L-Seven

L-Seven was formed in early 1980 in Detroit, Michigan. Yeah…you heard right…Detroit and 1980. This L-Seven has no connection to the better known L-7 that formed in Los Angeles several years later. The original incarnation of L-Seven consisted of Dave Rice, Mike Smith, Frank Callis, and Larissa Stolarchuk (who later played guitar as Larissa Strickland in the Laughing Hyenas). After a few months they added Chuck McEvoy on clarinet and sax. Chuck and Mike left, so Kory Clarke (drums) and Scott Schuer (second guitar), from the Attitudes, joined the band. L-Seven played around Detroit, Lansing, and Kalamazoo, including some high profile gigs, most notably with U2 at Royal Oak Theatre.

As a group of musicians, the members of L-Seven had very eclectic tastes. When the band formed, Larissa was the one who was the most into the exploding English punk scene, and she started a fanzine called Anonymous. It was through this fanzine that she got to know the Necros, with whom she quickly became friends. Despite the obvious stylistic differences between the two bands, after seeing L-Seven live, the Necros became fans and Corey agreed to release an L-Seven EP on Touch and Go. However, since it didn't really fit in with the other records Touch and Go was releasing at the time, they came up with the idea of "Touch and Go Special Forces", acknowledging the differences between L-Seven and the rest of the (largely hardcore) bands on the label (not a brilliant idea then… sounds even dumber now).

The EP was recorded in early 1982 in Detroit, and 1000 were pressed. Released as T&GSF01, or Touch and Go Special Forces Number One, the self-titled L-Seven EP helped the band get to NYC and Chicago a few times, including a swing through Milwaukee and Madison with the Gun Club, who L-Seven rescued after their van died in Detroit. L-Seven broke up in the winter of 1983.