It’s back-to-back awesomeness here at The Aural Kinetic. Two interviews in two days! Normally we’d wait a bit before posting a second one, but we’re talking about Needles//Pins here. You don’t leave something like this in the inbox, dig? In all seriousness though, when talking about the newer bands in the city (bands who have been around for less than a year) you really have to hand it to Needles//Pins. I don’t know if it was a New Year’s Resolution or what, but since January this threesome have formed their band, written a bunch of great songs, and have generally gotten down to business when it comes to recording their music on their own terms. And did we mention they’ve been playing kick ass shows across the city pretty much since their inception? They’re a humble bunch, that’s for sure, and we love ‘em like family. And, like any good family, we think they just might be geniuses.

So here we go!

The Aural Kinetic: Information on Needles//Pins is a real rarity, so let’s start off with some of the basics! Who are the members of the band and how did you meet? What projects have you been involved with in the past? And is the name of the band a reference to The Ramones song of the same name?

Adam Solomonian: Needles//Pins are Macey, Tony, and Adam (me). Tony and I are neighbors and Macey lives two blocks away. Tony and I have been friends for close to 15 years (we both grew up in the same Ontario farm town). We decided to start a band in January 2009 and began jamming in Tony’s basement. In March we finally convinced Macey to play drums and began practicing regularly at her house. We played our first show together in May 2009. Tony has been a DJ in Vancouver for many years. Macey played drums in a band called Heartbreaker or Heartbreakers, something like that. I played in lots of bands in Ottawa over the last 15 years. Needles//Pins definitely takes its name from the Sonny Bono song (which was later covered by The Searchers and then The Ramones, etc).

TAK: We’ve noticed from repeated listens to your music that you sound a lot like Cavern Club-era Beatles. Rough and ragged songs with a very distinctive style. The guitar solo in “Best For You” is positively old-school George Harrison, and the drumming in “Pills” reminds us very much of Ringo Starr’s original style. Could you maybe shed a little light on your influences, especially those older bands (if any)?

AS: We have a lot of influences; the Beatles are for sure one. Also on the list would be The Replacements, Jawbreaker, Dead Moon, Guided By Voices, old psych/garage bands like The Seeds and The Sonics, CCR, and a slew of newer punk bands that we dig.

TAK: One of the reasons we love your songs so much is for the great choruses. A personal favourite of ours is found in “Drugs in My Room” which begins “Well I been waitin’ and watchin’ for a moment to talk to you…” It’s great stuff and as a result we would argue it makes the songs very danceable in that classic roots of rock-n-roll way. What is it about classic chorus structure that appeals to Needles//Pins?

AS: Nothing beats a good chorus, the catchier the better.

TAK: Recently you updated a few of your songs on MySpace and the new recordings sound a lot better than the old ones. What made the difference in the newly posted songs, and why was “It’s Alright” removed from the playlist?

AS: We finally made a proper recording so we thought we would post those songs up. The older songs were done with just one mic running into a computer, not even a vocal PA. This time we rented a bunch of gear from Long and McQuade and made some “real” recordings. We did it all at Macey’s house and Tony mixed and mastered everything by himself. We are stoked on it because it was completely DIY and a learning process. We took “It’s Alright” off because we had these newer songs that sounded better and we don’t really play that song anymore.

TAK: When people hear a band with a sound like yours they too often have the impression that playing (and recording) rougher-sounding, “ragged” music is somehow easier than, say, a more polished sound. Would you say this is the case? Don’t get us wrong, we think your songs are very tight and your musicianship is exceptional, but we’re wondering about the challenges you face, as a band, when attempting to capture that classic sound without giving new listeners the impression that you’re somehow sloppy or just plain poor musicians?

AS: We are sloppy and poor musicians and the recording is super DIY, but thanks for being nice! In terms of the recording, we did everything but vocals live off the floor so I think that helped give us a more ‘classic’ sound.

TAK: We really should start asking every band this next question. You always hear people say that they’d like to be in a band, and the comment is always followed by the inevitable “But…” They don’t think they’re good enough on the guitar/bass/drum kit. Or they don’t think they can sing well enough. What would your advice be to anyone who truly wants to start a local band, but over-worries they might not be any good?

AS: Obviously start a band no matter what! Tony has only been playing bass since January! Having fun with what you can do is way better than worrying about what you can’t.

TAK: What can you tell us about your touring history? Regrettably we’ve only been following you guys for a short while, but it seems to us that the majority of your shows are located in the Vancouver area. What are your plans (if any) for getting out on the road? How do you feel about touring in general?

AS: As mentioned above, we have only been playing shows for about 6 months. We are totally hoping to tour a bit this summer. We played in Portland in August but that has been our only out of town show. Touring is definitely on the ‘to do’ list.

TAK: You seem to have a really strong ties to the local music community. Who are your favourite local bands right now? What are you listening to that you feel EVERYONE should be listening to? Oh, and on that note, for those with money burning a hole in their pockets, where can we find your music?

AS: Some bands we love: White Lung, Vapid, Nu Sensae, Modern Creatures, Defektors, Hard Feelings, B-Lines, Twin Crystals, Bogus Tokus, Sorcerers, Congress, Bison BC, Jaws (RIP), and many many more. We will be putting out a demo tape/CD in the next little while that will be for sale at shows. Hopefully there will be a 7” in the near future!

TAK: The year is coming to a close, but what’s next for Needles//Pins for the rest of 2009?

AS: As many shows as possible and some new songs!

Needles//Pins play El Dorado (Nanaimo and Kingsway) with Unfun and Detention on November 6th. Doors at 9pm.