Remember me
Every week, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 43-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
Somehow Mecca Normal ended up on a list of bands that didn’t make it big, and I decided to utilize the comment section under the story to bend the misconceptions to my liking, something I rarely do, but this one struck a few weird chords.
The article begins with, “These bands simply could not crack the formula that turns cult status into household-name recognition.”
Then to Mecca Normal, specifically: “Outside of committed indie rock historians, however, they remain almost completely unknown, making the gap between influence and recognition one of Canadian music history’s most striking injustices.” —Mastermind Quotes
Here’s a excerpt from the much longer reply: “There were many bands, ourselves included, who had no thoughts of cracking any codes to become famous. We were intentionally DIY, not as a stepping stone to mainstream success, but as a preference for this type of experience.”
“Taking The Back Stairs” from Water Cuts My Hands (K, 1991) (download):
https://magnetmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TakingTheBackStairs.mp3