Denise Mercedes is the founder and lead guitarist of The Stimulators. Anne Gustavsson was a talented lefty bass player and the two enjoyed jamming to existing songs and going to clubs. The Stimulators were an American punk rock band from New York City. Although they have a limited discography, they are notable for being consistently cited as an important transitional band between the late-1970s New York City punk rock scene and New York hardcore.
Denise Mercedes grew up in Manhattan and Queens, New York City. Teaching herself to play guitar, she became infatuated with punk rock after having seen the Damned play their first New York City show at CBGB. Mercedes set out to form her own band called the Stimulators, named after a piece of equipment used in acupuncture.
Denise booked live dates for her band before she had a singer. Patrick Mack, inspired by Iggy Pop, would go on to be noted as a wild, flamboyant, front man. Mack would also become the band's lyricist. Adding bassist Anne Gustavsson the last step was procuring a drummer. Drum tryouts with 1970s punk notables Johnny Blitz and Jerry Nolan failed to fill the vacant position, so Denise turned to her 11 year old nephew. Harley Flanagan had been raised in a Bohemian, rock 'n' roll environment. He had a book of poetry entitled Stories & Illustrations by Harley (Charlatan Press), with a foreword written by family friend Allen Ginsberg, published when he was nine. His mother was acquainted with members of the Velvet Underground/New York Dolls-era New York Rock scene, and Harley had frequently accompanied his aunt Denise to CBGB and Max's Kansas City. The line up featured two women, a gay man and a child.
The Stimulators played regularly at city rock venues, including CBGB, Irving Plaza, Paradise Garage, Tier 3, Danceteria, A7, and Max's Kansas City, and also toured both nationally, and in Ireland. They shared bills with bands like Madness, Stiff Little Fingers, the Cramps, Bad Brains, James Chance & the Contortions, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, the B-52's, Richard Hell, Pure Hell, the Blessed, the Mad, Suicide, The Rattlers, The Necros, and The Circle Jerks. In 1980 they recorded the single "loud, fast, rules!", and in 1982 released a live album of the same name, recorded live in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Gustavsson left the band unexpectedly and was replaced by the band's roadie, Nick Marden, who became the second and final bassist of the band. Patrick Mack died in 1983 of complications associated with AIDS, ending the Stimulators' run.
In 2005, Mercedes was reunited with The Stimulators for three shows including "Save CBGB’s," also a memorial for Stiv Bators (of the Dead Boys), and along with old friends the Bad Brains, played at the historic closing night of CBGB’s. In 2006 Mercedes teamed up with Patricia Nilsen and Tawny Lee to form Girls Girls Girls - the world’s 1st all-female tribute to Motley Crue. The band was featured on VH1 Classic TV’s “That Metal Show,” were featured in the promo for “Rock Star” in 2014 and appeared on the cover of the Village Voice Fall Preview Issue. 2014. In 2018 Mercedes teamed up with longtime friend and collaborator Nick Marden and former singer of the iconic 60s girl group The Crystals, LaLa Brooks to work on a new project called "Dae Lilies."
