# Jennifer Finch

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American musician, designer, and photographer

Jennifer Finch Finch performing in the 1990s Background information Born Jennifer Finch (1966-08-05) August 5, 1966 (age 59) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Genres Alternative metal grunge punk rock heavy metal Occupations Musician blogger photographer Instruments Bass vocals Years active 1979–present

Musical artist

**Jennifer Finch** (born August 5, 1966) is an American musician, designer, and photographer most notable for being the primary [bass player](/source/Bass_guitar) of the punk rock band [L7](/source/L7_(band)). Active in L7 from 1986 to 1996, Finch also wrote music and performed with her bands OtherStarPeople and [The Shocker](/source/The_Shocker_(band)) in the interim before joining the reunited L7 in 2014.

## Early life

Finch was born August 5, 1966, and grew up in [West Los Angeles](/source/West_Los_Angeles). She was adopted in 1967 by Robert Edward Finch, an aeronautics engineer, and his wife Sandra Jacobson; they later divorced in 1974.[1] Finch credits the support of her adoptive father, who was also an amateur photographer, as being instrumental to her creative development.[2] Finch took an interest in photography at an early age and attended a summer art session at [Otis Parsons](/source/Otis_College_of_Art_and_Design) in 1980.[3]

## Career

### Music

Finch began her musical career in the mid 1980s. She played bass in the San Francisco-based band [Sugar Babydoll](/source/Sugar_Babydoll) (or Sugar Babylon) from 1984 - 1986.[4] The band featured [Courtney Love](/source/Courtney_Love), future founder of [Hole](/source/Hole_(band)), and future [Babes in Toyland](/source/Babes_in_Toyland_(band)) founder [Kat Bjelland](/source/Kat_Bjelland).[5] This line-up produced a demo recording which remains unreleased.[6] Finch subsequently played in the short-lived Hollywood band [The Pandoras](/source/The_Pandoras), formed by bassist Gwynne Kahn.

In 1986, Finch joined the Los Angeles-based punk rock group L7.[7] In the [documentary film](/source/Documentary_film) *L7: Pretend We’re Dead*, bandmate [Donita Sparks](/source/Donita_Sparks) described Finch as "persistent" and stated that after Finch joined the band, her networking skills and stage energy continued to significantly boost the momentum building within the group. She remained with L7 throughout the band's most successful period in the early 1990s. Finch contributed to the albums *[L7](/source/L7_(album))* (1988) *[Smell the Magic](/source/Smell_the_Magic)* (1990), *[Bricks Are Heavy](/source/Bricks_Are_Heavy)* (1992), and *[Hungry for Stink](/source/Hungry_for_Stink)* (1994). Finch was the sole songwriter during this period for several of L7's songs including "(Right On) Thru", "[Everglade](/source/Everglade_(song))", "One More Thing", and "Shirley".

In 1994, Finch and her L7 bandmate [Demetra "Dee" Plakas](/source/Demetra_Plakas) performed with Japanese musician [Hide](/source/Hide_(musician)),[8][9] also appearing in the original video for his song "[Doubt](/source/50%25_%26_50%25)".[10]

In 1994, Finch was featured in a music video for [Hole](/source/Hole_(band)) for their breakthrough album *[Live Through This](/source/Live_Through_This)*, as the original bassist [Kristen Pfaff](/source/Kristen_Pfaff) had died of an over-dose in June of that year. In 1995, after the death of her father, Finch adopted the name "Precious" as an homage to him.[11] Finch officially departed L7 in 1996. In the band’s 2016 documentary *L7: Pretend We’re Dead*, Finch cites health and money issues, as well as grieving over the loss of her father and the band’s roadie and friend Umbar as reasons for her departure.

After departing from L7, Finch wrote music and sang for her band OtherStarPeople with Xander Smith.[12][2] OtherStarPeople completed their debut record *Diamonds In The Belly Of The Dog* in 1998; the group were signed with [A&M Records](/source/A%26M_Records)/[Interscope](/source/Interscope_Records) and the album was released in August 1999.[13] [Joshua Clover](/source/Joshua_Clover) of *[Spin](/source/Spin_(magazine))* magazine described the OtherStarPeople record as bringing "less weight and more strangeness than Finch's old crew - it's L.A.-slick and punky-dirty".[14]

Finch was also involved with [Betty Blowtorch](/source/Betty_Blowtorch), appearing in the 2003 documentary film *Betty Blowtorch And Her Amazing True Life Adventures*.[15]

Finch founded the punk rock group [The Shocker](/source/The_Shocker_(band)) in Los Angeles in 2002. The band played dates on the [Warped Tour](/source/Warped_Tour) in 2003 and 2005. The Shocker released *Up Your Ass Tray* as an EP in 2003, followed by a full-length album in 2006 on [Go-Kart Records](/source/Go-Kart_Records). Finch served as the sole songwriter and primary singer of The Shocker through 2006.

