NEEDTOBREATHE was formed more than 20 years ago while the bandmates were in college in South Carolina. Like many new acts starting out, the members had trouble landing on a band name. Several ideas were thrown around but it was former drummer Joe Stillwell that suggested NEEDTOBREATHE. Find the story behind the rock band’s name below.
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“We were in college at the time and there were some really bad names going around,” Bear Rinehart tells American Songwriter. “One of the guys wanted to call it 99 Neglected, which is a sheep story from the Bible. We were like, ‘This is really negative sounding.’ We didn’t have anything good. So then it was like, ‘We need something that’s important that we feel like we’re supposed to do this.’ It’s silly thinking about it because we’re playing coffee houses at the time.”
Rinehart explains that Stillwell brought in a story about Socrates. In the tale, Socrates is teaching students by the water.
“[In the story] one of the students asked, ‘How do I know if I’m doing the thing in my life that I’m supposed to be doing?’” Rinehart recalls Stillwell sharing. “Instead of answering, he goes over and he dunks this kid’s head under the water until he’s gasping for air. He finally comes up and he’s like, ‘When you need that thing in your life as much as you need to breathe that’s when you know you’re doing the thing you’re supposed to do.’
“So in our college brains that felt very meaningful, and it is obviously,” Rinehart continues. “You don’t get a chance to change it once you start a band name, which I think is hilarious. So we probably would have changed it millions of times. Now, I don’t think about it as much anymore. It’s just what it is.”
Adds keyboardist Josh Lovelace: “We could be 99 Neglected.”
“I don’t know if it would have worked out as well,” Rinehart reflects.
Watch NEEDTOBREATHE talk about the story behind their band name and answer other questions from the internet below.
(Photo Credit David Od / The GREENROOM)
