Mecca Normal
{{short description|Indie rock band}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist
|name = Mecca Normal
|image = Mecca Normal photo by Jean Smith.jpg
|caption = Mecca Normal photo by Jean Smith.jpg
|background = group_or_band
|alias =
|origin = Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
|genre = Indie rock
|years_active = 1984-present
|label = Smarten Up!, K Records, Kill Rock Stars, Matador Records
|associated_acts =
|website =
| current_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.
Career
In 1985 they formed their own record label Smarten Up! to release their debut album.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/mecca-normal-1st-album-mw0000126315|title=Mecca Normal (1st Album) - Mecca Normal | Songs, Reviews, Credits|website=AllMusic|accessdate=2020-03-06}} Subsequently, Mecca Normal had full-length releases on some 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.last.fm/music/Mecca+Normal|title=Mecca Normal music, videos, stats, and photos|website=Last.fm|accessdate=2020-03-06}} 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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/04/AR2006050400532.html|title=MECCA NORMAL|date=May 5, 2006|website=Washingtonpost.com|accessdate=2020-03-06}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/mecca_normal_the_observer-2495676422.html|title=Mecca Normal: The Observer|date=April 11, 2006|website=PopMatters.com|accessdate=2020-03-06}}
Discography
- Mecca Normal (Smarten Up!, 1986)
- Calico Kills The Cat (K Records, 1988)
- Water Cuts My Hands (K Records, 1991)
- Dovetail (K Records, 1992)
- Jarred Up (K Records, 1993)
- Flood Plain (K Records, 1993)
- Sitting on Snaps (Matador Records, 1995)
- The Eagle And The Poodle (Matador Records, 1996)
- Who Shot Elvis? (Matador Records, 1997)
- The Family Swan (Kill Rock Stars, 2002)
- Janis Zeppelin (Smarten Up!, 2003)
- The Observer (Kill Rock Stars, 2006)
- Empathy for the Evil (M'lady's Records, 2014)
- Brave New Waves Session (Artoffact, 2019)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://mecca_normal.tripod.com/}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mecca Normal}}
Category:Proto-riot grrrl bands
Category:Musical groups established in 1984
Category:Musical groups from Vancouver
Category:Canadian musical duos