Band
bio:
Asbury Park, NJ
Old friends, played-out scenes and ultimately the will to
make timeless music are the threads that brought THE RATCHETS
together. Taking their name from a lyric in The Slicker’s
song “Johnny Too Bad” they fuse rock-n-roll,
punk and reggae music with their very own explosive blend
of songwriting. With a common goal, this four piece has
set their eyes on creating music with both substance and
sound, something music journalists love to write about but
bands rarely accomplish. They walk the line with yesterday’s
ghosts, and yet somehow also manage to bleed new blood into
their redefinition of rock-n-roll. It is this pursuit, the
want to raise the bar and create music that will resonate
for years to come, that they’ve hinged their career
upon. Ready or not, THE RATCHETS are here to deliver the
promise inherent in all great rock-n-roll groups, a promise
to get out on the ledge…to walk though the fire…to
pray like the hunted.
Formed in the fall of 2003, THE RATCHETS recorded their
first EP release after just three practices as a four piece.
From the opening minor chords of “Naming all the Wolves”
they’ve already begun to state their case. Their lyrical
landscape has been ripped from their forbearers, but don’t
fret, THE RATCHETS own these words now. With “77A
Broadway” a song celebrating their formation, they
bring a second voice to their sound and also showcase their
musical prowess. The third track “Columbus Stockade
Blues,” is a traditional folk song where staccato
reggae and rockabilly rhythms are mingled with a staggering
effect. By the closing of the EP, THE RATCHETS manage to
give you an honest view of their beginning and a glimpse
of their future. Ringing out with “The Fire”
a song about dreams damaged by passing time, it is the chorus
that holds a rousing message aimed directly at you, the
listener: “Lined side by side this fire no one can
put out.”
Not ones to mince words, THE RATCHETS open Heart of
Town with the EP’s title track- a four-plus minute
call-to-arms that sets the pace for the group’s brisk
dynamic range. The massive outro in "Heart of Town"
spotlights the band’s ability to take the less-traveled
punk-rock-n-roll thruway- a place where reggae, punk, folk
& rockabilly music waffle in and out of one another
with ease. And while the punky "Iraqi Vice," with
lyrics touting porno shops in Baghdad guarded with automatic
rifles shows smarts, it is "All Debts Get Paid"
with its Bo Diddley-strut along with the crowd-pleasing
"77A Broadway" where they hit their stride. When
the singer shouts “We’re gonna count to four
and we’re really gonna move” during the breakdown
of "77A Broadway" it’s to be taken at face
value. Because while THE RATCHETS are here to make music
with a message, they also pledge allegiance to the almighty
rock-n-roll beat- with aims to get your heart pumping. Solidifying
this claim is their passionate take on the reggae classic
"Johnny Too Bad," the very song that brands them.
With its rebel-tinged lyrics, this tune always had the makings
of a down-stroked punk anthem- something this group makes
readily apparent. Twenty minutes later and six-songs in,
the EP closes with "No Reason" and THE RATCHETS
end up delivering more on an EP than most bands do on a
punk rock full length.
Taking off where their two EPs left off, Glory Bound
shakes at your gut. The ten tracks on this debut LP fuse
rock-n-roll, punk and reggae music with THE RATCHETS very
own explosive blend of songwriting... And because the hits
are stacked from beginning to end, for one of the uninitiated,
this is the perfect place to step on - the car is freshly
waxed and idling and there's a full tank of gas.
From the rousing "Human Amplifiers" and "Rockers
Taking Over" to the soulful "Cathedral Bells,"
THE RATCHETS have hit their mark; delivering an album with
both substance and sound, something music journalists love
to write about but bands rarely accomplish. And in a time
where record labels’ advertising dollars are fighting
for our attention with glitzy production, pre-meditated
fashion and market research, it seems legitimate that THE
RATCHETS combat this the only way they know how- by singing
about the truth which lies in interactions between people,
places and things and the underlying hope for change that
is present there. It is this will to hope that is apparent
on Heart of Town, embedded in the music and rooted in the
voices.
This band sure as hell can't be summed up with a simple
Clash comparison, nor a "saviors of rock-n-roll"
declaration; THE RATCHETS would never allow something like
that to be said about them... but if you love rock-n-roll
then you're already tethered to the ten songs on this record...
drop it down and find out why.
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