Mecca Normal (Jean Smith and David Lester) opening for The Julie Ruin at the Wonder Ballroom in Portland on October 9, 2016. Video by Pat Maley.
“Invisible Girl” is a new one. We’ve only played it live a few times. Basically, the idea was to move away from long songs and lyrics on the page, to free form a bit. I wanted a few songs that allow me to be more in the moment.
Invisible girl refers to how women and girls are socialized and conditioned to want to look attractive and sexy. Being bombarded with concepts about beauty and desirability can lead to feeling that we aren’t seen or valued for who we really are. The nature of street harassment and unwanted attention from strangers can result in women wishing they were invisible
“I Am Here” is another new one that moves away from lyrics on the page, allowing me to perform it more in the moment.
The song features two key lines.
“As long as I’m still here I will be opposed to injustice.”
“Feminism was not a phase or a failed experiment.”
A still relevant song from our first album (1986), “I Walk Alone”
Just as we were about to start the show in Portland, David said he didn’t see Pat Maley in the audience. I spotted him front and center and handed him Dave’s Sony (consumer) video camera as one does when in such situations. No advance warning or anything civilized like asking with a “please” attached to it. Doh. I haven’t seen Pat for a couple of years. He smiled and took the camera. What a guy! Next time I looked at him he was shooting with the Sony on one eye and an iPhone on the other, like some kind of weird binoculars. I had to look away. It was kind of comical, but mostly just slightly disturbing.
It’s a bit clunky for the transition from Sony to iPhone at 4:09 , but it looks and sounds great after that!
New and unrecorded songs are marked *
* 1. Anguish/Misogyny 2:45
* 2. Invisible Girl 8:24
3. Attraction is Ephemeral 12:07
4. Strong White Male 20:29
* 5. I Am Here 23:47
6. Throw Silver 27:23
7. I Walk Alone 30:35
8. Beaten Down 34:17
* 9. The Ferry to the Launch 38:19
Kenny Mellman and Kathleen Hanna talking about Mecca Normal between songs in Portland at the Wonder Ballroom, October 9, 2016. Thanks to Pat Maley for capturing this! After Kenny says Mecca Normal is his favorite band, Kathleen tells the audience to but my paintings! She also does a brief imitation of me working at Home Depot! I was standing at the back of the venue feeling like this was part of a dream!
David Lester of Mecca Normal pre-show in Seattle at the Showbox. Photo by Jean Smith
Portland. Photo by Mary Sharp
Portland. Photo by Mary Sharp
Portland. Photo by Mary Sharp
Portland
The crowd (approx. 700 – 800?) from the balcony in Portland, waiting for The Julie Ruin to take the stage at the Wonder Ballroom.
I was spontaneously gifted with a necklace by the mother of one of the two girls on the right after I signed their copy of Mecca Normal’s 7″ 1990-something EP Paris in April (K Records). Later, when I thought about the lyrics, I was happy they ended up with that one. The song is about a young woman who doesn’t want to be conventional; she wants to see travel, to see Europe in springtime.
Photos with fans!! Always a thrill! It was fun to get Pat Maley to sign the back of Calico Kills the Cat (K Records, 1989) since he recorded it! I think it’s the one we recorded in a (renovated) chicken coop in Olympia.
Kathleen Hanna and Kenny Mellman talking about Mecca Normal during The Julie Ruin show in Portland, 2016
“Their music is still as relevant as it was 25 years ago when I first saw them. It makes me happy that their music is still relevant because they’re doing it better than ever. And their new songs are so fucking great and hilarious.” – Kathleen Hanna
Vancouver
Mecca Normal 