The Need - Live @ RKCNDY 9/21/98

This coming Saturday, March 30th, Behead The Prophet and The Need are playing at the Vera Project in Seattle. In my excitement for and in celebration of this upcoming show, I'm planning on doing a few posts this week that are specific to those bands.

First up, we have a live set by The Need that was recorded at RKCNDY on 9/21/98, which was just about a year before that club sadly closed it's doors. The lineup that night also included Built to Spill and Modest Mouse but this is the only audio from that show I've ever come across. If you know The Need, you know what to expect but in case you don't here's a brief description: artsy, no-wave, post punk.

9/21/1998

Mocket - Un-man 7"

Mocket's Un-man 7" was released as a part of the Kill Rock Stars Mailorder Freak 7" Singles Club in 1999. The a-side is a track off of their then-current album Pro Forma and the b-side is a remix of a track off of their previous record Fanfare. New wave-y punk rock weirdness at it's finest:

Un-man 7"

Mocket - Pro Forma

Mocket's third and final album, Pro Forma, was released in 1999 and is a significant change in sound from their earlier releases. This time around Mocket's core duo of Matt & Audrey teamed up with The Need's Rachel Carns & Radio Sloan and the results are definitely less Mocket's trademark new wave synth pop and more akin to The Need's take on cracked out no wave art rock. Since Mocket disbanded, Matt Steinke, also known for his work with Satisfact, went on to perform in Octant and Audrey Marrs, who'd previously played with Bratmobile on one album, is now a successful film producer, having recently won an Academy Award for her work on the tremendous documentary film Inside Job.

Pro Forma

Mocket - Bionic Parts

Bionic Parts is Mocket's debut album, released on Punk In My Vitamins Records in 1996. If you checked out their previously posted sophomore album, Fanfare, you know to expect a refreshing blast of mid-90's new wave influenced indie rock. The first time around, however, Mocket had slightly more punk-ish tendencies. While I definitely enjoy all three of their records, I've always felt that the songs on Bionic Parts were delivered with a bit more attitude and urgency than anything they put out after it.

Bionic Parts

The Need

The Need were a new wave queer punk band from Olympia. Formed in the late 90's, the band was a duo consisting of Rachel Carns on vocals and drums and Radio Sloan on guitar and bass. I've heard them described as a cracked out no wave version of The B-52's and I think that's a pretty apt description. On their final record, The Need is Dead, they were joined by Joe Preston (Thrones, The Whip, Melvins) on sampler and synthesizer and Mike Lastra (Smegma), who also produced the record, on theremin.

Self Titled

The Need is Dead

Mocket - Fanfare

Having mentioned my love of analog synthsizers in the last post, I thought I'd continue on that track with one of my favorite 90's new wave bands, Mocket. I first experienced their synthy punk pop genius when they played with Atari Teenage Riot & Add N to (X) at RKCNDY in the summer of 98 or 99. Mocket opened the show and they were great. Their drummer played without a bass drum, instead, he wore a shoe with a drum trigger placed in it, which, as a drummer who'd recently fallen in love with classic drum machines, I thought was really cool. As soon as Mocket finished playing, I went & bought a few 7"s from them, then I fought my way back to the front of the stage, ready to see Add N to (X) & get my second synth fix of the night.

Fanfare