The Ratchets: Swagger With Kindness In The Face of Division

The Ratchets have completed their ambitious digital singles campaign with unprecedented vigor and tenacity, pushing their creative limits by releasing reggae/dub reinterpretations of every monthly release. The group surprisingly unlocked a new sonic dynamic, headed by guitarist Zak Kaplan under the moniker Strawberry Zaiquiri. Each remix was not limited to simple nuanced change, but instead carefully crafted songwriting and arrangement used the original track as a springboard to enable The Ratchets to further explore funk, reggae, and dub. Singer and guitarist Jed Engine adamantly stated the group worked to reignite Punk’s connection with reggae, hoping to return the subculture to its initial roots of embracing one of the few genres first-wave rockers identified with.

“We always believed both genres shared so much but over time drifted apart. To me, one of the best ideas of punk was to not have a narrow scope. We always had the idea to craft remixes of our songs but time in the studio was always an issue. This singles campaign has kept us motivated and by taking our time, we ensure every song has its weight. Little did we know we had untapped creativity from our guitarist, Zak and his unique ability to reinvent the original songs,” said Engine.

The Ratchets kicked off their 20th anniversary and singles campaign with Street Manners, their first digital single. With the addition of guitarist Laddie Keelan, the group adds a new dynamic to fill out their sound with a three-guitar attack. For Engine, he believed focusing on one song at a time would facilitate a new creative focus and a new opportunity to ensure every composition could be impactful. With every song posted the group could promote instant engagement and gain invaluable feedback from supporters. Their final installment, Holy Mother of God marks their first holiday song, of sorts.

“It’s a heavy title for sure. It’s exploring a lot of what it means to be presented with a place to focus your hurt, or fear, or anger and it’s told through this story of connection. The blood brother could be familial or cultural, or even society in general. Where and how can we find that connection and are we just as culpable as those we’re blaming? Are we part of the snake that’s eating itself or are we able to see outside of it and approach the world with this outside perspective? It’s hard to look outside of ourselves and our thoughts and beliefs and way of life and have an openness. So this is why it’s a holiday song regardless of what we celebrate and how because holidays are a time when we’re all looking for connection, community and a bit of reflection,” shared Engine.

Engine spoke in measured tones when pressed to examine the sustained impacts of how we, as a nation responded to COVID and the impending presidential election. Were we moving toward a path of unity and reflection or were we remaining as divided as ever?

“It sadly remains an us and them mentality and it’s been so amped up within the last 10 years. Is the world here for me or for the community? I don’t feel enough people ask that. Community continues to be very important to me as well as working within a sense of positive purpose. Our song, Swagger With Kindness focuses on taking a more positive, helpful response in the face of continued aggression that is overly focused on within media outlets. Rock & roll with a helping hand is what we wanted to convey. Within popular news outlets, I sadly see fact turned into entertainment and the continued erosion of journalistic integrity. There is a wave of fear, division, and uncertainty that we have all been on and it’s cresting and we don’t know the outcome but sadly, we are very divided,” stated Engine.

The Ratchets have worked toward using their creativity as a platform for unity political discourse and with their singles campaign, they are drawing influences from global sources. If the current economic outlook benefits the lucky few at the expense of communities, then The Ratchets have sarcastically and gleefully responded with their upbeat Late Stage Capital track, dancing in the rubble of broken promises of equality. The gradual dismantling of advocacy and continued consumer sticker shock for goods and services has given pause and stirred anger, but for Engine, he remains well-aware of the intentions of elected officials and chooses to show empathy and kindness during these divisive times that sadly facilitate apathy and complacency.

“Community is forever a focal point for me. The beauty of art is to pull someone in with your expression and perhaps inspire them, even for a moment, to see things differently and gain a new perspective. Our guitarist Zak is a communist and works very hard within the party to promote the value of community. We always wanted our songs to have a thesis, if you will, to tell a story with a strong message. Kindness can absolutely be a strong response to the aggression we sadly see, you’re not being controlled to contribute to that aggressive behavior if you engage in something positive,” stated Engine.

The Ratchets have maintained their convictions since inception, but their recent sonic output has evolved to reinforce their ideals with a more global approach in mind. Engine has even worked to debunk the shortsighted idea that today’s generation lacks the ethics and tenacity to propel change forward, a baseless idea driven by scapegoating those for ethics that may not align with current political messaging. The Ratchets simply responded to the heavy-handed reactionaries with the refrain of ‘just watch the kids they always get it right.’

“When we had the refrain of ‘just watch the kids they always get it right’ in Street Manners, it was a response to those that want to repeat patterns that divide and how people of today can break that cycle. The bridge of the song had a lot to do with a feeling that things are headed for a zenith of unhappiness, the climax of all the tension we see and have been experiencing. Every year we’re confronted with the debt ceiling, climate change and needless man-made disasters. You can go down and sail the seas of darkness or follow the bells of freedom that are founded on inclusion not division. The kids can do that, there is hope and out of youthful exuberance positive change can come. As a punk rock elder, so to speak, I am happy to remind people of this and communicate it within our music,” concluded Engine.

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