SHOOTING UP AND MAKING OUT: A Memoir of My Life in LA and L7 by Jennifer Finch with Jeff Alulis is set for release on January 19, 2027. This is a candid and clear-eyed memoir that stands apart from the rest with its grounded perspective and bracing, edgy wisdom. If overcoming obstacles makes for great art, then Jennifer Finch was the consummate artist. She was a recovering addict, a photographer, the co-founder of an influential pro-choice advocacy group, and the bassist for the groundbreaking all-female hard rock group L7. Driven to express herself despite neglect and abuse, Finch carved an artistic path and pulled herself out of a personal hell. This is the story of how she pulled it off and lived an extraordinary life, in her own words.
Finch was twelve when she dove into LA’s hardcore punk scene, fourteen when she first started shooting heroin, nineteen when she joined her first band with Courtney Love and Kat Bjelland, and in her early twenties when L7 got caught up in the maelstrom of the grunge phenomenon. She shared stages with bands like Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in between overdosing, dating Dave Grohl, and coping with the tragic, early deaths of some of her closest friends. And she re-defined herself through sobriety, photography, and her courage in the face of a deadly illness.
“Jennifer’s memoir was the last major project she completed before she passed away,” says co-writer Jeff Alulis. “She and I worked together for two years to make sure she was happy with every word of it, and with someone as intentional and thoughtful as Jennifer, that was no small task! I’m heartbroken that she won’t get to see it published, but I’m thrilled to share her life and legacy with the world.”
“Da Capo is honored to have a part in Jennifer Finch’s legacy with the publication of Shooting Up and Making Out,” states Ben Schafer, Executive Editor, Da Capo. “Completed just before her death, this is the story of Jennifer’s incredible life as she lived and remembered it. She poured her soul into every word. Like her, it is as real as it gets, suffused with hard-earned insight into the human condition, and shot through with tender compassion.”
Jennifer Finch was a beloved pillar of strength and compassion in LA’s creative community, and her death on July 18th, 2026, was an irreplaceable loss. SHOOTING UP AND MAKING OUT was completed just before her illness took hold, and every word of it—hard-hitting, funny, profane, and wise—is what she intended it to be.
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About the authors:
Jennifer Finch (1966-2026) was a cultural instigator, punk rock icon, and multi- disciplinary artist whose work spans sound, image, and story. Best known as the bassist for the groundbreaking band L7, Jennifer built a career that defied categorization, merging raw energy with emotional intelligence across music, photography, writing, and performance.
Jeff Alulis is the co-author of the New York Times best-seller NOFX: The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories and the acclaimed memoir of Doors guitarist Robby Krieger, Set the Night on Fire. He holds an MFA from USC’s Graduate Screenwriting Program, he has directed several award-winning music-based documentaries, and he has toured as the vocalist for seminal punk bands Dead Kennedys and Reagan Youth.
By: Bass Magazine