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David Lester is the guitar player in the Vancouver, Canada based band 
Lester met Mecca Normal bandmate Smith in 1981 while the two were working together at a Vancouver newspaper. 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.
Mecca Normal's albums have been released on 
Lester has also collaborated with experimental bassist Rollingstone
Rolling Stone
Mecca Normal
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valle ...
.
Lester met Mecca Normal bandmate Smith in 1981 while the two were working together at a Vancouver newspaper. 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.
Mecca Normal's albums have been released on K Records
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 ...
, Matador Records
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.
History
Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apar ...
, Kill Rock Stars
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 know ...
and the band's own Smarten Up! Records—created in 1986 to release their first LP.
In 2007, Mecca Normal was named one of 10 famous Canadians you’ve never heard of by Canada's national newspaper, ''The Globe & Mail''.
Lester has also collaborated with experimental bassist Wendy Atkinson
Wendy is a given name now generally given to girls in English-speaking countries.
In Britain, Wendy appeared as a masculine name in a parish record in 1615. It was also used as a surname in Britain from at least the 17th century. Its popularity ...
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.
In 2016, Mecca Normal‘s song Man Thinks Woman (1987) is included in Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
‘s "The Story of Feminist Punk in 33 Songs: From Patti Smith
Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946)
is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album ''Horses''.
Called the "punk poet ...
to Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill is an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington, in October 1990. The group consisted of singer and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band pioneered th ...
, the songs that have crushed stereotypes and steered progress".
In 2019, Lester illustrates the graphic novel ''1919: A Graphic History of the Winnipeg General Strike'' (Between The Lines Books
Between the Lines Books (BTL) is an independent Toronto-based publisher of non-fiction, most of which offers a critical perspective on culture, economics, and society. Since its inception in 1977, BTL has published approximately 250 titles of whic ...
), written by The Graphic History Collective. The book is published in German (Bahoe Books) and French (Between The Lines) editions.
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.
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
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''.
In a 2020 Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
magazine feature on Riot Grrrl, Mecca Normal’s ''I Walk Alone'' is included on a playlist of 23 songs.Rolling Stone
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lester, David Living people Canadian rock guitarists Canadian male guitarists Male feminists Feminist musicians Year of birth missing (living people)