The Need

During the band's initial run, they played shows with such diverse acts as Tribe 8, Fugazi, The Ex and Bright Eyes, and toured with Le Tigre, BS 2000 and Blonde Redhead.

After performing at the International Pop Underground Convention in Olympia, Washington, the energy of the burgeoning Pacific Northwest punk scene proved infectious and both members were ready to leave New York.

In 1995, Carns moved to Portland, Oregon to play keyboards with the CeBe Barnes Band, which included singer and future filmmaker Miranda July, guitarist Shannon Tragedy (later known as Radio Sloan) and Sleater-Kinney drummer Toni Gogin.

After the band's demise in 1996, Carns and Sloan continued to collaborate with July and named the new line-up the Need, releasing their debut EP, Margie Ruskie Stops Time, on Kill Rock Stars.

That year, Carns and Sloan relocated to Olympia where they signed with Donna Dresch's queercore label Chainsaw Records, who released the Need's self-titled debut studio album.

They also created a collaborative project where Carns and Sloan, with a rotating cast of players, acted as a karaoke band for guest singers; including Lamm, Tamala Poljak (Longstocking), Audrey Marrs, Tracy Sawyer (Heavens to Betsy) and Slim Moon.

Following multiple collaborations, the sense of community involvement, DIY spirit, and willingness to experiment led to the Need's creation of The Transfused, a full-length rock opera, co-written with Lamm.

Actors in the production included Nomy Lamm, Andras Jones, Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn, Anna "Oxygen" Huff, Zack Carlson and many other Olympians of note.

In 2009, Transfused alumni Anna Oxygen commissioned Carns and Sloan to compose music for Under Polaris, a multimedia performance art piece by experimental theater group Cloud Eye Control.