From Brazil to the Pacific Northwest, the open sea to the stage of The Belasco, 2025 was one of the most unforgettable years of my career. L7 celebrated our 40th anniversary, I launch three new written projects, donated my beloved Ghost bass to The Punk Rock Museum and much more Here’s a look back at the chaos, creativity, and community that made this year so special.

L7 Performances

L7 toured through Brazil, the United States, and beyond — including performances in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Curitiba, Chicago, Portland, Olympia, and Los Angeles, as well as Little Steven’s Underground Garage Cruise.

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Public Appearances & Media

My bass guitar was installed in the Jam Room at The Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas. (Go there and you can play it.)

Podcast features included I Should Have Listened to My Mother, The Grey Area Podcast, Adversity to Strength, Vintage Annals, Punk Scholars, Rockstar Diaries, and more.

Hosted two-hour guided tours and Q&A sessions at The Punk Rock Museum.

Conducted an interview with photographer Ed Colver and participated on a panel discussing punk rock’s impact with Fat Mike (NOFX) and others.

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Substack & Storytelling Platforms

Launched a Substack featuring cultural commentary through the series Sh!t My Rockstar Says.

Launched Courage Is The Change, a storytelling platform highlighting artists and thinkers who create despite resistance.

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Community & Creative Work

Elected as a Board Member of the Westwood Greenway, supporting efforts to make the Greenway open to the public and leading communications and website development initiatives.

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L7’s Jennifer Finch 2025 Year in Review: Global Shows, The Ghost Bass, and Punk Legacy

2025 kicked off with a bang. Looking back, I’m blown away by how much L7 and I packed into twelve loud, chaotic, and unforgettable months. We started the year touring South America with our friends Garbage, where the crowds reminded us exactly why we still do this after four decades. Our shows in Brazil was pure fire — thousands of fans singing every word in unison. It’s moments like that that make all the jet lag and backline madness worth it.

From there, we boarded from Miami to embark on Little Steven’s Underground Garage Cruise, where we played our first-ever show in Nassau. Performing at sea surrounded by die-hard fans and rock & roll icons was something straight out of a fever dream — equal parts surreal and exhilarating. The waves were rough, but the energy was unstoppable.

After the cruise, we headed north for a run of shows through the Pacific Northwest — Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver — all places that feel like second homes. The audiences up there always bring an intensity that feeds us right back. These shows built the momentum leading up to one of the biggest moments in our career: L7’s 40th anniversary show at The Belasco Theater in Downtown Los Angeles.

That night was something special. Lunachicks returned for their first L.A. show in 25 years, alongside CSS and Bonavega, making it a multigenerational celebration of fearless, feminist rock. Seeing the crowd — fans from every era of our band — packed into The Belasco was overwhelming. It wasn’t just a show; it was a celebration of survival, community, and the sound that brought us all together.

Outside of touring, I found a different kind of creative outlet this year. My partnership with Punk Hostage Press gave me the opportunity to share some of my written work through live readings. These events let me explore a more personal, reflective side of myself — telling stories about life, art, recovery, and the strange magic of growing up punk.

Reading in front of an audience without a bass in my hands is a completely different kind of rush. There’s no wall of sound to hide behind, just words and connection. The experience reminded me that storytelling — whether through music or writing — has always been at the core of what I do.

Another major highlight was being part of The Punk Rock Museum’s 2nd Anniversary in Las Vegas. I donated my beloved Ghost bass guitar to the museum’s permanent collection — a piece of my history that’s been with me through countless tours and recordings. Seeing it displayed among artifacts from punk’s earliest days was surreal and emotional.

During the celebration, I also had the chance to interview Edward Colver, whose iconic photos helped define punk’s visual legacy, and joined a roundtable discussion with other musicians and scene veterans. What struck me most was how alive punk still feels. It’s not nostalgia — it’s evolution.

So yeah — 2025 was a lot. Loud, unpredictable, inspiring, and filled with gratitude. From Brazil to L.A., from the page to the museum wall, it felt like a year that honored the past while charging straight into the future.

