The
Need recently arrived from
Olympia, Washington, for a four day stint of live shows in and around
Los Angeles County. I didn't miss a one. Having been completely
disconsolate over catching only half of last year's L.A. gigs, I wasn't
going to give myself another opportunity for regret this time. And
I'm glad that I saw them all, because each show was a very unique and
enjoyable experience in its own way. By the final date, the band had
become quite comfortable in their power to mesmerize the audience and
seemed to really relax and enjoy themselves.
I'm also glad that I
attended all the shows because it gave me the chance to try to get to
know the band a bit better, and Radio
Tragedy-Sloan in particular.
Radio is a very slight, androgynous creature of a shy, but
personable nature. She's easy to talk to once you get started, and
she seems very open and honest. It was natural for us to fall into
talking about her everyday life, in a down to earth manner. After she
casually mentioned that her birthday passed shortly before leaving
for the tour, I realized that she was a Leo. She certainly
has the performer's quality of the Leo sun sign, but
without the false bravado often put on with the lesser evolved of the
Lions. Instead, she has the sweet purr of the Cat.
Speaking of her home town of Olympia, she said that she'd moved there from Portland, Oregon, to get away from the hubbub of the city and focus on her music. She finds Olympia to be a beautiful, relaxing and friendly environment for both her art and life. This hip but small art community is very supportive of her lifestyle and artistic aims, and she seems to be a bit of a celebrity there. Radio seems almost overly taxed to leave home for The Need's short band tours, and eager to return. Although she did admit that she sometimes fantasizes about travel around, fixing things for people.
It seems that her stage name, Radio, was chosen because she "likes to fix things," all things electronic, including radios; which is a very handy trait when one is in a band, since pedals, amps, and other musical equipment are constantly breaking down. Before a show at No Life Records last summer, I spoke to her while she quickly repaired a distortion pedal with her portable soldering iron and screwdriver kit. Most boys I know don't have the first idea what to do when their electronic devices quit on them, so I was doubly impressed when this little girl (don't let her catch me saying that!) calmly took apart and put back together a pedal moments before the band took the stage. When I told her that I found her fix-it talents to be amazing, she shrugged it off, telling me that in her town, "Everyone has to learn to take care of their piece of shit because they don't have any money for a new one." But we were actually talking at the time about how she'd gotten my friend's car started for us the night before, not just repairing a piece of musical gear. As I discovered, Radio's primary repair talent is fixing cars; it's what she does for a living, apparently. She said she has four cars of her own right now, including two vans. However, she was tempted to take my friend's ailing Toronado home with her as well, because she loves fixing cars, especially old classics.
I must say,
Radio seemed completely at home when she popped open that
huge Oldsmobile's hood, cigarette dangling from her lower lip and an
air confidence exuding from her. Examining the engine with a
practiced eye, she soon realized that she needed to jump right up
under the hood to get to the idle, being as small as she is. She
looked just like she'd entered the maw of a giant whale, as fearless
as a mythical hero. And boy, was she ever our hero at the moment that
engine started back up, with a smooth purr that had been missing even
after having come back from the mechanic's two weeks
previous.
So now you know that
Radio is talented with tools, but what of musical
instruments? Have I neglected to mention that she is an incredible
guitarist as well? Yes, she can rock with the big boys! There's a
sort of heavy metal edge to many of her riffs, and a retro 60's
sound, too, in places. It seems to be taken for granted that girls
can't really rock, and sometimes less seems to be expected from
girl-punk performers, particularly cute ones. Not so with
Radio. She leaves no doubt in my mind that she's spent
many an hour bent over that beautiful Rickenbacker guitar,
mastering her skill. But let's not forget Rachel, who is a
near virtuoso on the drums! Her beats are often complex and always
incredibly precise, as well as intensely passionate. Rachel's arms are
like bands of steel, and her expression is just as steely as she
pounds the skins, providing the backbone of the The Need's
compositions.
Inquiring of the band's
method of song writing, Radio said she
"writes the songs by coming up with
the guitar lines and vocal melodies," but she has much more confidence in her partner's
lyrical and vocal abilities. She claims that since Rachel already
writes so perfectly, there's no need for her to even attempt lyrics.
Asked why she hadn't contributed vocals to the new 10", she replied
that she was "in a quiet period with
nothing to say." Besides which she
feels that she can't stay in tune when she sings. I said,
"So what!" to that, and assured her that her voice has a nice
tone and timbre, with a unique style of warbling which wouldn't sound
out of place with early 80's punk/new wave bands like X Ray Spex and the
Patti Smith Group. The duo of Rachel and
Radio on vocals is really unbeatable for energy and spunk
without machismo or sappy girlishness.
I imagine that
The Need are making a strong impression on all of the young
girls,and boys, who come to see them play. Hopefully some of them
will take away a respect for learning to play well. The Need seem to
take pride in perfecting their material, improving their repertoire
of songs slowly and painstakingly. At first I was put off by the fact
that not many new songs have come out for the band in all the time
they've been together, but then I realized that they must not have
been satisfied with the basic execution of the songs they had thus
far produced. Each release has been increasingly more complex than
the last, with reworkings of old material resurfacing with further
instrumentalization and additional production. Though the live set
still consists of merely drums, distorted guitar and unaffected
vocals, their recordings have matured and filled out
noticeably.
I look forward to observing
The Need's musical growth over time -- even if it is a bit
like waiting for a rose to bloom before your eyes -- because there is
nothing to compare to the powerful beauty of the rose, just as there
is nothing to compare to The
Need.
--by Anji
