As a child of the Toronto music scene, Concordia communications student Rebecca Rogers has been exposed to music and creativity for as long as she can remember.
“There were always bands playing in our basement, so there was always a drum kit there,” she said. Rogers started playing the drums casually at home before joining the Toronto-based band Pins & Needles. She said her passion for drumming is most visible when she plays on stage. “Your whole body has to be in it,” she said. “I get to connect with my full body and mind.”
The members of Pins & Needles first came together in 2012 during a week-long, all-female band program called Girls Rock Camp. The group includes Deanna Petcoff on guitar, Nastasia Pappas-Kemps on keytar, Sabrina Carrizo Sztainbok on bass and, of course, Rogers on drums. Rogers described the band’s vibe as sunny pop/garage rock. Their first album, Mystic Woman, was released in 2015.
For Rogers, Girls Rock Camp was a great source of support and growth, and gave her the opportunity to pursue music with a group of talented women. She said having a positive space in which girls can explore their musical passion is very important for the empowerment of young women.
“Not only do you want to give a positive space for women to be whatever women they want to be, but you want it to be run by other women so the girls have other women to look up to,” she said, adding that allowing young women to explore and create music encourages them to be themselves.
Originality and passion are Rogers’ top priorities when it comes to her artistic work, both with Pins & Needles and her projects at Concordia.
“When I see someone’s art, when I can see that they feel passionately about and that it fuels their whole life, it makes me excited to see about what about their art is so exciting for them,” she said.
Although all the members of Pins & Needles are busy with university right now, Rogers said they plan to keep the band going for years to come. “We are in it for the long haul,” she said. “We’re going to be doing low-key stuff for the next four years, and then we’ll be together again when school’s done.”
For more on Pins & Needles and to check out Mystic Woman, visit https://pins-and-needles.bandcamp.com/