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Mecca Normal | |
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 Mecca Normal photo by Jean Smith.jpg | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Genres | Indie rock |
| Years active | 1984-present |
| Labels | Smarten Up!, K Records, Kill Rock Stars, Matador Records |
| Members | Jean Smith David Lester |
Mecca Normal is a two-piece indie rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, formed by Jean Smith and David Lester in 1984.
In 1985 they formed their own record label Smarten Up! to release their debut album. [1] Subsequently, Mecca Normal had full-length releases on three of the largest indie labels of the 90s, with albums on K Records, Kill Rock Stars, Matador Records, and Smarten Up! and a 7" single released by Sub Pop. [2] Smarten Up! later merged with Lester's small press publishing company Get To The Point to form the label Smarten Up! & Get To The Point on which they released an album in 2003.
Much of Mecca Normal's album The Observer (Kill Rock Stars, 2006) was inspired by Smith's experiences using online dating websites. [3] [4]
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but was originally known for its commitment to underground punk rock bands and the Olympia area music scene.
Bratmobile was an American punk band from Olympia, Washington, active from 1991 to 2003, and known for being one of the first-generation "riot grrrl" bands. The band was influenced by several eclectic musical styles, including elements of pop, surf, and garage rock.
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts.
K Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington founded in 1982. Artists on the label included early releases by Beck, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. The record label has been called "key to the development of independent music" since the 1980s.
Spoon is an American rock band from Austin, Texas, consisting of members Britt Daniel, Jim Eno (drums), Alex Fischel, Gerardo Larios and Ben Trokan. The band was formed in Austin in October 1993 by Daniel and Eno. Critics have described the band's musical style as rock, pop, art rock, and experimental rock.
Indie pop is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and subsequently generated a thriving fanzine, label, and club and gig circuit. Compared to its counterpart, indie rock, the genre is more melodic, less abrasive, and relatively angst-free. In later years, the definition of indie pop has bifurcated to also mean bands from unrelated DIY scenes/movements with pop leanings. Subgenres include chamber pop and twee pop.
The port city of Olympia, Washington, has been a center of post-hardcore, anti-folk, and other youth-oriented musical genres since the late 1970s. Before this period, Olympia's The Fleetwoods had several Billboard chart successes between 1959 and 1963. Olympia saw a rise in feminism in the music industry, where artists commonly addressed rape, domestic abuse, sexuality, racism, patriarchy, classism, anarchism, and female empowerment in their songs. It was a center for the riot grrrl movement of the early 1990s, which featured Bikini Kill and Bratmobile.
Heavens to Betsy was an American punk band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1991 with vocalist and guitarist Corin Tucker and drummer Tracy Sawyer. The duo were part of the DIY riot grrrl, punk rock underground, and were Tucker's first band before she co-formed Sleater-Kinney.
Come is an American alternative rock band, formed in Boston by Thalia Zedek, Chris Brokaw, Arthur Johnson (drums), and Sean O'Brien (bass).
Mary Bozana Timony is an American independent singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, and violist. She has been a member of the bands Helium, Autoclave and Wild Flag, and currently fronts Ex Hex.
Allison Wolfe is a Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, writer, and podcaster. As a founding member and lead singer of the punk rock band Bratmobile, she became one of the leading voices of the riot grrl movement.
Slant 6 was an American punk rock trio based in Washington, D.C. affiliated with early riot grrrl.
Some Velvet Sidewalk was an experimental lo-fi rock band from Olympia, Washington on the independent label K Records.
An independent music scene is a localized independent music-oriented community of bands and their audiences. Local scenes can play a key role in musical history and lead to the development of influential genres; for example, no wave from New York City, Madchester from Manchester, and grunge from Seattle.
The Spinanes were an American indie rock band, primarily active during the 1990s. The band was founded by and initially consisted only of singer-songwriter/guitarist Rebecca Gates and drummer Scott Plouf. They released three albums on the Sub Pop label before Gates retired the name in 2001 and began releasing music as a solo artist; Plouf began playing with Built to Spill in 1996 and left The Spinanes shortly thereafter to become their permanent drummer.
David Lester is the guitar player in the Vancouver, Canada based band Mecca Normal.
Kustomized was an American indie rock band formed by former Mission of Burma and Volcano Suns member Peter Prescott.
The International Pop Underground Convention was a 1991 punk and alternative rock music festival in Olympia, Washington. The six-day convention centered on a series of performances at the Capitol Theater. Throughout August 20–25, 1991, an exceptionally large number of independent bands played, mingled and collaborated at the Capitol and other venues within the Olympia music scene. A compilation of live music from the event was released later by the local record label K Records.
Peach Pit is an indie pop band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The band consists of singer and rhythm guitarist Neil Smith, lead guitarist Christopher Vanderkooy, bassist Peter Wilton, and drummer Mikey Pascuzzi. Lately they have been joined by multi-instrumentalist Dougal Bain McLean on synth, guitar, and fiddle. They describe their own music as "chewed bubblegum pop", whereas critics have described their sound as sad pop, and surf rock and is characterized by a soft spoken vocal style and guitar-driven rock melodies. The band's music videos are produced by videographer Lester Lyons-Hookham. The band sported the same clothes for every live performance during their "Being So Normal" album phase after buying them for their first music video shoot.
Sitting on Snaps is an album by the Canadian indie rock duo Mecca Normal, released in 1995.
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