Gabe and Dennis. What a pair. You know who else is a pair? Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine and Boots Riley of The Coup. Click the play button to see how Boots gets back at Tom (Congrats Tom!) and to see which cross-dressing duo they compare themselves to.
-The Emperor

I love dragons. I figured a Dragonette would be a tiny little dragon, more adept at making creme brulees than burning down the thatch-roofed cottages, What THIS Dragonette is is a Canadian pop band that REALLY makes me want to watch the Goonies. While the interview was shot by Jason Weintraub and edited by Dennis and Gabe of Original Knockoff, I got stuck writing the intro when all I wanted to do gawk at uber-leggy vocalist Martina Sorbara.
-The Emperor

You know what, I might have had a bad time at the Drinking Made Easy Tour, but I will most definitely support Zane Lamprey in his future endeavors, such as the new Drinking Made Easy show on HDNet. I still can’t bear to delete any of the Three Sheets I have on the DVR, even though I’ve seen ‘em each like 6 times. This interview was right before the tour, but with the new show popping up soon, I think now is the time to unleash this upon the world.
I …

Nothing like starting an interview by informing the band that you are drinking. As Tall As Lions is fronted by a dude named Dan Nigro. I think it’s a good thing I didn’t know his last name until after I did the interview, or there might have been a different line of questioning.
First, before we get this thing started, I have a question for you. Do you suggest an IPA or a hefeweizen at 12:30 in the afternoon?
Hefeweizen.
All right. I’ll trust you on this one. So honestly, the only …

AM Taxi seems like it’s comprised of nice enough fellas. Racket spoke with singer Adam Krier about festivals and stealing shit from hotels.

Have you ever been to Warped Tour or any daylong festivals before, just as a fan?
Yeah
What are you making sure to bring? What have you learned from your mistakes?
Well I would certainly not encourage people to sneak in there on alcohol, but I’m just sayin, it’s a fact. You know? I mean, there are bottles for that kind of thing. And plenty of sun tan lotion.
A lot …

Chris Farren has been pined over by Brian Fallon of the Gaslight Anthem, mocked by the Emperor and beloved by the ladies. Here, Racket’s Mondo Olivas asks him some questions while The Emperor tries to turn the Warped Tour into a drinking game. Drink every time you see a bad haircut AND drink every time you see inappropriate underage cleavage will both have you drunk in 5 minutes. Farren’s solution: drink every time you hear a cover song. Good call.
-Jonathan “The Emperor” Yost & Armando “Mondo” Olivas.

Bizarre, the shower-cap flaunting member of D12 steps up to release a new album, relentlessly tour and …go on a diet? Racket’s Jason Weintraub had a chance to chat with Bizarre:
The title of your album is “Friday Night At St. Andrews,” and that’s where you guys use to battle.  So are we hearing a more serious Bizarre on this album?
No, it’s just a different side of Bizarre.  I’m not saying this is going to be me for now on, but I’m coming with something different and not being one sided …

A LIFE IN THE DAY: MIKEY SABATELLA
Have you ever seen that movie “She’s All That” with Freddie Prinze Jr.? You know the one where Jessica Alba is a major nerd, but Prinze dates her on a bet and ends up totally falling for her? [Emperor's note: Jeff bitched about me not catching that this was Rachel someone. Fun fact: I don't watch chick flicks. It wasn't Jessica Alba, it was a different hot chick. It doesn't matter.] That’s kind of what writing this article/interview was like (minus the hot …

Oh, Tom Gabel, what a fine snark you have! We sat down with the Against Me! Front man (well, we sat down at our computer, he sat as his, TOTALLY still counts) and had a Q&A session. For their third chat with Racket, Tommy boy really takes off his gloves. His driving gloves. Of his Mercedes Benz. Or maybe it’s an Audi.
How’s, you know, selling out treating you? I’m sure that the fact that you’ve done TWO albums on a major has required you to eat puppy meat and punt …

I am a huge fan of Phantom Planet, and unashamed to have been there before The OC(Don’t call it that…) and to see them pass through having a million 14 year olds at their show JUST to hear California. I thought it was over, I thought that, after a couple more records, I could just see the first band I saw in a club setting continue to kick ass. But, the bastards went “on hiatus.” Hopefully it’s not the same hiatus Walt Disney is taking. BUT, we did score an …

So, Travel Channel hits me with this email showing a frightened bearded man in an Evel Knievel helmet looking terrified and all I could think was “I wanna see this guy piss himself.” While that has yet to happen [Bert The Conqueror premieres June 16th on Travel Channel], I did find out that I would rather go and hang out with Bert at a bar than to actually see him wet himself. Also: fuck giant catfish.
What the hell is Bert The Conqueror?
It’s my new show. It’s basically a show where …

Ivan Ives is a goddamned prolific rapper. And he’s done so doing it by himself. He started his own label (No Threshold Records) to put out records his way and at his pace. See how the native of the USSR deals with Racket’s bullshit:
Whatttttup!? I have been on a huge IPA kick, how do you prefer to get yer buzz on?
What’s good man! I’m always drinking coffee, a lot of cups a day. That’s pretty much enough to have me literally buzzing all day and every day. But if …

Racket’s USA-loving hoodlums Gabe Zuniga and Dennis Chung catch Hip Hop pioneers The Freestyle Fellowship on a good day at the 2010 Paid Dues Festival. Honestly. after this, why even bother asking any questions. Special thanks to Myka 9 for getting this shit rolling.

Oliver Ackermann is a man of many talents. Not only is he the primary singer/songwriter of one of the loudest and visually mind bending bands in recent history, a Place to Bury Strangers, but he is also the founder of Death by Audio, a company that has provided one of a kind effect pedals to everyone from Jeff Tweedy and The Edge, but also Trent Reznor and Kevin Shields. I had the chance to sit down with him and find out what makes this sleep deprived work-a-holic tick.
So first off, …

With “HEAT FETISH”, The Bled plan to “Rise” to the occasion.
I can remember the first time I heard Tucson, Arizona based The Bled’s “Pass The Flask” I was driving to the Glasshouse to see Poison The Well. A buddy of mine popped that CD in and I instantly fell in love. I remember it being intense, gnarly and just… good. Songs like “Dale Earnhardt’s Seatbelt”, “We Are The Industry” and “Red Wedding” were instant classics. I immediately burnt a copy of that CD and listened to it non-stop for over …

If you didn’t know, I LOVE me some stereotypes. Bad Chinese women drivers, upper middle class whites who try their damnedest not to be racist, Jersey Shore, I love ‘em all. When I was given the opportunity to interview Thomas from Strike Anywhere again, I was pumped. Last time I got stereotypically punk gems such as “cultural baggage” and tirades about corporations. Now, he has points, but when the man in front of you is a dreaded, patch-ridden, pasty punk kid, there are fewer things more exciting for me.
…