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The Need and Bangs reunite for a cause

It has already been a summer of reunions, but Kaia Wilson doesn’t have the market cornered on dyke rock revival. Avant garde/metal/punk/hardrock scrappers The Need and fellow OlyWa queercore riot grrls Bangs are back in the saddle for a special three-day benefit in the Seattle, Olympia and Portland this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Comprised of the energetic and wide eyed drummer Rachel Carns, and the more introverted sound producer dude and guitar god Radio Sloan, The Need were always a little out there, even within the lesbian music community.

Their first release featured the vocal stylings and frenetic spoken word of independent filmmaker and performance artist Miranda July and Carns kept up the wild vocals and strange lyrics on their two album releases. They also collaborated in Olympia’s masterful summer 2000 rock opera The Transfused about a misfit band of animal people that were enslaved to the human corporate machine.

Power trio Bangs, formed in 1997, was headed by guitarist Sarah Utter and bassist Maggie Vail, sister of the influential Tobi Vail, and talented musician, Kill Rock Stars worker in her own right. Their straight up pop punk is more exemplary of the late ’90s Puget Sound scene and was the meat and potatoes of labels such as KRS.

This reunion was put together by Vail to benefit longtime friend and record label colleague Natalie Cox, who is suffering from a rare form of cancer. The proceeds from all three shows, which also feature Pacific Northwest favorites C Average and the Thrones, go directly to Cox. There are also limited edition silk screened posters to commemorate the event and remind us all that local musicians take care of each other.

Are you going to any of the shows? Were you a fan of the Need or Bangs?

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