An Interview With the Philadelphia Based Band, NEEDLE POINTS!

Meet the Philadelphia psych-boogie outfit Needle Points! They recently wrapped up their Yin Yang Eyes Tour, in support of their latest LP Feel Young. The tour was sponsored by Digital Tour Bus.

They employed the refined ears and groovy expertise of Dr. Dog guitarist and vocalist Scott McMicken, who’s tasteful touch and influence shines through on every track. McMicken, who undoubtedly knows a thing or two about what it means to be ‘vibey’ candidly referred to the Philly five piece as the “vibey-est band ever”, a compliment that is not to be taken lightly.

Needle Points, a band of artists, have also worked hard to develop a marketable aesthetic. Everything they have done and worn since their formation in 2013 has been meticulously curated.  Their psychedelic taste and party vibe has helped them develop a loyal social media following, notably in their nearly 13,000 Instagram followers. The band members have also always designed and created their own merchandise.  Their talents were recently validated when Philadelphia based clothier Free People purchased one of their t-shirt designs. The company released their Needle Points shirt in department stores and boutiques nationwide in July 2016. Free People also cited Needle Points as their “favorite band” in a 2015 blog post, and used their track “Needlove (City Walls)” in a YouTube commercial featuring model Alena Blohm. Other brands such as Billabong, Marc Jacobs, and Harper’s Bazaar have also featured Needle Points’ songs in their work, and you can look forward to Needle Points in upcoming Discovery Channel, NASCAR, and TLC programming.

Connect with Needle Points:

Website – www.needlepointsband.com

Instagram – http://www.instagram.com/needlepoints

Facebook – www.facebook.com/needlepointsband

Twitter – www.twitter.com/needle_points

Learn more about Needle Points in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! Where does this interview find the band today?

We are home! We just got home yesterday from our latest tour, and finally have the time to fill out the answers to these questions! (Sorry!)

What are some words you would use to describe this year for the band and your music? What were some of the highlights? What has been the most exciting part about this year?

The most exciting thing we’ve seen has been the growth of our fan base. On this recent tour, we had several people drive for several hours to come see us.  That’s the first time I can remember that ever happening.

Growing up, did you all always want to be musicians? Can you recall the moment you realized that you could really make music together and be a band? How did you all first meet each other?

I (Judy the drummer) always wanted to be a musician, but my parents wouldn’t let me play an instrument.  I had to wait until high school to get a guitar.  I always wonder how much better I’d be if I had learned to play an instrument at a younger age.  Oh well, at least now I have other skills too! 

All of us in Needle Points have been in lots of bands over the years (except Dani who got her rhythm from tap dancing as a youngan).  We started the band out of necessity; there wasn’t a Needle Points yet, and we needed one.

How did you come up with your band name? What other names were you considering?

As far as I know the band was called Needle Points before anyone was even in it.  The last thing our singer Colin wanted was to spend precious energy and time thinking of a name when we could be writing tunes.

You just wrapped your Yin Yang Eyes tour, sponsored by Digital Tour Bus tour – so I’d love you to talk about a typical show of yours is like? How did the tour go, any favorite places you played?

This tour was great.  We played songs off of all three of our releases, and I recorded every one of our sets so hopefully you’ll actually get to hear what Needle Points live was like at some point.  That is, if I can get the recordings to sound good.  All of the shows were great, even the ones that we thought might be duds.  The last show at The Sugartank in Lancaster, PA was especially awesome and a great way to end the tour!

This tour is in support of your most recent album, Feel Young so let’s talk about this collection. What was the inspiration for these songs? What was the process like of putting this album together? What was it like recording it with Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog?

Well we kinda had to throw everything together really quickly. Scott wanted to do the album and only had a certain opening in his schedule to do so.  We put a bunch of demos together and then solidified the tunes over the course of the week we had in the studio.  It was a really great time, and I don’t think I’ll ever meet anyone as musical as Scottman.  Most of his solos and parts were improvised and one-take.  He’s a super impressive and sweet, sweet guy.  Our inspiration mostly comes from food and beer.  We all like to consume lotsa food and lotsa beer.  That’s what the songs are about: NeedLove is really Needafrickensandwich, Baby refers to those tiny beer bottles (you might call them ponies, but we call them babies), and Corazon… just watch the video.

I’d love to know more about your NeedLove Radio podcast that you are using to chronicle your musical adventures, and did so on tour. Where did the idea for all of this come from? What has it been like sharing everything on it?

I really just wanted something to do on tour.  It’s really easy to just spend hours on Instagram or whatever, and I wanted to keep myself engaged and occupied.  It was a really daunting project to produce 30 minutes of edited audio every single day, but I’m really proud that I finished it and look forward to doing more of that sort of work, hopefully with a band that I’m NOT in.  I think that would make it a lot easier to do.

How do you think this band has grown and adapted since you first formed in 2013? What has remained the same about your sound and the group dynamics?

When the band becomes a business, it gets difficult.  At first we were all about friendship and love and groovy songs, but as you start doing better you have to navigate the industry and try to balance your life and jobs with touring and writing and sending a million emails.  Needless to say, we got a lot better at being a band as time went on, and we never strayed from the groove.  We all still love each other very much and value all of the time we have spent together through all the good times and difficult times.

Who are some of your favorite artists? Who would you all to work with in the future? What would be a dream collaboration for this band?

Broncho rules.  I wish we’d had a chance to tour with them.  I think we all really love The Growlers too.  I hope they hear Needle Points at some point. 

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

I hope it makes them hungry and fall in love.  Really, I hope it gives people any experience. There’s never a right way to consume art, but hopefully people feel something, even if it pisses them off. 

What advice would you give to someone just getting started on this music path? Or even to someone young that is thinking of becoming a musician one day?

Our label, NeedLove Records, wants YOU. Call me. (http://www.needloverecords.com/)

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourself or your music?

For all intents and purposes, Needle Points is now on indefinite hiatus.  Colly and Dani are moving to Los Angeles and we love them and wish them the best.  We won’t be playing shows or doing much any time soon, but we hope that people will continue to enjoy our music.  Please email us or message us on Facebook to keep in touch!  Much love! Thanks for reading!