Riki Rachtman takes New Bedford By Storm during "Record Store Day" Week!
New Bedford, Mass was the place to be this past week. Headbanger's Ball Host Riki Rachtman made several appearances in the city during a three day stint. On Thursday, April 10th, Rachtman and Ace Von Johnson (Faster Pussycat/LA GUNS) made an appearance at The Dipper Cafe. The Dipper has gained acclaim for their great bar style pizza in the area. It's a real cool hang with rocker/biker style adornment. Riki and Ace were guest pizza chefs for the night.
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| Courtesy of Purchase St. Records Instagram |
On Friday, April 11th, at Play Arcade, Riki and Ace put on a live set opening for some great local acts including Purchase St. Records Owner, Roger Chouinard's own band ALL SINNERS. Riki who admitted during the buildup for this show that he was just learning how to play guitar & bass was excited and nervous about the performance. From all who attended, Ace and Riki put on a great set that included hits from bands like Social Distortion and Zodiac Mindwarp. Roger and All Sinners Vocalist Mike Golarz joined in on the fun.
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| A screen grab from Riki's Instagram Video |
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| A screen grab from Purchase St. Records Instagram Video |
The three day whirlwind concluded with a two hour meet and greet at Purchase St. Records on Saturday. The store was packed! There was a line throughout the event. I was fortunate to stop in for a quick second to speak to Riki about his sobriety and my appreciation for his social media stories about the subject. He was really down to earth, even signing a special limited edition trading card he had on hand. He expressed that many of the sober stories he recounts on social media are as much a reminder for himself than it is to "preach a message".
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| I couldn't resist a selfie with Riki |
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| Riki's Trading Card |
I absolutely love Record Store Day and this was made more special by getting to meet a star of my generation. Riki set the tone for so many other hosts of shows on music and entertainment. He's always stayed true to his roots being a fan of the music first and foremost. He's definitely inspired how I approach covering music, meeting musicians and promoting bands.
Riki's Socials
Purchase St. Records
Play Arcade
The Dipper Cafe
All Sinners Band
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