Demetra "Dee" Plakas | |
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 Plakas performing in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Demetra Plakas |
| Also known as | The Goddess of Thunder, Dee |
| Born | November 9, 1960 Chicago, Illinois |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer |
| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels |
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Demetra Plakas (born November 9, 1960) is an American musician, best known for being the drummer in the rock band L7.
Plakas was born November 9, 1960, in Chicago, Illinois. [1] Her parents immigrated independently from Greece and later met in Chicago. [2] Plakas has a younger sister. [2] She learned to play the drums while in high school. [2]
In the late 1970s, Plakas joined a punk band called Problem Dogs. [3] Although she had never played drums before, she purchased a set and learned to play as the band practiced in the basement of bass player Algis Kizys's house.
In the thriving Chicago punk scene, the band played sporadic gigs at places like Space Place and O'Banion's, opening for The Bangles at The Metro. They also released a single, "City Hall/ You Are The Knife", following the departure of Kizys in 1982. Plakas moved to the greater Los Angeles metro area in 1985. [2]
The band went through several personnel changes, with original bandmates Plakas, Rick Radtke and John Connors reforming as Pirate Radio after arriving in Los Angeles.
After witnessing her playing drums with Pirate Radio in 1987, a contact from LA Weekly informed Plakas that the punk rock group L7 was looking for a drummer. [4] Two months later, after Donita Sparks contacted her, Plakas agreed to join L7. [4]
Once Plakas joined the band, L7 gelled and gained in momentum. Sparks stated “we found that sweet spot with Dee. That was a huge break for us. Because she was what we had been missing. She had the same sensibility as us: we’re punks but we’re doing hard rock.” [5] She was given the name "The Goddess of Thunder" by her band mates. [6] Plakas played drums on six of the seven L7 studio albums, including on the band's hit single Pretend We're Dead from 1992's Bricks Are Heavy. The band appeared on the main stage of Lollapalooza in 1994.
In 1994, Plakas and her L7 bandmate Jennifer Finch performed with the Japanese musician Hide, [7] [8] also appearing on the original video for his song "Doubt". [9]
Plakas appeared in the John Waters film Serial Mom as a musician and performer in the fictitious band "Camel Lips" in 1994. [1]
Plakas and L7 were the subject of a 1998 pseudo-documentary film by Krist Novoselic entitled L7: The Beauty Process. [1]
L7 disbanded in 2001 but was reunited again in 2014. [7]
During the hiatus when L7 was dormant, Plakas went on to play drums in solo projects by both herself and former L7 member Donita Sparks. [10] In 2007-2008, Plakas toured with Donita Sparks and the Stellar Moments in support of the release of Transmiticate . [10] Ken Tucker, then editor at large for Entertainment Weekly , stated that Dee Plakas "continues to drum with a fluid power" and "propells much of the music" on the album. [11]
Original footage and interviews with Plakas can be viewed in the documentary film L7: Pretend We're Dead directed by Sarah Price, released November 2016. The film was nominated for a VO5 NME Award for Best Music Film. [12]
L7 released their latest full-length album Scatter the Rats on May 3, 2019, through Joan Jett's Blackheart Records. The album received generally favorable reviews. [13] Plakas and L7 announced a six-week nationwide tour with a start date of May 10, 2019. [14]
In April 2019, Plakas reported that she was endorsed by Drum Workshop and had been using their Black Velvet kit on tour. [6]
Plakas is perhaps most infamous for a contest held during a live show in London in 2000 in which L7 raffled off a one-night stand with her. [4] [15] The winner got to spend the night on the tour bus. [4]
In 1989, [2] Plakas married musician and creative director Kirk Canning, who later played cello on Nirvana's song "Something in the Way" [16] [17] She resides in Santa Monica, California.
L7 is an American all-female rock band founded in Los Angeles, California, first active from 1985 to 2001 and re-formed in 2014. Their longest standing lineup consists of Suzi Gardner, Donita Sparks, Jennifer Finch, and Dee Plakas. L7 has released seven studio albums and has toured widely in the US, Europe, Japan, Australia, and South America. "Pretend We're Dead" was heavily played on US alternative radio and entered the top 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart in 1992.
Suffer is the third album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on the Californian independent record label Epitaph Records on September 8, 1988. It was the first album that was both released and distributed by the label. Following the release of the EP Back to the Known (1985), Bad Religion went on a temporary hiatus, then reunited with its original members and went to work on their first full-length studio album in five years.