In January 2011, Finch co-founded new band Sex in Progress along with Evie Evil of [Evil Beaver](/source/Evil_Beaver_(band)).

Finch produced a [Ramones](/source/Ramones)' tribute album[16] *[Brats on the Beat](/source/Brats_on_the_Beat)* for the [St. Jude Children's Research Hospital](/source/St._Jude_Children's_Research_Hospital). The album features "kid friendly" versions of Ramones' songs with guest vocals and music provided by various [punk](/source/Punk_rock) musicians.[16]

Finch performing with L7 in 2015

In 2014, L7 reformed with the primary line up of Finch with [Suzi Gardner](/source/Suzi_Gardner), [Donita Sparks](/source/Donita_Sparks), and [Dee Plakas](/source/Demetra_Plakas). They toured extensively and released new singles in 2017 and 2018.

L7's latest full album *[Scatter the Rats](/source/Scatter_the_Rats)* was released on [Blackheart Records](/source/Blackheart_Records) on May 3, 2019, to generally favorable reviews. Finch wrote the song "Garbage Truck". The band resumed a six-week national tour starting on May 10, 2019.[17]

### Photography

At the age of 13, Finch began to take photos of her friends in Los Angeles on a camera given to her by her father. These pictures eventually documented the early punk scene that she became involved in before joining L7 in 1986. Her photography (1979–1995) was on display at an *[LA Weekly](/source/LA_Weekly)* sponsored art show at Aidan Ryley Taylor Gallery in Hollywood, until November 18, 2006.[3] The collection, called "14 and Shooting" features a number of notable figures, including photographs of [The Red Hot Chili Peppers](/source/Red_Hot_Chili_Peppers), [Bad Religion](/source/Bad_Religion), [Red Kross](/source/Red_Kross), and [The Cramps](/source/The_Cramps). John Albert of *LA Weekly* reflected that Finch's images often depict the musicians in more intimate moments as well as providing a generally dark perspective of youth in Southern California.[18] Finch's photographs traveled to the [Rock and Roll Hall of Fame](/source/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame) for display in January 2007.[19]

### Television and film

Finch has acted in the 1984 film *[The Census Taker](/source/The_Census_Taker)* and in the 1994 [John Waters](/source/John_Waters) film *[Serial Mom](/source/Serial_Mom)* as part of the fictitious band the Camel Lips.[15] Finch appeared as herself in the 2007 documentary *[Punk's Not Dead](/source/Punk's_Not_Dead_(2007_film))*.[15] Her music was featured in the 1999 film [Office Space](/source/Office_Space) and on the popular TV series *[Degrassi: The Next Generation](/source/Degrassi%3A_The_Next_Generation)* in 2008.[15]

Finch appears in interviews and original footage throughout the documentary film *L7: Pretend We're Dead*, directed by [Sarah Price](/source/Sarah_Price_(filmmaker)) and released in November 2016.[20] The film was nominated for a VO5 NME Award for Best Music Film.[21]

## Personal life

In the early 1990s, Finch dated [Nirvana](/source/Nirvana_(band))'s [Dave Grohl](/source/Dave_Grohl)[5] and later [Billy Corgan](/source/Billy_Corgan) of [The Smashing Pumpkins](/source/The_Smashing_Pumpkins). She was married to actor, musician and race car driver [Chris Pedersen](/source/Chris_Pedersen_(actor)) from 2000 to 2007. Finch resides in [Culver City](/source/Culver_City%2C_California), California.[5][22]

## Discography

### L7

- [*L7*](/source/L7_(album)) (1988)

- *[Smell the Magic](/source/Smell_the_Magic)* (1990)

- *[Bricks are Heavy](/source/Bricks_are_Heavy)* (1992)

- *[Hungry for Stink](/source/Hungry_for_Stink)* (1994)

- *[Scatter the Rats](/source/Scatter_the_Rats)* (2019)

### OtherStarPeople

- *Diamonds in The Belly of The Dog* (1999)

### The Shocker

- *Up Your Ass Tray* EP ([Oglio Records](/source/Oglio_Records), 2003)

