What's your basicneed?

Punk rock will never die. As a sub-genre of rock and roll, which obviously has the elixir of life, it’s offspring (not the band) punk rock has the same standing the test of time strength. Proof is in the pudding with the likes of Princeton, NJ based band Basicneed who is caring on the almighty punk rock torch.

DS: You guys are really solid for your young age, how old are you guys and what’s your schedule like as a band?
BN: Mike and Pat just turned 15, our drummer Sam is still 13 and going into high school this year. This passed school year we played every weekend we could, which was rough on the parental units, but we managed to sell tickets and get a ride every time. It was tough focusing on school work when all we wanted to do was play bigger shows, sell more tickets and write better songs. This school year we played about 20 shows.

DS: How old were you when you first started playing your instruments and how did you learn them?
BN: Mike had easy access to his dad's equipment since he played guitar. Once Sam and Mike decided to start a band, Sam threw some drums together and we got his cousin Pat to buy a bass. So there, all youngins, about 12 years old, taught each other everything, and here we are. We started basicneed before we knew how many strings were on a guitar.

DS: How did you get into punk rock and what is it about punk that drew you in?
BN: The 80's hardcore movement is really what drew us in to playing punk rock. Bands like Minor Threat and Bad Brains were all about DIY, do it yourself; find shows, record, put out albums and merch, and promote everything yourself. With the help from Jersey Shows and our friends, we've been able to do all of this and we are very grateful for it. Punk is the most true and real type of music out there. Plus there are so many places to go with punk rock, we never feel limited to playing one type of music.

DS: Where are some of the places you have played at?
BN: The first thing we did as a band was the Jersey Showdown in 2009. Total scrubs...but we managed to advance to the semi finals at the Starland Ballroom, which was our 3rd show ever. Since then we've played all over Jersey; Trenton, Princeton, New Brunswick, Hanover, Waretown, Freehold, Hasbrouck Heights, South Brunswick, Sayerville, East Windsor (yes, we have a list). Two shows out of Jersey, in Yardley and Philly at the Trocadero.

DS: Who are some bands that you have played with that you enjoy?
BN: We love all local bands (pretty much...) and we love the fact that people are doing it. We'd have to say our top five favorite bands we've played with are (not in any order) The Waffle Stompers, Madcats & Beehives, ASBPK, and Liberal Media Bias... and Statelman...and the O>Matics. Okay we love everybody.

DS: Do you have any favorite memories from the shows you have played at?
BN: One of our best memories is definitely when we couldn't find the venue we were supposed to play at in Trenton. We ended up breaking into an apartment, almost getting slaughtered by a pissed off Trentonian, and not even getting a good show in return when we actually found the venue. We played the show and were then shuffled off to a corner in the venue that was surrounded by strip show posters and bullet proof glass. Another good time was in Philly, playing the Trocadero when we were walking around chinatown with our buddies from Statelman, going to the hello kitty store and looking at mystical antiques and whatnot.

DS: What are some of your goals as a band, do you see yourselves playing together still in 5 years or beyond?
BN: Our main priority is world domination...but right now we're just focused on getting our name out to Jersey and surrounding states. We're planning on releasing an album before 2011. Right now we're preparing for the finals of the Jersey Shows battle of the bands, which is a very important event for us. Who knows where we'll be in 5 years, but we're going to try to take basicneed as far as it can go.

Check them out at: myspace.com/basicneed