The Need
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1990s in Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Founder | Rachel Carns, Radio Sloan |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon; later Olympia, Washington , United States |
| Products | Music albums, EPs, singles |
The Need is a queercore group from the United States, established by vocalist and drummer Rachel Carns alongside guitarist Radio Sloan in Portland, Oregon during the mid-1990s.
Following the release of multiple seven-inch records under labels such as Kill Rock Stars and Outpunk, The Need moved to Olympia, Washington, where they created two albums for Chainsaw Records. Their signature fusion of post-punk and art rock, enhanced by Carns' distinctive visual art, distinguished them and demonstrated their artistic range. Throughout their initial phase, they shared stages with varied artists including Tribe 8, Fugazi, The Ex, and Bright Eyes, and embarked on tours alongside Le Tigre, BS 2000, and Blonde Redhead. Their third studio effort, The Transfused, functioned as the soundtrack to a rock opera of the same title.
The band dissolved in 2001 as Carns and Sloan explored separate ventures. They reunited briefly for benefit concerts in 2010 before reforming in 2013 to unveil the album Resurrection.
Background
In 1990, Rachel Carns co-founded Kicking Giant with Tae Won Yu, a fellow student at Cooper Union. Operating out of New York City, they recorded tracks using Yu's 4-track recorder and distributed homemade cassette tapes. Through underground fanzines and tape exchanges, Kicking Giant became linked with the riot grrrl movement, which merged feminist ideology with DIY ethics. After performing at the International Pop Underground Convention in Olympia, Washington, both musicians were attracted to the punk scene flourishing in the Pacific Northwest. The duo temporarily separated in 1992 when Yu relocated to Olympia and Carns moved to Washington, D.C., where she briefly took on drumming duties for Slant 6 before moving to Olympia to reunite with Yu. Over the subsequent three years, Carns also contributed to bands such as The Fakes, Sue P. Fox, The Pet Stains, and Witchypoo. Kicking Giant released their final album through K Records in 1994 before disbanding in 1995.
Formation and early years (1995–1997)
In 1995, Carns relocated to Portland, Oregon to join the CeBe Barnes Band on keyboards; this ensemble included vocalist and future filmmaker Miranda July, guitarist Shannon Tragedy (who later adopted the name Radio Sloan), and drummer Toni Gogin from Sleater-Kinney. As early contributors to the queercore genre, they toured the West Coast alongside Sleater-Kinney. After disbanding in 1996, Carns and Sloan continued collaborating with July under the moniker The Need, releasing their first EP, Margie Ruskie Stops Time, through Kill Rock Stars. They performed at San Francisco’s Dirtybird Queercore Festival; however, July soon departed to pursue a solo career. Continuing as a duo, The Need issued a second EP on Kill Rock Stars in 1997 along with another release on Outpunk. That same year, Carns and Sloan moved to Olympia and signed with queercore label Chainsaw Records, founded by Donna Dresch, which released their self-titled debut studio album.
Collaborations and The Need is Dead (1998–1999)
Prior to their subsequent album release, The Need expanded into additional creative endeavors. Alongside vocalist Nomy Lamm, they formed The Teenage Ho-Dads, a surf punk drag king band with theatrical elements. They also developed a collaborative project where Carns and Sloan served as a backing karaoke band for guest vocalists such as Lamm, Tamala Poljak (Longstocking), Audrey Marrs, Tracy Sawyer (Heavens to Betsy), and Slim Moon. These sessions were compiled into Karaneedoke, released via Kill Rock Stars' Mailorder Freak Singles Club. In 1998, bassist and sampler Joe Preston briefly joined; tracks "Vaselina" and "Talk Potty" appeared under The Need with Joe Preston & DJ Zena on Up Records. During this time frame, Carns played drums for the Sub Debs before joining forces with The Spells. Both members participated briefly in Mocket, contributing to their album Pro Forma, followed by collaboration with Sherry Fraser’s project Two Ton Boa. In summer 1999, The Need recorded their sophomore album The Need is Dead, produced by Mike Lastra for Chainsaw Records.
