Needle (band)

Last updated

[needle]
Needle-angst2.jpg
[needle] Live in Philadelphia in 1996 (left to right): Lee Daniels & Jeffrey D. Erb
Background information
Origin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres
Years active1995 (1995)–present
Labels Neverland Records
Members

Needle (stylized as [needle]) is an American industrial rock band formed in Philadelphia in 1995. The group's musical style primarily consists of aggressive electronic dance music. [needle] has seen extraordinary popularity in the Philadelphia and New York City underground music scenes with original distribution through Sony Music via Ruffhouse Records' Contract Records sub-label.

Contents

The band was originally founded by high school mates Jeffrey D. Erb and Lee Daniels after the dissolution of their former band Sri Lanka (band). Erb and Daniels have performed all of the music on their releases, with Erb playing bass guitar, writing rhythm tracks, keyboards and performing lead vocals. Daniels plays guitar and writes keyboards. The duo work with a revolving group of people who perform live with them. The band's initial full-length release "Lifeline" garnered critical praise, citing influences including Nine Inch Nails and KFDM among others. [1] [2] The group also released an EP entitled "Echelon" and in 2020 released the single "On Your Knees" from its next studio album.

History

Jeffrey Erb and Lee Daniels, the founding members of [needle], were school friends at Reading Senior High School in Reading, Pennsylvania. The two frequently attended local all-ages concerts around the Philadelphia area and knew that they wanted to focus exclusively on all-original music. The duo launched their musical careers when they formed the gothic rock band Sri Lanka (band) in the late '80s. After tumultuous years of competing personalities which ultimately led to the death of lead singer Brett Turner and the dissolution of Sri Lanka, Erb and Daniels reconnected in 1995 to pursue their musical path by forming the industrial dance band [needle].

Erb and Daniels began writing, with Erb performing rhythm tracks, bass guitar, keyboards and lead vocals, and Daniels on guitars and writing keyboard tracks. Erb and Daniels recorded their first album in the studio of God Lives Underwater a techno rock band from rural Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania (near Philadelphia), who was originally signed to American Recordings after being discovered by Rick Rubin. Founding members of "God Lives Underwater" David Reilly and Jeff Turzo were good friends of Erb and Daniels, having been part of the Philadelphia underground music scene, and Reilly and Turzo worked with [needle] to produce the band's first album Lifeline".

The album was picked up for release by Contract Records, a subsidiary of Ruffhouse Records for distribution through Sony Music. With a style that combined aggressive guitars with dance rhythms and funk accents, tracks from "Lifeline" became popular in dance clubs and strip clubs up and down the East Coast. [needle] began performing in locations in support of their album, opening for acts that included Godflesh and Cubanate. Becoming popular within the industrial music scene, [needle] T-Shirts were seen being worn by major acts, including bands such as Sister Machine Gun. [3]

Erb and Daniels recruited other musicians to perform with them live, with the original lineup consisting of Steve Sidek on drums, Sean Jacobs on keyboards, and Stephen Lentz, formerly of Tubalcain [4] on bass guitar. After Lentz moved away from the Philadelphia area, Erb and Daniels recruited Joe Deblasio formerly of Dollhaus Puppet [5] to perform live on drums, and Sean Jacobs took over live bass guitar.

Two songs from the album "Lifeline" were featured in an official expansion pack level of Duke Nukem 3D called "Penthouse Paradise", available exclusively from GT Interactive and Penthouse Magazine. In 1997, the band recorded an EP called Echelon which was used by Z-Axis Games in the development of an official Rollerball (1975 film) video game adaption based on the film as part of MGM Interactive video game showcase lineup. [needle] continued to perform shows throughout 1996 and 1997 while working on their next full-length studio release, when a hard disk crash caused all of their new material and original tracks to be lost.

In 2020, the band released the single "On Your Knees" produced in Philadelphia by Maxim "Lectriq" Laskavy and EDM/Rap artist Ryan Banks. The band announced that they are currently working on a new studio album entitled "Cocksucker".

Band members

Official members

Additional touring line-up

Discography

EPs

Studio albums

Related Research Articles

Bernard Sumner English singer, songwriter, musician

Bernard Sumner is an English singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is a founding member of the bands Joy Division, New Order, and Electronic. Sumner was an early force in several areas, including the post-punk, synthpop, and techno music scenes, as well as their various related genres, and was an early influence on the Manchester music scene that presaged the "Madchester" movement of the late 1980s centered on Factory Records and The Haçienda club in Manchester.

Pablo Cruise American pop/rock music band

Pablo Cruise is an American pop/rock band from San Francisco currently composed of David Jenkins, Cory Lerios, Steve Price (drums) and Larry Antonino. Formed in 1973, the band released eight studio albums over the next decade, during which time five singles reached the top 25 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The group underwent several personnel changes and split up in 1986. The original lineup—Jenkins, Lerios, Price and Bud Cockrell—reunited briefly in 2004, and the group continues to tour today with three out of the original four members present.

God Lives Underwater American rock band

God Lives Underwater was a techno rock band from rural Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania, formed in 1993 by band members David Reilly and Jeff Turzo. God Lives Underwater was originally signed to American Recordings after being discovered by Rick Rubin, who subsequently produced the band's first two albums. Prior to the band's breakup, there were two other members, Andrew McGee and Adam Kary.

<i>Its a Mystery</i> Album by Bob Seger

It's a Mystery is the fifteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Seger, released in 1995.

<i>Nightcap</i> (album) 1993 compilation album of outtakes by Jethro Tull

Nightcap: The Unreleased Masters 1973–1991 (1993) is a double compilation album by Jethro Tull released on 22 November 1993. It contains much of the band's previously unreleased material.

