A Message From KRS Artists Mecca Normal

Hi, Jean Smith of Mecca Normal (Kill Rock Stars) here.

I wasn't expecting to be impacted by the economic downturn when I was laid off from my retail job at an eco-friendly clothing store. The company decided to close the much-loved, quaint, creaky-old-floorboard store to concentrate on their wholesale and online business. As an almost fifty-year-old (single, debt-free) musician, novelist and painter, I am perhaps better equipped to deal with variations on the theme of employment and income, better than people who felt they had security. Rather than look for a new part time job, I'm hitting the road with Mecca Normal to present "How Art & Music Can Change the World" -- an art exhibit, lecture and performance event in university and high school classrooms, bookstores, art galleries and music venues.

We want to connect with bloggers and radio people to inspire readers and listeners towards cultural activism -- to fortify a new optimism that cultural activists can impact progressive social change.

All of this information is on a webpage -- it's easier to look at.

Media One Sheet: http://meccanormaltour.wordpress.com
Mecca Normal -- 25th Anniversary Tour -- itinerary at bottom

"Arguably the greatest rock band without a rhythm section ever, the duo of acid-voiced singer Jean Smith and guitar hero David Lester must be seen to be believed." --Douglas Wolk

"How Art & Music Can Change the World" -- Jean Smith and David Lester of the literary underground rock duo Mecca Normal intend to inspire audiences to consider adding political content to their creative self-expression, to fortify a new optimism that cultural activists can impact progressive social change. http://howartandmusiccanchangetheworld.blogspot.com

"Who cares if there's underground culture or not? Gap-Coke-Sony-Time-Warner satisfies our needs... don't they?"

The focus of the art exhibit is David Lester’s Inspired Agitators Poster Series http://www.freewebs.com/meccanormal/inspiredagitators.htm

I made a 9 minute film to represent our content. It would be great if you could embed it -- if you do online stuff. The code below needs to be in plain text. I made the screen size quite small.




"How Art & Music Can Change the World" -- 9 minute film http://blip.tv/play/AeqrLwA

Lyrics http://meccanormallyrics.wordpress.com
Newsletter http://meccanormal.wordpress.com
Mecca Normal Links http://meccanormallinks.wordpress.com

We don't have new CDs or books out, but we do have new songs to perform and a couple of re-releases in iTunes.

Smarten UP! Records re-releases two Mecca Normal albums in iTunes -- Who Shot Elvis? (Matador, 1997) and Sitting on Snaps (Matador, 1995).

Jean Smith is the author of two published novels and the recipient of two Canada Council for the Arts Awards as a professional writer of creative fiction. David Lester is a small press publisher of fiction and award-winning poetry and the author of The Gruesome Acts of Capitalism. Together, as the legendary rock duo Mecca Normal, they've released 13 CDs (Kill Rock Stars, K Records, Matador).

The Observer was our last CD (Kill Rock Stars, 2006). I made a video for our song Attraction is Ephemeral -- it was accepted at MTV and was included in a few film festivals. Here's the code to embed it (in plain text):



Attraction is Ephemeral (Kill Rock Stars, 2006). A self-portrait film by Jean Smith.
http://blip.tv/play/AePOHwA

I've attached a few recent photos and the posters.

New songs -- demos -- on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/meccanormal

I'd be into communicating further, by phone or email.

Thanks,
Jean Smith
Mecca Normal


confirmed in BOLD
- Vancouver -- March 28 -- The Vinegar Factory -- "How Art & Music Can Change the World"
- Vancouver -- April 1 -- Windermere High School -- "How Art & Music Can Change the World"
- Bellingham, WA -- April 3 -- Underground Coffeehouse
- Seattle -- April 4 -- Vera Project
- Battle Ground, WA -- April 5
- Olympia -- April 7 -- Evergreen State College -- tba
- Olympia -- April 7 -- All Ages Project
- Portland -- April 8 -- Holocene
- Salem, OR -- April 9 -- Cherry City Music Festival
- Salem, OR -- April 10 -- Willamette University -- "How Art & Music Can Change the World"
- Eugene, OR -- April 10 -- Wandering Goat
- Arcata, CA -- April 11 -- The Green House
- San Francisco -- April 12 -- Hemlock Tavern
- San Francisco -- April 13 -- Modern Times Bookstore -- "How Art & Music Can Change the World"
- LA -- April 14 -- CalArts -- "How Art & Music Can Change the World"
- LA -- April 15 -- Knitting Factory Hollywood
- Durham, NC -- tba -- "How Art & Music Can Change the World"
- Durham, NC -- April 18 -- DuoFest III
- DC -- April 19 -- The Red & The Black Bar
- DC -- April 20 -- tba -- "How Art & Music Can Change the World"
- New York -- April 20 -- Cake Shop
- New York -- April 21 -- Bluestockings Books -- "How Art & Music Can Change the World"
- Philly -- April 22 -- Nexus -- "How Art & Music Can Change the World"
- Turners Falls, MA -- April 23 -- Rendezvous
- Providence -- April 24 -- Rhode Island School of Design -- "How Art & Music Can Change the World"
- Boston -- April 25 -- Megapolis Audio Festival -- "How Art & Music Can Change the World"
- Providence -- April 25 -- AS220