Marc Steven Bell is an American drummer. He began playing in hard rock bands in the New York City area, notably Dust and Estus. He was asked to drum for punk rock band Richard Hell and the Voidoids. He replaced drummer Tommy Ramone in the Ramones in 1978, and went by the stage name Marky Ramone from then on. He has also played drums for other punk rock and heavy metal bands, including his own band Marky Ramone and the Intruders. He continues to keep the Ramones legacy alive around the world with his band Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg.
Bricks Are Heavy is the third studio album by American rock band L7, released on April 14, 1992, by Slash Records. The album peaked at number 160 on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the Heatseekers Albums chart. As of June 2000, Bricks Are Heavy has sold 327,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan.
L7 is the debut studio album by American rock band L7, released in 1988 by Epitaph Records. It demonstrates the band's punk rock origins, although there are traces of the heavier grunge sound that dominated their later work.
Jennifer Finch is an American musician, designer, and photographer most notable for being the primary bass player of the punk rock band L7. Active in L7 from 1986 to 1996, Finch also wrote music and performed with her bands OtherStarPeople and The Shocker in the interim before joining the reunited L7 in 2014.
Hungry for Stink is the fourth studio album by L7, released in July 1994 by Slash Records. The album peaked at number 117 on the Billboard 200 chart, as well as number 2 on the Heatseekers Albums chart.
Donita Sparks is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter most notable for being the co-founder of the band L7. Sparks also initiated, performed, and released original material with her solo project, the band Donita Sparks and the Stellar Moments.
Smell the Magic is the second studio album by American rock band L7, released in 1990 by Sub Pop. Originally issued as a 12" EP containing only the first six songs, it was reissued on CD in July 1991, expanded to album length with three more tracks: "Packin' a Rod," "Just Like Me," and "American Society." The opening track "Shove" was released as the band's first single.
The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum is the fifth studio album by American rock band L7, released on February 25, 1997, by Slash Records in collaboration with Reprise Records. It was recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood and Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California. The band recorded most of the album as a trio formed by founding members Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner, and longtime drummer Demetra Plakas, following the departure of bassist Jennifer Finch. The album marks a departure from the tough rock style of its predecessors to a slower and more adventurous style.
Live: Omaha to Osaka is the first live album by L7. The album was recorded at clubs in Omaha, Nebraska, and Osaka, Japan, hence its name.
Slap-Happy is the sixth studio album by the American rock band L7. It was released on August 24, 1999, by Bong Load Records in collaboration with Wax Tadpole Records, an independent record label that the band formed after being dropped by Reprise Records in 1997. L7 recorded the album as a trio formed by founding members Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner, and longtime drummer Demetra Plakas, following the departure of bassist Gail Greenwood. It was made with a low budget and produced by the band and their friend Brian Haught.
Donita Sparks and the Stellar Moments was L7 co-founder Donita Sparks' solo project. The band also featured Alan Santalesa on guitar, Dat Ngo on bass, and former L7 drummer Demetra Plakas on drums.
Suzanne Gardner is an American musician and creative director best known for being a guitarist, vocalist, and co-founder of the rock band L7.
"Pretend We're Dead" is a 1992 song by American all-female rock band L7, from the album Bricks Are Heavy. It was written by Donita Sparks. It was the first single from Bricks Are Heavy and achieved moderate international success. It spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks, peaking at #8. It also reached #21 on the UK Singles Chart and charted in Belgium and Australia.
Transmiticate is the first album by the Los Angeles rock musician Donita Sparks' solo project Donita Sparks and The Stellar Moments, also featuring the former guitarist, singer and songwriter of punk rock band L7.
This is the discography for the American rock band L7.
Women have made significant contributions to punk rock music and its subculture since its inception in the 1970s. In contrast to the rock music and heavy metal scenes of the 1970s, which were dominated by men, the anarchic, counter-cultural mindset of the punk scene in mid-and-late 1970s encouraged women to participate. This participation played a role in the historical development of punk music, especially in the US and UK at that time, and continues to influence and enable future generations. Women have participated in the punk scene as lead singers, instrumentalists, as all-female bands, zine contributors and fashion designers.
"Shove" is a 1990 song by all-female rock band L7, from the album Smell the Magic. The cover photo was shot by notable music photographer Charles Peterson.
Scatter the Rats is a studio album by American rock band L7, released on May 3, 2019 through Blackheart Records. It is the band's first album in almost 20 years, following the band's 2014 reunion. It has received positive reviews.
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