The Ratchets

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 their first official release Heart of Town (Hell Bent Records) 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. 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- listen up.