The Transfused and dissolution (2000–2001)
Embracing their collaborative approach and DIY principles, the Need developed The Transfused, a full-length rock opera co-created with Lamm. Over the course of a year, Carns and Sloan composed an original score, supported by a 25-member cast and a full band. With $40,000 raised through grassroots efforts and extensive rehearsals, the production achieved sold-out performances during a two-week engagement at Olympia's Capitol Theater in the summer of 2000. Yoyo Recordings later issued an album featuring music from this show. In the same year, Carns curated and hosted the punk cabaret-inspired Dude-Looks-Like-A-Lady drag event at Olympia’s inaugural Ladyfest. Following Sloan’s move to Los Angeles, bassist Dvin Kirakosian joined the lineup; Carns divided her time between Olympia and LA for a short period before the group ultimately disbanded in 2001 as members embarked on separate endeavors.
Key performers in the production included Nomy Lamm, Andras Jones, Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn, Anna "Oxygen" Huff, and Zack Carlson.
Reunion (2010–present)
The Need came together again in 2010 to perform benefit concerts in Seattle and Portland aimed at covering medical costs for former Kill Rock Stars employee Natalie Cox. These shows featured artists such as The Bangles, C Average, and Joe Preston’s Thrones. The band reunited once more in 2013 for a West Coast tour and released Resurrection, a compilation album encompassing selections from their three studio records, early demos, and various compilations. The album’s title and cover art suggested ongoing activity, with liner notes stating "in which 13 years later the dead doth rise again" alongside the phrase "we're baaaaaaack [sic]".
Other endeavors
Following their 2001 separation, both members continued to engage in musical projects. Radio Sloan established Circuit Side—named after a track from The Need is Dead—issuing a self-titled EP, collaborated with Nicole Georges in Fact or Fiction, and briefly served as live bassist for Scarling. Rachel Carns launched The King Cobra, debuting at Olympia’s first Homo A Go Go Festival in 2002; after releasing material and touring with Tracy + the Plastics, Erase Errata, and Shoplifting, this band evolved into TWIN by 2006. Both Sloan and Carns contributed samples to Le Tigre’s This Island and Tracy + the Plastics’ Culture for Pigeon, respectively. Sloan also partnered with drummer Samantha Maloney in two touring acts: The Chelsea—Courtney Love’s backing band following the release of America's Sweetheart—and The Herms, which supported Peaches during her Impeach My Bush album cycle. In 2009, Anna Oxygen—who appeared in Transfused—commissioned Carns and Sloan to create music for Under Polaris by experimental theater company Cloud Eye Control.
Studio albums
- The Need (1997) Chainsaw Records
- The Need is Dead (1999) Chainsaw Records
- The Transfused (2000) Yoyo Recordings
Compilation albums
- Resurrection (2013) self released
EPs and singles
- Margie Ruskie Stops Time (1996) Kill Rock Stars
- The Need (1997) Kill Rock Stars
- Jacky O'Lantern (1997) Outpunk
- Karaneedoke (1998) Kill Rock Stars
- The Need with Joe Preston & DJ Zena (1998) Up Records
Compilation and Soundtrack Contributions
| Year | Album | Track(s) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Destination | "Sam" | Ross Records |
| 1998 | Yoyo A Go Go: Another Live Compilation | "Crown" (Live) | Yoyo Recordings |
| Up Next | "Vaselina" | Up Records | |
| 1999 | La Foresta Della Morte Soundtrack | "Talk Potty" | ToYo Records |
| New Women's Music Sampler | "Girl Flavor Gum" | Mr. Lady Records | |
| Homocore Minneapolis: Live and Loud | "Vaselina" (Live), "Crown" (Live), "Majesty" (Live) | Lefty Records | |
| Projector: Another Studio Compilation | "American Woman" | Yoyo Recordings | |
| Asteroids | "Sam" (Live) | Dead Turtle Recordings | |
| 2000 | Group Motion Picture Soundtrack | "Mona Tinsley", "2-Story Girl" | Yoyo Recordings |
| Yoyo A Go Go 1999 | "Dark Sally" (Live) | Yoyo Recordings | |
| 2001 | Charm Motion Picture Soundtrack | "Jolly Roger" | 5 Rue Christine |
| The Structure of Scientific Misconceptions | "Resurrection", "The Green Manalishi" | ToYo Records | |
| Home Alive Compilation II: Flying Side Kick | "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" | Broken Rekids | |
| US Pop Life Vol. 12: Tribute to Fort Thunder | "2-Story Girl" (Live) | Contact Records |
- IIssued by The Need in collaboration with Nomy Lamm.
- IIPublished by Miranda July featuring The Need.
- IIIIncluded in Kill Rock Stars' Mailorder Freak Singles Club series.