The Radiators are a New Orleans-based rock band celebrating over 40 years of what they call, “fishhead music,” a funky, swampy sound drenched in R & B, deep blues, and classic rock, steeped into their own raunchy, rocking repertoire. Their national fan base, known as Fishheads, are legion, and their now-rare performances sell out in minutes. The Rads are inductees in the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
The Radiators were born in 1978, the result of a casual jam session in a garage on Waldo Drive, near the University of New Orleans campus. Guitarist Camile Baudoin, keyboardist and songwriter Ed Volker, and drummer Frank Bua were playing with the Rhapsodizers, while fellow guitarist Dave Malone and bassist Reggie Scanlan were in another band called Road Apple. They played one song together, the Volker-penned “Red Dress,” and knew they had a special chemistry. “We all quit our other bands the next day,” Scanlan often reminisces. The same five members remain today. (Percussionist Glenn “Kul” Sears was part of the band for several years.)
All New Orleans natives (Malone grew up in nearby Edgard), the band was raised on diets of Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, The Beatles, Stones, and Allman Brothers. These influences, combined with Volker’s clever songwriting and deep dives into old folk and blues catalogues, gave the group an enviable setlist depth. Scanlan and Baudoin had both played with Fess, and the Rads spent some time backing up Earl King; all influences that flavored their own sound.
The Rads quickly developed a staunch following as they gigged relentlessly, holding down legendary stints at Luigi’s, Tipitina’s, The Dream Palace, and as the house band for the notorious M.O.M.S Ball. They built a regional, then national following. They spent several years on the Epic label, appeared on “The Conan O’Brien Show,” and continued to criss-cross the country some 200 nights of the year. At home, they remained club favorites, and were the traditional closer band for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
The Radiators have released 18 albums and several singles, including the local favorite “Suck the Heads” (how to eat crawfish) and the national hit, “Like Dreamers Do.” They have earned a shelf-load of Big Easy and Best of the Beat awards, including a Big Easy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2011, they were inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. They were named New Orleans Cultural Ambassadors by Mayor Marc Morial, and in 2018, they were featured on the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival’s Commemorative U. S. Postal Service Envelope.
Over their 40-plus year career, the Rads have recorded and performed with a Who’s Who of American music: Bob Weir, Gregg Allman, B.B. King, Taj Mahal, Jaco Pastorius, Dr. John, Travis Tritt, David Bromberg, George Porter, Jr., members of Little Feat, Karl Denson, Jim Dickinson, The Tower of Power Horns, Levon Helm, and David Hidalgo, and with Hollywood stars Dan Akroyd, Bruce Willis, and Harry Shearer. They served as the house band for the nationally-televised HBO special, “Comic Relief,” and were featured on both seasons of HBO’s “Treme.”
In late 2010, Volker gave his notice: he wanted off the touring hamster wheel. The band engaged in a nation-wide farewell tour, closing out with an all-star Jazzfest performance that included Warren Haynes, Michael Doucet, and the Bonerama Horns.
However, the muses - and fans - continued to call, and Volker relented. The Radiators now play anniversary shows each January at the band’s home club, Tipitina’s and at Jazzfest. In 2018, seven years after their “breakup,” the band released Welcome to the Monkey House, a studio album of mostly new material that garnered critical acclaim and was nominated for Big Easy and Best of the Beat awards.
Without Volker, the remaining band members perform as Raw Oyster Cult, which has included John Gros and Mike “Mikey B3” Burkart on the keyboard bench.
