For our newest Band of the Week, we're stoked to bring you The Rackatees from Lawrence, Kansas!
HU: First off, it's great to talk to you guys. Thanks for taking the time. For those who don’t know, who are The Rackatees?
Rackatees: The tale of our band started in early 2009 when Korey (guitar) and Patrick (bass/vocals) began writing songs together in Pratt, KS. Kolin (drums), who was living in Lawrence, KS, at the time, joined in late 2009. The band was originally known as Crime Spree until, thanks to the internet, we realized the we'd plagiarized the name from a band in Australia. We changed it to The Rackatees in 2010 and re-located band operations to Lawrence in 2011.
HU: Where’d the name come from?
Rackatees: It's a western slang term for an old, beat up revolver. It might also be a raccoon/manatee hybrid animal.
HU: Looking back through your show posters, you guys have played some seriously awesome shows. What were some of your favorites?
Rackatees: Our favorite show was opening for Bad Religion/OFF! at Liberty Hall. Another show that is high on our list was opening for The Lillingtons at The Rino along with our long-time buds Company Retreat and Red Kate. Our first "big" show was opening for Bomb The Music Industry!/The Sidekicks at a DIY punk house in Lawrence called The Overlook, which will always be a memorable show for us. Opening for Direct Hit!/Lipstick Homicide at Vandals (R.I.P.) along with our local pals KTP was a really fun one. All of the Center of the City Fests (R.I.P.) that we played in Kansas City over the years were epic.
HU: Who would you say are some of The Rackatees musical influences?
Rackatees: D4, Lagwagon, NOFX, No Use for a Name, The Lawrence Arms, etc.
HU: What's your favorite and least favorite thing about being a part of the Kansas punk scene?
Rackatees: Our favorite thing about the Kansas punk scene is that it's small enough that we know most of the people involved in it, so it feels like family a lot of the time. Our least favorite part is that it might be too small to be considered a "scene" by national punk scene standards.
HU: Who is a band that you've met through playing shows that we should all be listening to right now?
Rackatees: The Shidiots
HU: How have you guys been handling the COVID-19 shutdown?
Rckatees: We've been handling it OK, although we miss playing live shows like all other bands. We're taking the time off to write new tunes.
HU: If you could have The Rackatees be direct support on tour for any band, who would it be?
Rackatees: Iron Maiden
HU: Do you guys have a favorite song to perform live? Is there a fan favorite live?
Rackatees: Our favorite song to play live is "Little Joey." It's our anthem and describes our collective mind set when it comes to playing music in a punk band. That's the fan favorite as well.
HU: Anything new coming up for The Rackatees?
Rackatees: We don't have any shows booked right now, but that will change as soon as it's safe to come back. We are writing new songs and practicing though, so we'll probably have a new album out sometime in the foreseeable future.
There you have it! Follow The Rackatees:
The Rackatees - Little Joey
The Rackatees - Ghost Ships
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