- *Up Your Ass Tray: The Full Length* ([Go Kart](/source/Go-Kart_Records), 2006)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["About Jennifer Precious Finch"](http://jenniferfinch.com/jennifer-finch-about/). *JenniferFinch.com*. Retrieved September 8, 2019.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:3_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:3_2-1) Mérigeot-Magnenat, Clarisse; Mérigeot-Magnenat, Pauline (March 25, 2011). ["Jennifer Finch's Scrapbook"](https://www.vice.com/en/article/bed-and-breakfast-and-fisting-v18n8/). *Vice*. Retrieved September 7, 2019.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_3-1) Albert, John (November 1, 2006). ["14 and Shooting"](https://www.laweekly.com/14-and-shooting/). *LA Weekly*. Retrieved September 7, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Russo, Stacy (2017). *We Were Going to Change the World: Interviews with Women from the 1970s and 1980s Southern California Punk Rock Scene*. Solana Beach, California: Santa Monica Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781595807953](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781595807953).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:4_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:4_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:4_5-2) Rosenschein, Ari (November 22, 2015). ["Finch Takes Flight Again: A Profile Of L7's Jennifer Finch"](https://bigtakeover.com/profiles/finch-takes-flight-again-a-profile-of-l7-s-jennifer-finch). *The Big Take Over*. Retrieved September 7, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Sugar Babylon"](https://web.archive.org/web/20060424141441/http://www.katbjelland.com/sugarbabylon/indexsugar.html). *katjabelland.com*. Archived from the original on April 24, 2006.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Jasmine, Lucreita Tye (August 28, 2019). ["One More Thing - Catching Up with L7's Jennifer Precious Finch"](https://pleasekillme.com/jennifer-precious-finch-l7/). *Please Kill Me*. Retrieved September 8, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["hide – Eyes Love You (live POP JAM 1993.08.11)"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqPSqDVZOP0). YouTube. December 3, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2012.[*[dead YouTube link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*]

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:2_9-0)** Dean, Mark (September 20, 2016). ["Spill Feature: L7"](http://spillmagazine.com/spill-feature-l7/). *The Spill Magazine*. Retrieved September 7, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-asouvenir_10-0)** As seen on [Hide](/source/Hide_(musician))'s home video release, *A Souvenir*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Music History"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070241/http://jenniferfinch.com/music-history/). Archived from [the original](http://jenniferfinch.com/music-history/) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Phares, Heather. ["Biography: Other Star People"](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/other-star-people-mn0000496306/biography). *All Music*. Retrieved September 7, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Steininger, Alex (March 2000). ["Interview: OtherStarPeople"](http://www.inmusicwetrust.com/articles/29h04.html). *In Music We Trust*. No. 29. Retrieved September 7, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Clover, Joshua (August 1999). ["Reviews: The Shredder"](https://books.google.com/books?id=nQRXCTo-FtUC). *Spin*. **15**: 157 – via Google Books.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_15-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_15-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_15-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:1_15-3) ["Jennifer Finch"](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0277419/). *IMDb*. Retrieved September 7, 2019.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:5_16-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:5_16-1) ["Brats on the Beat: Ramones for Kids"](https://www.discogs.com/Brats-On-The-Beat-Ramones-For-Kids/release/3423544). *Discogs*. November 2006. Retrieved September 9, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Callwood, Brett (May 1, 2019). ["Scatter, Rats! L7's Back With Their First Album in 20 Years"](https://www.laweekly.com/music/scatter-rats-l7s-back-10150065). *L.A. Weekly*. Retrieved May 5, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** ["Myspace"](http://www.myspace.com/14andshooting). Myspace. Retrieved February 19, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** Forson, Kofi (April 2010). ["Interview: Jennifer Precious Finch"](https://whitehotmagazine.com/articles/2010-interview-jennifer-precious-finch/2053). *White Hot Magazine*. Retrieved September 16, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** ["L7: Pretend We're Dead (2016)"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6288290/). *IMDb*. Retrieved September 7, 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** Grant, Sarah (February 9, 2018). ["L7 Announce Tour, Slam 'Capitalist Motherf--kers' on 'I Came Back To Bitch'"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180209175800/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/premieres/l7-reveal-tour-slam-capitalist-motherf--kers-on-new-song-w516529). *Rolling Stone*. Archived from [the original](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/premieres/l7-reveal-tour-slam-capitalist-motherf--kers-on-new-song-w516529) on February 9, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** Clark, Jeff (August 2, 2016). ["L7"](https://stompandstammer.com/feature-stories/l7/). *Stomp and Stammer Magazine*. Retrieved September 8, 2019.

## External links

- [Jennifer Finch Photography](http://www.jenniferfinchphoto.com/)

- [Ramones for Kids website](http://www.myspace.com/bratsonthebeat)

v t e L7 Donita Sparks Suzi Gardner Jennifer Finch Demetra Plakas Gail Greenwood Janis Tanaka Studio albums L7 Smell the Magic Bricks Are Heavy Hungry for Stink The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum Slap-Happy Scatter the Rats Compilation albums The Slash Years Live albums Live: Omaha to Osaka Singles "Shove" "Pretend We're Dead" "Everglade" "Monster" "Andres" Related Discography Donita Sparks and the Stellar Moments L7: Pretend We're Dead

Authority control databases: Artists MusicBrainz Photographers' Identities

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jennifer Finch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Finch) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Finch?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.