<i>Initiation</i> (Todd Rundgren album) 1975 studio album by Todd Rundgren

Initiation is the sixth album by American musician Todd Rundgren, released May 23, 1975 on Bearsville Records. With this album, Rundgren fully embraced the synthesized prog sound he had begun exploring in more depth in his work with his band Utopia. However, unlike Utopia, in which Rundgren had limited himself to playing guitar, most of the synthesizers on Initiation were played and programmed by Rundgren himself.

Alastis Swiss band

Alastis was a Swiss extreme metal band formed in 1987 in Sion, Valais.

The Revolution (band) American rock band

The Revolution are an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota and assembled in 1979 by Prince. Although widely associated with rock music, the band's sound incorporated rhythm and blues, pop, funk, and psychedelia elements. Before their official breakup, the Revolution had released two studio albums, two soundtracks, and two videos. The band is known for its many members, varied in race and gender.

<i>Beyond Appearances</i> 1985 studio album by Santana

Beyond Appearances is the fourteenth studio album by Santana, released in 1985.

<i>Greatest Hits 2</i> (Bob Seger album) 2003 compilation album by Bob Seger

Greatest Hits 2 is a compilation album by Bob Seger, released in 2003.

A.C.T

A.C.T is a Swedish progressive rock band formed in 1995 under the name ‘Fairyland’, in Malmö. The band has been through several personnel changes; with the current line-up featuring Herman Saming (vocals), Ola Andersson (guitar), Jerry Sahlin (keyboards), Peter Asp (bass) and Thomas Lejon (drums).

Jeffrey D. Erb is an American film producer, director, actor, musician. He is also the Co-Founder and Co-President of the film production company Framelight Productions, the co-founder of Invivid Media and the CEO of Feverpitch Pictures. He has produced or executive produced a wide range of films, including The Speed of Life, which won an award at the Venice Film Festival.

<i>Toto XX</i> 1998 compilation album by Toto

Toto XX: 1977-1997 is a compilation album by Toto to celebrate their 20th anniversary. The album features rare original demos, outtakes, previously unreleased recordings and live tracks from the band's 20-year career.

<i>Friends and Legends</i> 1973 studio album by Michael Stanley

Friends and Legends is the second solo album by Michael Stanley. The album title refers to the backing musicians accompanying Stanley on the album, which was recorded at Applewood Studios in Golden, Colorado. The basic band on all tracks was Barnstorm, composed of Joe Walsh on lead guitar and synthesizer, Joe Vitale on drums, flute, synthesizer and backing vocals, and Kenny Passarelli on bass. In addition, three members of Stephen Stills' Manassas performed: Paul Harris on keyboards, Joe Lala on percussion and Al Perkins on pedal steel guitar, and the band also included saxophonist David Sanborn. Among the backing vocalists were Richie Furay and Dan Fogelberg. In keeping with the collaborative spirit, J. Geils assisted with production of the saxophone tracks.

<i>Southern Star</i> (album) 1989 album by the American band, Alabama

Southern Star is the twelfth studio album from country music band Alabama, released in 1989. The album produced four singles, "Song of the South", "High Cotton", the title track and "If I Had You", all of which reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles charts between 1989 and 1990. It also reached No. 68 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Lifeline</i> (Neal Morse album) 2008 studio album by Neal Morse

Lifeline is the seventh studio album by Neal Morse. The album features performances from Mike Portnoy on drums and Randy George (Ajalon) on bass, as well as special guest appearances including Paul Bielatowicz on guitar and Paul Gilbert, who features on a bonus cut. Live drummer Collin Leijenaar plays on the bonus track "Set the Kingdom".

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (The Doobie Brothers album) 2001 greatest hits album by The Doobie Brothers

Greatest Hits is a 2001 compilation album by the Doobie Brothers. Its 20 songs appear in chronological order of original release, except for their debut single "Nobody" being placed at track 7 because it was reissued in 1974 to greater chart success than its original release. Greatest Hits peaked at number 142 on the US Billboard 200 and it also peaked at number 45 on the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Diamond Head</i> (Phil Manzanera album) 1975 studio album by Phil Manzanera

Diamond Head is the first studio album by English rock musician Phil Manzanera. It was released in 1975, originally on Island Records in the UK and in the US on Atco Records. The sound quality on the US album was deemed to be worse than the UK album, so the UK import became a popular seller in the speciality record shops who sold Roxy Music and other UK bands. The diesel locomotive featured on the cover art is a EMD E9.

<i>When and Where</i> 1995 studio album by Confederate Railroad

When and Where is the third studio album by the American country music band Confederate Railroad. It was issued by Atlantic Records in 1995. The album includes the singles "When and Where", "Bill's Laundromat, Bar and Grill", "When He Was My Age" and "See Ya." Although "When and Where" was a number 24 hit on Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks in mid-1995, the other three singles all missed Top 40.

<i>The Dark Side of the Moon</i> (2009 album) 2009 studio album by The Flaming Lips, Stardeath and White Dwarfs, Henry Rollins and Peaches

The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins and Peaches Doing The Dark Side of the Moon is a collaborative studio album by the psychedelic rock group the Flaming Lips. The album is a complete track-for-track reimagining of Pink Floyd's seminal 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon.

References

  1. ↑ "100 Review: Lifeline by Wrapped in Wire". wrappedinwire.com. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Lifeline by Sonic Boom". sonic-boom.com. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Sister Machine Gun: Thrasher Magazine, March 1996". thrashermagazine.com. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Tubalcain Biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Interview with Joe DeBlasio, drummer for bands such as Dollhaus Puppet and Midnight Mission, March 2015". surroundsoundvenues.wordpress.com. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.