Jennifer Finch of the punk band L7 has sadly died at the age of 59 from an aggressive form of brain cancer. Finch played bass, sang and wrote for L7, an all-female punk band that I consider groundbreaking. She was respected throughout the music world. Formed in Los Angeles in 1985, L7 made a splash in the alternative music scene of the early '90s. Perhaps their best known song is "Pretend We're Dead" from their 1992 album, Bricks Are Heavy, produced by Butch Vig. As well as it possibly being their most commercially accessible song, it’s also probably my favorite of theirs.
I was fortunate to see L7 play in support of that record back in 1992. I saw them at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. (the old, tiny, smelly 9:30 Club on F St. NW). My wife and I were leaving for vacation the next morning, but we stayed out late to catch the show anyway, and, man, was it worth it. They were a tight band considering the style of music they played. I wish I had gotten to see them more than just that once. One of my other lasting memories related to L7 was when I watched the movie Natural Born Killers. Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis dance to “Shitlist” on a jukebox before the ultra-violence that ensues. That song is another favorite of mine. The band had been away for awhile before reuniting in 2014. Their singles "Dispatch from Mar-a-Largo" (2017) and "I Came Back to Bitch" (2018) were excellent rants against my least favorite person on the planet. L7 was known for their political activism.
L7 has planned their Last Hurrah Tour for this fall. The tour was planned when Finch was healthy, but upon receiving her diagnosis, she asked the band to continue without her. Catch them if they come to your city.
Jennifer Finch was also known for her photography and other artistic endeavors. She will be missed. She made an impact. R.I.P. Jennfier.
“Pretend We’re Dead”
JCE, or John to his friends, is 63 years old and lives happily in rural VA about an hour and half outside of D.C. His wife of 35 years says he’ll never grow up, and she’s exactly right. He attributes that to his lifelong love affair with all things rock n roll. Starting with 45 rpm Monkees records at a very early age to his present massive collection of vinyl, cd’s and a digital library of God knows how many songs, he’s a rock n roll lifer.