Feature: Ratchet Dolls Decodes “The Enemy”
What was the initial spark or idea that led to the creation of "The Enemy?”
Kevin: “The Enemy” reflects on the many challenges I faced as a young musician growing up in Brownsville, TX. In a city dominated by gangs, it was dangerous to walk around with long hair or even a band tee on. Naturally, I was always seen as “The Enemy.” For heaven’s sake, I saw a man get shot multiple times and die right outside our home at the age of 14. To top it off, the local music scene was mostly Punk / Death Metal which rejected Ratchet Dolls because we were so different, yet again reinforcing “The Enemy” label.
“A bruised up heart
A scarred up chest
Now I’m lurking, looking for a fix
Rock N Roll is always hard to resist”
These lyrics resonate with me the most because they remind me how rock n roll was truly the only high I ever needed to get through that part of my life. It saved me many times! Despite the uphill battle, rock n roll never left my side, and now the band is reaping the rewards of years of hard work.
That is where “The Enemy” came from… Great question!
What impact do you hope "The Enemy" will have on your audience?
Sofie: I hope it shows people that younger musicians can still ROCK, but most importantly, be ORIGINAL. There’s so many new bands out there within our age group who appreciate classic rock, but unfortunately sound fabricated. Many don’t sound authentic to rock n roll, which is something we want to steer clear from.
We hope people will recognize and appreciate the influences we channel through our music, and that they believe in our original sound as well!
Kevin: What she said!
What was your favorite moment in making the music video?
Kevin: I’d have to say that recording the solo was a lot of fun! “The Enemy” has a dual guitar solo in it and I wanted the video to show that “call-and-answer” moment between Sofie and myself. I believe it turned out great and does a good job at showing viewers what it’s like to come to a Ratchet Dolls show.
Keep in mind… We recorded the entire music video in only 3 hours. So we are very proud of the end result!
Sofie: I agree! The time crunch was stressful, but that’s part of what made it exciting. We had to put 110% into our performances to make sure we wouldn’t have to redo anything. While filming that particular part, I could just tell it was gonna be badass when it was finished.
Can you tell us more about you as a band?
Sofie: Our dynamic as a band is the best. We have so much fun together while on the road, and we have so many great memories.
We’re very true to ourselves and I hope that the music testifies to that. We’re a pretty raw rock n roll band - no frills. Just bass, drums, guitars, and vocals of course. Most importantly, we have such a blast on stage. Rock (at least our kind) is written around the premise of forgetting your issues and having a good time.
All of that describes the most important dynamics about Ratchet Dolls as people, and as musicians.
What do you enjoy most about performing live and connecting with your audience?
Kevin: This might be a little odd, but I love walking into a venue and seeing unfamiliar faces look over at the band with uncertainty in their eyes. It challenges us to push our performances to 150% every night! I can’t describe to you how amazing it feels to watch the uncertainty in people’s eyes turn into excitement after they watch us do our thing. It happens all the time and it definitely reassures us that we are doing our job as a band.
