Monday, May 13, legendary punk rock band, L7, will take the stage at Richmond’s Canal Club. It has been over 20 years since their last appearance in Richmond. They will be joined by Gina Volpe of the Lunachicks at one of our longest running music venues.
They’ve appeared on numerous classic 90’s film soundtracks like I Know What You Did Last Summer, Serial Mom, Tank Girl, and Natural Born Killers and were doing huge tours with acts like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Faith No More, Beastie Boys, Pearl Jam, The Offspring and Ministry. The band has influenced acts across all genres including Sleater Kinney, Hole, Bikini Kill, The Prodigy, Pink and Lady GaGa. They also founded Rock for Choice and played legs of Warped Tour and Lilith Fair. L7 recorded six full-length albums before taking a hiatus in 2001.
While on hiatus, members pursued solo projects and other collaborations before reuniting in 2014. In 2016, the crowdfunded documentary, L7: Pretend We’re Dead, further revived and renewed interest in the band, and, in 2019, they released their first first album in 20 years, Scatter the Rats, on Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records to positive reviews.
Ahead of their much-anticipated performance, we caught up with L7 front woman Donita Sparks, to reflect on the band’s current tour, their ties to Richmond, and a few of the pivotal moments that have defined their trailblazing journey in rock music.
Donita Sparks: This is our May Days Tour. We’re playing some markets we haven’t played in a very long time because we have two festivals. We’ve got one in Daytona, one in Columbus, Ohio. And so we were just like, “Fuck it. Let’s play these cities we haven’t played in a really long time.” So Gina (Volpe) is on some of the shows. She’s, of course, from the Lunachicks. We asked her to open up for us in Richmond because we’re old friends. She has a new record out. And so I was like, “Oh, that sounds nice.”
Lauren Vincelli: The last time you played Richmond was 1997. I learned from a friend that the first time you played here was in ‘88? They said they remembered seeing you and GWAR. Tell us about touring with them and your legendary Rock for Choice appearance in D.C. with GWAR woman, Slymenstra Hymen (Danielle Stampe).
DS: Yeah, I think if we were on tour in ’88 that that was probably with Bad Religion. Somewhere in the late ’80s, we met the GWAR people. We never toured with GWAR. We played a couple of shows with them, one at a very tiny club in Los Angeles called The Gaslight, and then we played another show with them in, like, Long Beach or something. I just remember seeing all their props and costumes laid out backstage. Actually, The Gaslight didn’t have a backstage. I think they laid all their stuff out in the alley. And I was just like, “Oh, my God!” They had their production values from the get-go, you know. It was very impressive. Like, “Holy shit. We don’t even have a backdrop yet, and these guys had a whole van full of stuff.”
And then as far as Slymenstra Hymen goes, we’ve been friends with her for a very long time. And we were playing a Rock For Choice show that we organized in Washington D.C. in 1992. And it was Bikini Kill, us, and Fugazi. She just hitched a ride to our show with us and a couple of other friends from Richmond. She did her fire dance during one of our songs. It was in a church or a community center or something. It was austere versus flamboyance. And we were kind of in the middle. Do you know what I mean?
LV: I do. I have been a huge fan of Slymenstra Hymen (since I saw GWAR on Jerry Springer). I think humor is so important to music. Can you tell us about your humor and how humor influences your music?
DS: We love humor, but we can also be serious as fuck about things. I know when I write, like an anger anthem or something, it always has a little twist, where it can be a bit funny as well. You know, some people take it very, very seriously. But I always like to give a little bit of a twist.
LV: It’s like the spoonful of sugar.
DS: Well, it’s not a spoonful of sugar, you know, it’s sass. It’s not sugar. Humor is more powerful as a weapon than being super serious. And I think that’s where I shine as a writer—presenting serious things with a turn of phrase or a bit of humor in it.
LV: Your band has seen some really epic, historic musical moments. Can you tell us about some of your most memorable moments in your career?
DS: We played a couple of shows in Brazil in 1993 with Nirvana. And yeah, it was probably the largest soccer stadiums in Rio and Sao Paulo. We didn’t really know how we were going to go over. We had no idea. I believe we had a bunch of fans waiting at the airport for us, but we thought they were all Nirvana people. But they were L7 people too. So somehow word got out, you know, probably through a press agent when we were landing.
That was kind of like being mobbed for a week. We were very well received, and they still talk about those concerts in Brazil and our performance in particular. It was kind of a generational moment for them because it was televised, and it was these American bands coming in. And so that was cool.
We still have those maniacs loving us down there. We just finished a tour in November down there.
LV: Another L7 connection to Richmond is Greta Brinkman, who played bass on your record, The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum. Brinkman is a well-known bass player who lived in Richmond for years and has played in bands like Druglord, Moby, White Cross, and the Debbie Harry Band since. We claim her as our own. What can you tell us about her contributions to that record and working with her?
DS: Well, she was wonderful to work with. Her bass playing is, in my opinion, kind of Paul McCartney-esque. Like, she’ll write bass lines. Usually, like with Jennifer (Finch), she, most of the time, just plays what Susie (Gardner) and I are playing. You know—very basic kind of stuff. I don’t mean that negatively or anything; that’s just the way it is, but Greta was playing bass PARTS. Greta played on the slower stuff, and I played on the faster stuff on The Beauty Process. She added some really nice flavor to the songs, “I Need” and “Moonshine.” Her contribution was really great. It was really nice to hear a bass line within the song.
LV: What’s it like making art in a capitalist system for so long?
DS: Some bands, like Fugazi, for example, you know, they don’t like some of the trappings of mainstream music industry capitalism. But, you know, they’ve had their own business for decades. And, you know, Ian’s doing all right. Ian’s not in poverty.
I don’t think anybody swears life to poverty unless you’re a fucking monk. Because at a certain age, it’s like, fuck, man, I don’t have anything to fall back on. I know I don’t, personally. I don’t have a pension. I pay for my own health insurance. Living the life of an artist, you’re on the fucking edge all the time unless you’ve sold gazillions of records.
I’ve always wanted to infiltrate the masses. And if that meant going on MTV, great. If that meant going on David Letterman, great. You know, like, I felt the need to get out there and be seen, like bands that I grew up loving, and be in people’s living rooms out in the suburbs and rural areas. They’re like, “Whoa, who’s this band!?” You know? It’s cool to get some mainstream eyeballs on you. Because you never know whose life you’re going to change by somebody tuning into that show that night.
Get your tickets right now HERE.
Interview by Lauren Vincelli
