This past June, St. Joseph based punk band, Radkey performed at the Academy 2 in Dublin. It was great to be able to hear these guys live, and to snap a few shots of the show. We were also able to catch up with bassist Isaiah, and talk a little bit about some of their other performances, and what the future holds for the band.
As a punk trio of brothers; how do the family ties work to your advantage? Could you tell us a bit about the band in general?
Being brothers definitely makes everything much easier. We were home-schooled so we were always really close. So touring and everything feels pretty normal.
What can you tell us about the St. Joseph, Missouri area? Is there any type of music scene?
St. Joe’s not really that great for underagers and stuff. We weren’t really welcomed into the scene at first so we really don’t have too many good things to say about it. Kansas City and Lawrence took us in much before our own hometown. We got turned down because a venue didn’t book “rap groups” once.
Who are your biggest musical influences, and why do these artists or bands inspire you?
The top 3 would definitely be Nirvana, Ramones and Led Zeppelin. We really feel like these bands wrote some of the best music that anyone will ever hear.
I was introduced to you guys when a buddy linked a video of your Riot Fest performance. I was blown away by Dees vocals and stage presence, Solomons drum work, and Isaiah, I had to do a double take to make sure you weren’t Irish rock legend Phil Lynott. What has it been like getting so much exposure and rising in popularity in only a few years?
It’s been really cool. It’s been great to see the shows getting better and the fan base growing. It really feels amazing. Ha! I do get that a lot.
Speaking of fest, you guys have already performed at a number of notable, esteemed festivals, such as SXSW in 2013 and 2014, and Download Festival in the UK; can you describe what these gigs were like?
Download was really insane. It was our first out of country show ever so it was pretty intense. SXSW is always cool, but much more insane this most recent time.
What life events and experiences led to the writing and recording of your latest EP “Devil Fruit”?
We’d learned a lot from all of the touring and writing and recording Cat & Mouse. We basically put all of the new things we’d learned and put them into Devil Fruit. We’re still pretty stoked with how it turned out.
How was the experience of performing on BBC’s Later with Jools Holland?
It was pretty cool. That show has a really cool vibe, it’s kinda like being at a concert. It’s amazing to have been able to play it.
What was it like recording your debut EP (“Cat & Mouse”) with Damien Paris in New York at Wreckroom Studios?
It was the best. We learned a lot from Damien during that session. We all became better musicians after making that record.
You just recently completed a tour of the United States and will soon embark on a European tour that will see you play in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Dublin, Ireland (where you’ll be performing at Academy 2); what can you tell us about the dates that you have already played?
So far we’ve played Rock IM Park, Rock AM Ring and two Austria dates with Against Me. All of the shows have been really cool. We’ve been loving it on this tour so far.
What are you most looking forward to in regards to the upcoming dates?
Download will be a really big deal since it’ll be the same festival that we played as our first non U.S. show.
What does the second half of 2014 hold in store for Radkey?
A lot more touring and finishing up the new record!
One last question I have to ask, completely unrelated to music. As fellow comic geeks, were you guys as thrilled as I was to see that Frank Millers “Hunt the Dark Knight” batsuit will be featured in the upcoming Batman V super flick?
Yes! I actually brought that up every night on stage when we toured with Blood Red Shoes a little while back! That and Days of Future Past…
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us, is there anything you’d like to add?
Full length in January!
Photos By Janer
