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Radkey: A Band of Brothers

I recently had the pleasure to be able to pick the astute, fellow cat-loving, brains of a band of young brothers called Radkey. Radkey is an American punk rock band formed in 2010 that consists of three brothers from St. Joseph, Missouri. Isaiah Radke (bass), Solomon Radke (drums), and Dee Radke (lead vocals and guitar) and are managed by their Dad, Matt Radke. Radkey played their first show in 2011 when they opened for Fishbone & they have since played with the likes of Jack White, The Offspring, Descendents, Local H, Black Joe Lewis, Titus Andronicus and performed at festivals like SXSW, Riot Fest, Afropunk, Japan’s Punkspring the U.K.’s Download Festival, and Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Back in the beginning of 2020 (just before the world shut down) I had made it a point to explore the world of more obscure bands in order to better get the word out about talent on the rise in Rock ‘N’ Roll. A little birdie told me to take on a Radkey show & I was instantly hooked. I recorded a few songs & grabbed some pics for a short Instagram review & was then compelled to put my work away & join the rest of the rousing Radkey diehards in song & mosh! I had a blast & afterwards chatted with the humble & kind trio of brothers for a few moments, then headed off to compile what I’d gathered in order to post.

A few months later one of my favorite bands (who’s well known for encouraging & uplifting the careers of fellow musicians) The Foo Fighters, announced their inaugural D.C. Jam & Radkey had been hand picked to join the lineup! I was super excited for them & immediately started to contemplate how to snag tickets. I’ve always had an affinity for people of color in modern Rock. It’s a major cause after my own heart as growing up, I absolutely loved Rock ‘N’ Roll, but didn’t see very many people who looked like myself in the mainstream spotlight. Before the pandemic, I personally feel that Radkey was beginning to take some very important steps on a major road to becoming more of a household name.

Majority of Radkey’s touring, albums, & gigging efforts have been funded & or sourced by the fans which literally makes Radkey a band for the people, of the people. I felt that it was completely refreshing to see & hear majorly talented, young, up & coming, black voices in modern Rock ‘N’ Roll. I was very excited & grateful when I was notified of the opportunity to get a few moments to chat with such an innovative group.

Roctavia: Thank you for taking the time out to interview with me today guys! So you guys are literally a band of brothers! What is it like to grow up performing with family?

Radkey: Since we grew up homeschooled, we’ve actually been really close throughout our whole career. Comes very natural to us.

Roctavia: How did you guys feel about being homeschooled growing up?

Radkey: I’m really happy about it. There are some things that I missed out on as far as having friends, but I had a ton of fun just being a nerd with my cousins. Homeschooling gave us all the time that we needed to perfect our craft and also grab a ton of inspiration.

Roctavia: what & or who inspired each of you individually to become musicians growing up?

Sol: We always loved rock and wanted to get more of it out there.

Dee: Listening to bands that dad had in his collection. Watching Music videos of those bands.

Sai: When dad brought back the movie School of Rock, that really changed the game. Dad had a lot of the music that was in the movie, and that was a really great start for the career.

Roctavia: I couldn’t agree more! I’m beginning to see a trend that School of Rock had a major influence on a lot of young musicians.

Roctavia: Tell us a little bit about your most favorite gig.

Sol: Definitely opening for Jack White and getting to meet him.

Dee: Punk Spring Fest in Tokyo. It was so much fun. It was one of my dreams for the longest time to visit Japan. Before the band even started. Never thought I’d get to visit Japan let alone perform in front of thousands of Japanese people. I had been studying Japanese before and I got to speak the little Japanese I had learned with Japanese People. It was so cool. Also visiting Akihabara was so cool.

Sai: I really loved our run with Jack White. Feeling your body adapt to that environment was really a blessing.

Roctavia:…Yes, the incomparable Jack White. You guys are so lucky. I’m not jealous or anything haha!

Roctavia: Over the years who have you loved performing with/opening for the most?

Sol: We love playing with Descendants.

Dee: Descendents, WIZO, Rise Against, Flogging Molly, The Damned, Drenge. They were all great tours.

Sai: Local H, Jack White, Offspring and theres gotta be a few that I’m missing…

Roctavia: Great picks. Definitely of the greats for sure.

