Next Up: Radkey

Next Up: Radkey

I watched this commercial and fell in love with a band that I was only able to see on air for about 6 seconds. There was this raw rock and roll sound that I’ve always been a fan of and I wanted to know more about this group and how to find that song. I turned on the DVR found the right timing to ask SIRI to find the song and finally discovered Radkey. The song that I loved was from a partnership with MasterCard in January for its #StartSomethingPriceless campaign featuring SZA.
The campaign included a docuseries that premiered on The Ellen DeGeneres Show while commercials aired during the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards televised broadcast. Radkey joined five other artists on a cover of Bo Diddley‘s “Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover,” the theme song for the campaign. Eventually, I ended up following all of the artists and love each ones interpretation of the track. Stream the “Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover” remix here.  What I realize in retrospect is that I could have just googled the commercial and found out the name of the artist and the song.  But hey, you live and you learn.
Rock ‘n’ roll trio Radkey released a guitar-driven single “St. Elwood” today via RED MUSIC. The track opens with soft oohs paired with a thumping bass, leading into a chorus penetrated by rhythm guitars reminiscent of ’90s Seattle Sound. “St. Elwood” grows as the track progresses, adding a bright tambourine and subtle piano melody all while lead singer Darrion “Dee” Radke longs for belonging and direction. Stream/purchase “St. Elwood” here.

“St. Elwood” cover art
Earlier this summer, Radkey announced their supporting slot on a Fall 2018 tour with British punk rock band The Damned. The 14-city tour kicked off in Boston on Oct. 17 and hits major markets like New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The band will then join Descendents for two shows in November with a headlining show in between. Full tour routing below, and tickets are on sale now via Radkey.net.
Radkey’s fall run with The Damned follows back-to-back tours with Descendents and Jack White, with scattered headlining shows along the East Coast. Creative Loafing dubbed Radkey a “band to follow” after a performance in Tampa, Fla. in the spring. The trio has previously toured with Rise Against, The Joy Formidable, Touche Amore and Against Me! while also performing at major rock festivals, including Rock on the Range, Carolina Rebellion and Louder Than Life.
More recently, Radkey released “Basement,” a punk-tinged escapists’ anthem, which landed on Spotify‘s New Noise, New Punk and Punk Unleashed playlists. Listen to “Basement” here. The brothers debuted their new sound with “Not Smart,” a rock track that introduced pop elements to the band’s psych/punk sound. Clash declared: “‘Not Smart’ rages with unbridled fury, somewhere between Ramones bubblegum and Nirvana bite.” Stream “Not Smart” here.
FALL 2018 TOUR w/ The Damned and The Darts
10/17 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
10/18 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
10/19 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony
10/20 – Washington D.C. @ Black Cat
10/21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
10/25 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
10/26 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
10/27 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
10/28 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
10/31 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
11/1 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
11/2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theatre
MISCELLANEOUS SHOW DATES
11/15 – Tucson, AZ @ The Rialto Theatre *
11/16 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
11/17 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom *
01/19 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
02/04 – Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA Musikkens Hus