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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 | Love & Rockets ~ Roctavia |
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