Roctavia: I hear that you were hand picked to perform at the Foo Fighters Inaugural D.C. Jam! Walk us through how you all felt when you found out!

Sol: That was like a dream come true!

Dee: Yeah, that was crazy. We grew up listening to the Foo Fighters, you know, to be hand picked to perform At their event was a huge honor. Looking forward to hopefully doing something with them in the future when it’s safe to go out again.

Sai: Was really amazing to get that gig. It really made us feel like we finally became a real non baby band. Felt great!

Roctavia: Who would you love to work & or collaborate with next?

Sol: Probably Rivers Cuomo.

Dee: Weezer, Gary Clark Jr., Childish Gambino, Green Day

Sai: It’d be great to get the chance to do our own thing again!

Roctavia: What are some of your feelings & or most memorable experiences about being people of color in modern Rock ‘N’ Roll? Have you had to overcome any adversities?

Just a few times in St. Joe, our hometown. A place called Hammerjacks that is no longer around turned us down because “They didn’t book rap groups”. Even with a demo CD. There wasn’t really much of that kind of thing though. Most of the racism we have faced is off the stage and outside of music, just as regular citizens.

Roctavia: What advice do you have for young musicians out there that may be facing any of the obstacles that you’ve faced?

Just hang in there. Keep practicing, keep playing, and keep your head up.

Roctavia: What do you miss most about being out on the road?

Sol: Getting to play live almost everyday.

Dee: Visiting different parts of the country. Playing shows and interacting with fans.

Sai: It was really great to be on the move. I miss that feeling.

Roctavia: I hear you. Hopefully we’ll all be back at it some day soon.

Roctavia: Where would you love to tour most once live shows are up and running again?

Sol: Just getting to tour the US again would be great!

Dee: I would love to tour Japan.

Sai: Possibly the west coast

Roctavia: I definitely miss the west coast & would love to see Japan some day.

Roctavia: Where do you see Radkey headed 5 years from now? What goals are you looking to achieve most?

Sol: Keep making albums we’re proud of and touring.

Dee: It’s hard to tell with how things are going right now with the pandemic… My main goal is to keep putting out music and eventually get back out touring when things are safe again. I want to be packing our own shows, as well as getting some good supporting gigs.

Sai: We wanna be putting out albums, each better that the one before. And to keep that up as long as we can.

Roctavia: So I always love to end interviews on a fun off-the-cuff note so if you could be any fictional character, who would you each be & why?

Sol: Probably Spider-Man because he’s my favorite.

Dee: Batman.

Sai: I would like to find a Cannabis Devil Fruit. Eat it, then be able to change my body into smoke whenever I want.

Roctavia: Haha great answers!

Roctavia: Thank you all again for taking the time out to interview with me! I had been looking forward to picking your brains & you did not disappoint.

For more on everything Radkey, you can check out lots of great stuff at the link below.
http://radkey.net
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If you know me well, you know that there’s nothing that I love more than discovering up & coming bands that not too many people would stumble across in an everyday setting. I mean, after all…that’s why we’re here right? Well a little birdie told me to check out The Treatment for a prospective interview possibility and I instantly liked the vibe of what I saw.

The first video that I came across, “Hang Them High,” had a rag-tag, motley crew of long haired Rock ‘N’ Rollers, making good noise, surrounded by a swarm of close-knit fans. If that doesn’t make you want to jump into the screen after almost a year without live shows…you just might want to check your pulse. British rockers, The Treatment liken themselves to a band of pirates & are, “flying the flag for British Rock ‘N’ Roll”, so yeah, I’m already all in. Anyway, after checking in with their ever so wonderful management team, we were given the go-ahead to pick the brains of The Treatment guitarist, Tag Grey.

Roctavia: Hi! My name is Roctavia & I’m a US Correspondent with Rock News UK. Thank you for taking the time out to interview with me today.

Let’s get right down to it then shall we?

Tag Grey: Absolutely!

Roctavia: First & foremost, if you could introduce your band to the US or any other country as a whole, what would you say is the overall band essence you’d want those new potential fans to absorb? Who is The Treatment & what are you all about?

