ^ https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9923-the-story-of-feminist-punk-in-33-songs/:: Pitchfork
- ^ "'1919': When Canada Teetered on the Edge of Revolution, PopMatters". PopMatters. 2019-04-05. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- ^ http://www.bahoebooks.net/start_de.php?action=202&post=192:: Bahoe Books
- ^ https://tidechange.ca/2019/01/16/coal-conflict-and-community-exhibit-opening-and-talk-at-the-cumberland-museum-and-archives/:: Tide Change
- ^ "Exhibits". Cumberland Museum and Archives. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- ^ McDonnell, Evelyn; Vincentelli, Elisabeth (2019-05-03). "Riot Grrrl United Feminism and Punk. Here's an Essential Listening Guide". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
- ^ Rollingstone[dead link] Rolling Stone