To everyone who came to a show, read a piece, or just kept the spirit alive — thank you. Here’s to 2026 — more noise, more growth, and probably a little more trouble.

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Some of my favorite live shots are the ones that catch the chaos — the sweat flying, amps buzzing, and bodies colliding in the pit. There’s killer photos from São Paulo to Nassau where the crowd’s a total frenzy, and I’m grinning like a maniac mid-bass swing — you can practically hear the feedback through the image. I love the U.S. shots too — grimy clubs, sticky floors, lights half-working — pure energy, no filter. Those photos aren’t just memories; they’re proof that L7 shows have always been about combustion and connection.

#saopaolo #chicago #unitedstates #southamerica #ontour #tourlife #liveband #bassguitar #guitar #punkrock

Photo by Albert Licano – IG: @jerryskid1

Our 40th anniversary show at The Belasco in downtown L.A. was one for the books — sweaty, electric, and filled with faces from every chapter of L7’s history. To celebrate four decades of this band in our hometown, in a sold-out room packed with people who flew in from all over the U.S., Brazil, Australia, and Canada, was beyond surreal. Seeing the energy, the chaos, and the love coming back at us from that crowd reminded me why L7 started in the first place — because punk rock still connects us like nothing else can.

And let’s talk about that lineup — holy hell, even Music Connection took notice! Our sisters, Lunachicks, tore it up for their first L.A. show in 25 years, and it felt like no time had passed at all. The second they hit the stage, the place just exploded. CSS brought their infectious, unpredictable energy — we’ve shared stages before, but they always manage to twist things into something new and wild. And Bonavenga opened the night with serious fire, setting the tone for what was about to be an unforgettable celebration. The Belasco was shaking from the first note to the last scream, and you could feel the floor move under your feet — that’s how alive it was in there.

Backstage, it was just as special. Friends, old tourmates, photographers, and fans L7 have known for decades were all swapping stories and hugs, taking in the fact that we’ve somehow been doing this for 40 years. None of us could’ve imagined back in the day that this little punk band would still be here — still loud, still fierce, still making noise that matters. Nights like this remind me that punk doesn’t age; it just evolves, gets louder, and keeps finding its people. From the bottom of my heart — thank you for showing up, singing your lungs out, and keeping the fire burning all these years.

#l7 #l7theband #lunachicks #cssmusic #bonavenga #donitasparks #jenniferfinch #deeplakas #suzigardner #theokolgen #ginavolpe #sydneysquidsilver #chipenglish #punkrock #downtownlosangeles #livemusic

@l7theband @lunachicksofficial @cssmusic @bonavenga @jenniferfinch @donitasparks @suzi_gardner_official @ginavolpe

Back in March, I had the absolute honor of an intimate interview with the legend himself, Edward Colver, at The Punk Rock Museum  — the guy whose photographs encapsulate Los Angeles punk rock history. Ed’s lens captured the moments most people only heard rumors about — the sweat, the chaos, the genius, and the grime of the city’s early scene up until the mid-1980s. Sitting next to him, hearing him unpack the stories behind those iconic shots — from Black Flag, The Gun Club, and Circle Jerks to the everyday crowd of misfits who defined the era — reminded me how vital documentation is to keeping our culture alive. The man’s got an archive of raw honesty, and he tells it like it was.

What really struck me was how personal it all felt. This wasn’t just a history lesson — it was like sitting in on an unedited conversation between old friends who’ve seen a lot of beautiful wreckage together. The audience vibed with that energy too — half laughing, half blown away by the realities behind the frames they’d only seen in books, iconic album covers, and zines from around the world. I walked away from that night feeling lucky to be part of something that continues to evolve but never loses its edge. Punk’s not just music — it’s memory, and Ed’s photos are living proof of that.

@thepunkrockmuseum, @jenniferfinch @edwardcolver

#thepunkrockmuseum #jenniferfinch #edcolver #punkphotography #punkrockphotography #blackandwhitephotography #losangeles #lasvegas #culturephotography