Tag Grey: We are a high octane rock’n’roll band straight out of Cambridge UK. We are about loud guitars, high energy, good times and bringing the fun back into rock music. We are Dhani Mansworth (on drums), myself Tag Grey (on guitar), Tao Grey (on the other guitar) Tom Rampton (on vocals) and Andy Milburn (on bass).

Roctavia: What made you all want to become musicians?

Tag Grey: We all got here in a similar way, but I know for a few of us was first seeing AC/DC, mainly Angus Young. That band changed my life, a huge part of playing in a band is just having the chance to change peoples lives, to travel the world and not have to work a 9 till 5.

Roctavia: Angus! Yes! Haha looks like we’re on a great path already.

Roctavia: Well what a perfect segue into my next question actually haha. Who or what bands have most greatly influenced The Treatment?

Tag Grey: AC/DC is pretty high on the list, The Cult, Sex Pistols, Kiss, Motley Crue. But our personal influences are all quite different. I’m a huge fan of John Squire from The Stone Roses and Seahorses.

Roctavia: No wonder why I was diggin’ everything during my research lol. Excellent catalogue!

Roctavia: So you have a new album called Waiting For Good Luck coming out this February, can you tell us what the writing process was like?

Tag Grey: I think this year has been pretty tough for all, so “Waiting For Good Luck” seemed like a rather relevant title, however we actually had some luck on our side. When lockdown first hit all we could do was play! There was nothing else we could do but write. We had a four month pre- production and Laurie Mansworth (Dhani’s dad) producing and co-writing with us! When it came to the recording, we settled on Rockfield Studios which has had some legendary names go through it! That’s where the magic on this record came from!

Roctavia: What sound experience can your audience expect from your new album?

Tag Grey: There’s no fancy words for good time rock’n’roll, so if you’re looking for doom and gloom don’t listen to us! That’s all I’m going to say.

Roctavia: Nice!

Roctavia: What are you looking forward to most once gigs are able to start back up again?

Tag Grey: Just getting into a bus and traveling around with the gang. It’s all too polite and peaceful being stuck at home right now. I will never complain about loading the gear or having to drive 30 hours for one gig! Just bring it all back asap please!

Roctavia: Ugg. I hear that. Polite-*scoffs* haha!

Roctavia: So what’s the thing that you miss most about gigging?

Tag Grey: That feeling you get when the band is just rocking, everything is just in the right place and we are all in the groove. There’s no better moment.

Roctavia: On that note…what do you miss the least?

Tag Grey: The ferry ride from Dover (UK) to Calais (France), I think I’ve spent a good few years of my life waiting for ferries every time we’re off to tour in Europe!

Roctavia: Haha I can relate with the occasions that I’ve driven to see my favorite bands in Canada & had to ferry over. Don’t envy you there haha!

Roctavia: What was your most memorable tour experience?

Tag Grey: Japan. The whole experience was amazing. We played Ozzfest and had a 5 day stay in Tokyo. To me, it was just a moment I could never have imagined as a kid. Walking out to an arena full of fans screaming Treatment lyrics back to us was just the best. Oh, and the crazy things you can find in vending machines out there is pretty mad!

Roctavia: Haha! So I hear!

Roctavia: If you could pick any venue to play in in the world, where would you play?

Tag Grey: Wembley Stadium, we played the arena a few years ago opening up for Status Quo, but the dream is to play the stadium!

Roctavia: when all is said & done…what is the one thing that you want most for the future of The Treatment?

Tag Grey: Right now, I think I speak for us all, but just to get out of lockdown and to play a gig is more than enough! We’re not a band that want for much. Just to stay on the road, roaming around like pirates and making a huge amount of noise wherever we go!

Roctavia: *Nods in agreement. Throws horns.

Roctavia: Well our time just flew by! Speaking of, thank you so much for taking the time out to interview with me today Tag. So I always love to end an interview on a fun and off-the-cuff note so what’s your biggest food pet peeve? Is there anything that grosses you out?

Tag Grey: Nothing really grosses me out, but I have a severe hatred for kidney beans, chickpeas (but not hummus) and boiled carrot! Anything else… serve it up!

For more on The Treatment & to check out their new single “Rat Race” & album “Waiting For Good Luck” click the link below.

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