The Avalon on Vine in Hollywood has hosted some of the wildest and most unforgettable concerts, clubs and events in L.A. history, but on Sunday, Sept. 20, a different kind of gathering took over the stage: a celebration of life. It was the memorial for musician and photographer Jennifer Precious Finch, best known as the crimson-headed hellraisin' bassist in L7. She passed away on July 18, after a battle with brain cancer.
Finch was a friend— not just to me, but to basically anyone doing anything creative in Los Angeles, and this contingent came out in full force for the standing room only tribute. Family and friends spoke of her kindness and charisma in heartfelt speeches, including her partner Jack Gregory, L7 bandmate Donita Sparks and Jula Bell (Bulimia Banquet, Bobsled, Nip Drivers) who shared some illuminating thoughts about her long-time bestie.
Finch loved making lists so Bell made one for her that included some little-known facts, like her love for World of Warcraft (there was a character inspired by her), her fandom for Turbonegro, and remembering a pre-social media club they created with artist Callie Dewitt (Frances Bean Cobain’s former nanny, best known as the guy in drag on the CD for Nirvana’s In Utero). It was called Punx of the Round Keg (PORK), and they put on art, music, and jackass style events with over 200 bands as members in 2001-2002.
The Avalon definitely felt like a social club in celebration of this creative force lost too soon. But it wasn’t a “scene” in that sense. Being there was a reminder that none of us will live forever. We will lose more people we love and admire, so we better appreciate them now! Photos were taken but not for the ‘gram as much as for preservation of the moment and for people who made —and still make— Los Angeles so magical. Many there may now be considered punk “elders,” but they're still living loud and in the moment, just like Finch did.
Seen in the crowd paying homage to Precious: punk queens Alice Bag, Pleasant Gehman and Iris Berry; gothfather Joseph Brooks; Garbage’s Shirley Manson, bassist Jerry Montano and photographer Dean Karr. Also caught up with Jack Off Jill’s Jessicka Addams, Gritty in Pink’s Shira Girl, punk photographer Lisa Johnson, tattoo artist Shaun Kama, Betty Blowtorch’s Sharon Needles, designer Michael Schmidt, drummer John Montgomery, musician, DJ and PR pro Bruce Duff and his wife, Elsa, Derby Dolls’ emcee.
Everyone has something going on, still. Schmidt just made fashion waves with the adorable lavender look he made for Chapelle Roan to wear at Daisy Chain Fields; Addams has a film in the works; Shira will be doing a Gritty event highlighting female artists this winter; Montgomery is re-forming a seminal LA band he used to play with; Mrs. Duff just worked on a Derby Dolls installation at Tequila Mockingbird's "Punk Rock Museum" at the Goethe Institute; Berry is releasing new books under her publishing group, Punk Hostage Press; and Gehman just brought back her witchy burlesque night Bell Book and Candle for a seasonal show at El Cid.
Oh, and Bag is not retiring from music! The legend might have played her last show with her Alice Bag Band at The Wiltern with Bikini Kill, but she's still be writing and performing with her lounge act Juanita & Juan with Kid Congo Powers, and more. Click names for links to everyone's Instagrams for more info on it all.
After the speeches musicians including Scott Quist, Ronnie Elvis James, Ada John Fuller, Ari Rosenschein and Lisa Howe performed on stage, doing songs from Finch's band The Shocker and from L7. Tania Estrada, Mz Neon and Rob Dukes from Exodus (who delivered a cathartic take on Turbonegro's "All My Friends are Dead") brought the crowd together to sing, dance and rocked out the sadness.
As written in my last Substack newsletter, I had something significant in common with Finch: a passion for music and diverse scenes in Los Angeles. As LA Weekly’s nightlife columnist in the early 2000’s, it was always the goal to capture the debauchery and fun of the infamous La Dee Da column in that paper (created by Gehman), which I read religiously as a kid, and which Finch's friend and former bandmate Courtney Love once said, she equated a mention in with having "made it."
It was about reporting from the fringe, name-dropping underground figures right alongside Hollywood celebrities and having an irreverent but extremely informed take on who's who and what's what in music, art and alternative spaces. After the memorial, I realized this is more needed than ever in digital age. As the new Associate Editor here at Music Connection, joining forces with former Weekly teammate Brett Callwood at the helm, it’s my goal to bring back these kinds of immersive scene reports, giving props to the OGs, and spotlighting the noteworthy newbies and news while out and about under the column name, "Let’s Spend the Night Together." I hope you'll join me as I chronicle happenings, mostly after dark, and provide historical context that deserves documentation.
Addendum: If you'd like to learn more about Finch and her amazing life, now you can. Her new book, Shooting Up & Making Out — A Memoir of My Life LA and L7, comes out on Da Capo in January 19, 2027. Pre-order here.
