Public radio from Western Michigan University 102.1 NPR News | 89.9 Classical WMUK
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
0000017c-60f7-de77-ad7e-f3f739cf0000Arts & More airs Fridays at 7:50 a.m. and 4:20 p.m.Theme music: "Like A Beginner Again" by Dan Barry of Seas of Jupiter

Cave Needles: A Mysterious Mix of Shoegaze, Psychedelic, and the Beach

courtesy of Cave Needles

This weekend Shakespeare’s Pub in Kalamazoo is hosting a new music festival called Fat Guy Fest. The festival features more than 40 regional, national, and international acts representing all kinds of rock subgenres, everything from punk to indie to metal.

One of the bands that’s blurring those subgenres is Cave Needles of Grand Rapids. Matt Messore is the lead singer and guitarist for the group. While living in Florida, Messore played in the punk band Nightlights and rising star emo band You Blew It! But after moving to Michigan, Messore says he started pursuing the dreamy, poppy sound he’s always wanted to create.

"It just felt right at the time," says Messore of his past bands. "Most people I played in bands with, that's what they kind of liked and we just ended up making music like that. But what I have going on now is definitely more free and independent."

Messore says the layered effects of Cave Needles allows him and the other members of the band to play with sounds and techniques they've never been able to before. Plus, Messore says, there just aren't that many "dreamy" sounding bands in the Midwest. The shoegaze and dream pop genres are more popular on the coasts.

On the name Cave Needles:

After last winter, the name Cave Needles might remind you of the sometimes harsh Michigan landscape - but Messore says that's not where the name comes from. He says it's actually from a Sega Genesis video game called Altered Beast, describing the stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling. You can see them in the video below at 3:57:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOEy6bvSNzA

Future Plans:

Messore says the band is about to record their latest EP and plans on adding another member to the band. Messore says though the group is happy with their last album, they want to be able to produce that full sound during their live sets. In the meantime, the band will be at Fat Guy Fest as well as Kalamashoegazercoming up in either September or October of this year.

Cave_Needles_Full.mp3
The full interview with Matt Messore of Cave Needles

Related Content