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On November 22, a group of friends and myself went to a concert at Metro in Chicago, stoked out of our minds to see The Aquabats and Suburban Legends. The first band that played was one that we hadn't heard of before, a band called The Rikters. Within thirty seconds I was hooked on this band, the way they got everyone pumped up for the show and played a super fun set! When I found out that they were based out of Chicago I was even more stoked that hopefully I would be able to see them play more often! I resolved then and there to try and nab an interview with them so all of you readers could find out how glorious they are indeed!

"We don't rely on gimmicks, unless you consider "rocking your face off" a gimmick."
– The Rikters

For our readers who don't know who you are, could you please introduce yourself and what you do for the band?

Riley plays drums. Owen plays bass and sings backup. Doug plays guitar and sings lead.

How did The Rikters come to be, and where did the name come from?

We all met at a bar fight about four years ago -- huge, old-western style brawl with chairs a-flyin' and dudes being flung down the bar like tots down a Crocodile Mile; we were the last three standing. I think Doug was the first to suggest we learn instruments and start a band, but memories of that night are a little hazy. The band name was scrawled on a cocktail napkin that night, as well. I don't know who wrote it, or what they were trying to spell, but it looked like "Rikters," so we went with it.

You're based out of Chicago, how is the local scene there? Did you find it particularly hard to crack into?

There's a lot of venues, so it's relatively easy to book your first show. That said, there's a lot of venues, and other bands, so actually getting people out to shows is more of a challenge.

What inspires your lyrics? Is there one specific lyric that means the most to you?

Mostly relationships -- the more painful, the easier the lyircs come. It sucks being happy when you need to write songs. Also: Bukowski.

What kind of message are you trying to get out with the band?

Listen to The Rikters.

For those readers who haven't seen you play live, can you describe your live show? What gets the best reaction from the crowd?

We don't rely on gimmicks, unless you consider "rocking your face off" a gimmick.

What has been the biggest moment for the band? What has been the biggest challenge?

Hard to say what the absolute biggest moment ever is. . . though a recent one was opening for The Aquabats. Their fans were so welcoming and enthusiastic about us. It was an amazing show. Also, Joe Broda, the mayor of Lisle, IL, called us "the best band to ever play Lisle, IL." No joke.

As for the biggest challenge, I'd say getting the word out is the hardest thing to do. We're pretty DIY, so when we're not rehearsing, touring or writing, we're doing all the administrative, non-creative stuff the it takes to keep a band afloat these days.

For the kids out there with bands of their own who are trying to crack into the industry, do you have any advice or words for them?

You can do everything right, and "making it" is still a matter of luck. All you can do is keep at it.

The music industry is a rough one to be in, What fuels your passion to keep going?

It seems like we keep getting closer to "making it" every month. There's consistently more people at shows, and every new town we play in makes us new fans. . . it makes us want to keep making new fans.

So what can The Rikters fans look forward to in the future?

Our first full-length. We'll be recording in the spring of 2009 and releasing it shortly thereafter.

Here at the Sound Faction we are five of the most random people you will ever meet, so we like to end our interviews on a less serious note with five random questions. Are you up for that?

Salmon.

If you could pass a law for the world, what would it be?

Umm. . . we thought these were supposed to be less serious :)

Which is worse, cheeto fingers or juice mustaches?

Juice mustaches. It means you're out of wine.

What girls fashion trend confuses you most?

What ever happened to ladies' pant-suits with massive shoulder pads? There was a reason they called them power suits.

Who would you want to win a date with?

Either Debbi Harry twenty-five years ago or Tina Turner in ten years.

Who smells the worst in the band, and how often to you feel the need to spray them down with Febreze?

We don't know. . . we rehearse and perform via CNN's remote hologram technology.

And here's your shameless self-promo spot: anything you'd like to add about yourselves, the music, or anything else?

We've got our current EP, "Don't You Get It," available on iTunes, CD baby, etc. We're playing Schubas in Chicago on Dec 23rd with Snowsera and Color Radio which is going to be a sweet pre-Christmas bash -- and iPod is being given away, along with other free schwag. . . plus, our live show is seriously killer.

Thanks again to The Rikters for taking time our of their day to talk to us and let us into their world for a bit! If you want to hear more from them, hit up their Home Page, MySpace Page, or Purevolume Page!