The Need

The Need
Origin	Olympia, Washington, USA
Genres	Queercore, Punk rock, Indie rock, Experimental rock
Years active	1996–2001
Labels	Kill Rock Stars Outpunk Chainsaw Records Up Records
Associated acts	Kicking Giant, The Fakes, Witchypoo, Slant 6, CeBe Barnes Band, King Kobra, Twin, The Circuit Side, Fact or Fiction
Members
Radio Sloan Rachel Carns

The Need was a queercore band that originated in Olympia, Washington in the late 1990s. It was formed by Rachel Carns (drums and vocals) and Radio Sloan (guitar and bass guitar); both were veterans of other indie rock bands. Carns was previously in Kicking Giant, The Fakes, Witchypoo, Slant 6. Both members of The Need were in CeBe Barnes Band along with Miranda July and Sleater-Kinney drummer Toni Gogin. The Need made their debut in Olympia, Washington, and, in the summer of 1996, they played at the Dirtybird Queercore Festival in San Francisco.

The band's first project was Margie Ruskie Stops Time, released in 1996 by Kill Rock Stars, on which The Need provided the music to accompany the words and vocals of Miranda July. July also performed with the band at the Dirty Bird Festival.

Their last album, recorded in 2000, was titled The Need Is Dead. On this recording they further expanded their range of instrumentation with the addition of synthesizer and samples contributed by Joe Preston of The Melvins; and theremin, played by producer Mike Lastra of Smegma.

After the band parted ways, Carns now performs in the band Twin, formerly called King Cobra, while Sloan has been in the bands The Circuit Side, Fact or Fiction and Courtney Love's recent all-female backing band The Chelsea. Additionally, she did a guest stint with L.A. band Scarling, and played guitar on Le Tigre's 2005 album This Island.

In 2010 the band briefly reunited for a handful of benefit shows for their friend Natalie Cox, in order to help with her medical expenses.

Discography

Singles

• Margie Ruskie Stops Time (as Miranda July with The Need) 7" (Kill Rock Stars, 1997)
• The Need 7" (Kill Rock Stars, 1997)
• Jacky O'Lantern 7" (Outpunk, 1997)
• Mailorder Freak Singles Club (as KaraNEEDoke) double 7" (Kill Rock Stars, 1998)

Albums

• The Need s/t CD (Chainsaw, 1997)
• The Need with Joe Preston and DJ Zena 10" (Up Records, 1998)
• The Need Is Dead (Chainsaw, 2000)
• The Transfused (as The Need with Nomy Lamm) CD (Yoyo Recordings, 2000)

Compilations

• Destination compilation (Ross Records, 1996) -- "Sam"
• Yoyo A Go Go 97 LP/CD (Yoyo Recordings, 1998) -- "Crown" (live)
• La Foresta Della Morte soundtrack CD (Toyo Records, 1999) -- "Talk Potty"
• New Women's Music Sampler CD (Mr. Lady Records, 1999) -- "Girl Flavour Gum"
• Homocore Minneapolis: Live And Loud CD (Lefty Records, 1999) -- "Vaselina", "Crown", "Majesty" (live)
• Projector LP (Yoyo Recordings, 1999) -- "American Woman"
• Yoyo A Go Go 99 LP/CD (Yoyo Recordings, 2000) -- "Dark Sally" (live)
• Group (motion picture soundtrack) CD (Yoyo Recordings/Wovie, 2000) -- "Mona Tinsley", "2-Story Girl"
• Charm (motion picture soundtrack) CD (5 Rue Christine, 2000) -- "Jolly Roger"
• Up Next CD (Up Records, 2000) -- "Talk Potty"
• The Structure of Scientific Misconceptions/The System of Scientific Misconstructions CD (Toyo Records, 2001) -- "Resurrection", "The Green Manalishi With The Two Pronged Crown"
• Home Alive Compilation Vol. 2: Flying Side Kick CD (Broken Rekids, 2001) -- "Frayed Ends Of Sanity"
• Random Slice of Life from Fort Thunder – Some Bands Who Played at CD (Contact Records, 2001) -- "2-Story Girl"

External links

• The Need Webpage circa Aug. 3, 2001 by way of the Internet Archive Wayback Machine
• Review of The Need Is Dead
• Kill Rock Stars
• Plazm magazine interview