Radkey is cooler than you. It alright, they are cooler than me too. It’s a rare occasion when then three guys not even old enough to drink alcohol can play a bar a be the center of attention, in a good way.

The three brothers are possibly the jewel of the St. Joseph music scene right now. They fuse together metal and punk (which may not seem like much of a stretch but I’ve seen several bands fail at this) and put together a shameless blend of their own sound. Radkey has been active for a while as a band now but a writeup on VocalsOnTop.com hasn’t happened for various reasons. They have been one of my favorite St. Joe bands since the beginning of the year but I haven’t caught a full show. Their pairing with Dsoedean was a perfect chance to rectify this on September 15th.

Dsoedean has become a St. Joseph treasure. They play their asses off every show and have amassed a ton of hometown shows. If you are in St. Joe and haven’t seen Dsoedean play you aren’t trying very hard. The band is comprised of lead singer/guitarist Zale Bledsoe, bassist Marcus Words, Drummer Bobby Floyd and Keyboard master Colby Walter. If you haven’t seen Dsoedean play live, you have probably seen one of the four fine musicians that makeup the band at some point. Look for more on Dsoedean after their next show on 9/22/12 at the Cafe Acoustic with GasTown Lamps. Also their first full length album Continue To Move should be available by the end of the year.

Dsoedean performs live at The Rendezvous in St. Joseph, MO earlier this year on 2/25/12.

Radkey took to the stage at the ‘Vous on this Saturday night with no surprises. They would tear through their strong batch of original songs and mix in a couple covers. The three brothers Dee, Isaiah and Solomon got the best reception I’ve seen for a St. Joseph show. The crowd was enthusiastic and showed their support for the hometown band. St. Joseph really hasn’t always been kind to Radkey, the support hasn’t been good enough and crowds haven’t been big enough in the past for whatever reason.

The band is coming off a failed Kickstarter project to record their first album. They have recorded a EP with some good choice cuts on it and are planning on releasing another instead of a full record. It is in the process and should be available soon so keep an eye out for it.

Radkey performs live at The Rendezvous in St. Joseph, MO earlier this year on 4/24/12.

The band has no shortage of good original songs. They trotted many of these out at The ‘Vous. Many of them have been in their arsenal for a while like “Little Man” “Mind Ride” and “Out Here In My Head.” They also busted out a couple new jams that didn’t disappoint like “Cat and Mouse.”

The band’s mix of covers is very specific to them. They throw in some Fishbone and Faith No More as well as a killer reading of the “Teen Titans” theme song that always brings the crowd to a roar. They would end the evening by covering Outkast’s “Hey Ya” which at one point they said was special to St. Joe shows, the track sounds great as a rock song.

Radkey along with Scruffy & The Janitors are leading a wave of incredibly talented young bands in St. Joe. The music scene is gaining momentum here and it is largely because of them. The ceiling is high for Radkey and their sound is something very unique and special. They are a great, energetic live act and are too cool for school. It is great to be able to watch a young band like this cut its teeth on the stage knowing they have the talent to be something great.