Heather Lewis (born 1962) is an American multi-instrumentalist and founding member of Beat Happening. Prior to her work with Beat Happening, Lewis was a member of the Supreme Cool Beings, who are notable for having the first ever release 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 ...

, 1982's ''Survival of the Coolest''. She appeared as a guest vocalist on several songs from

Land of the Loops Land of the Loops is the stage name of Alan Sutherland, a musician from Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, United States. He began recording in the early 1990s and continues to record today. His music is Electronic music, electronic, makes heavy use ...

, as well as

the Wedding Present The Wedding Present are an English indie rock group originally formed in 1985 in Leeds, England, from the ashes of The Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, ...

's album '' Watusi''.

Career

Early years

Lewis grew up in Westchester County, New York, and left to attend Evergreen College in Olympia, Washington in 1980.

Supreme Cool Beings

During a summer break at Evergreen in 1982, Lewis was visiting her friend Gary May's apartment. The room had been turned into an impromptu rehearsal space, and after playing with a drum set she was invited to drum for his band. After adding Doug Monaghan, the trio, including drums, sax, and guitar, was named the Supreme Cool Beings. The Supreme Cool Beings played a live performance of eight songs for

Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson Jr., (born September 29, 1985) is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons with the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Georgia Tech, where he twice ...

's radio show on

KAOS (FM) KAOS (89.3 FM) is a hybrid college-community radio station licensed to The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. It broadcasts at a power of 1,250 watts and also streams via the Internet. The station offers radio broadcasting traini ...

. Johnson took a cassette recording of that performance and used it as the band's first album, ''Survival of the Coolest'', which would be the first release from

. A 1983 review of the first release describes the band as "kind of sloppy," adding that "Heather's vocals come off sort of flat, and it's all kind of silly, but that's really the fun of it."

Beat Happening

Lewis had been a part of another trio with Johnson, which later lost a member and added Bret Lunsford. That trio was Beat Happening. Though Lewis had moved to Seattle, she remained in the band for an improvised tour of Japan, where they recorded their first demo. Though Lewis was Beat Happening's drummer, the band didn't own a drum set for much of its existence. Instead, she would borrow drums from touring bands, or create impromptu drum sets out of garbage cans or cardboard boxes. Lewis' role in Beat Happening, which rotated between drums, guitar, and vocals, is cited by important musicians from Olympia's

riot grrl Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s within the United States in Olympia, Washington and the greater Pacific Northwest and has expanded to at least 26 other countries. Riot grrrl is a subcultu ...

scene as an inspiration, such as

Bratmobile 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, ...

Molly Neuman Molly Neuman (born June 18, 1972) is an American drummer, writer and publisher, originally from the Washington, D.C. area who has performed in such influential bands as Bratmobile, the Frumpies, and the PeeChees. She was a pioneer of the ear ...

, and

Kathleen Hanna Kathleen Hanna (born November 12, 1968) is an American singer, musician, artist, feminist activist, pioneer of the feminist punk riot grrrl movement, and punk zine writer. In the early-to-mid-1990s she was the lead singer of feminist punk band B ...

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 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Heather Beat Happening members K Records artists Living people American women drummers American punk rock drummers American rock drummers Riot grrrl musicians 1962 births American multi-instrumentalists Women in punk