Rikki’s latest band, The Two Tens, just released a 6 song EP on November 19 entitled TMac on Rad Girlfriend Records. The Two Tens (Adam Bones, vox/guitar and Rikki Styxx (drums/vox) EP was produced by the legendary Ed Stasium (Ramones, Talking Heads, Motorhead, Smithereens) and mastered at the esteemed Sonic Iguana Studios by Massimilano “Mass” Giorgini. Check out their latest video on YouTube of Let It Go if you’re in the mood for some great pop punk.

Rikki’s love of teaching, sense of adventure and connection to nature drew her to other passions including and certainly won’t be limited to being a Certified Athletic Trainer, Certified Basic Life Support Instructor and a member of the San Bernardino Mountain Patrol.

Rikki took time out of her busy schedule to answer the questions everyone wants addressed, including how she started her musical career, what drew her to the danger and excitement of Mountain Patrol and why so many of her bands begin with the letter D. We had a One On One with Rikki, here are the results.

I must admit that my first foray into the wonderful world of Rikki Styxx was courtesy of Spotify, who hand fed me a slice off The Death Valley Girls album Islands In The Sky. I was hooked and subsequently purchased the album which remained in my regular rotation in the spring of ’23. Investigating the band as I often do, I became drawn to your sonic pedigree with The Dollyrots and The Darts. It struck me that you’ve played with three incredibly successful bands which all begin with the letter D. Kismet, serendipity or roll of the dice?

It’s crazy you noticed! And even crazier was my favorite tour was The Darts opening for The Damned in October of 2018. Maybe it’s the sign of my angel numbers 444? But regardless, I’m definitely on the right path. 

I could spend hours asking you about each of those bands but really want to focus on your drumming style for each. As a musician, do you ever change the way you drum to suit the band and their songs or do you remain true to your own style?

Absolutely. The only thing that remains constant in my setup is my 6.5” Ludwig black beauty snare. From there, I build my kit for each band around that. The Two Tens is the simplest setup, 3 piece kit with an evil floor tom. With The Darts, I added an 18” floor tom to the left of my snare (2 massive floor toms) for more evil. 

The Dollyrots was a typical 4 piece setup but I would add some percussion flare like a wood block. With L.A. Machina (RIP), I introduced a tympani that I was inspired to buy because my Grandma played tympani. We only played two shows and when we opened for The Adicts, Suzi’s bass amp cut out and I played a solo on the tympani for what felt like eternity. 

photo: Chris Barber

In 2017 you played with The Darts on the grounds of hallowed Yankee Stadium. Who did you play with and what the experience like?

That was actually with The Dollyrots. We did an east coast tour in 2017 and that was added to an already hectic schedule. What I remember most was when we drove the tour rig down to the basement of the stadium, the cutest little bomb sniffing dog came on board and greeted us.

How much harder is it to hear yourself in an environment like that which is less suited to acoustics?

For The Dollyrots, I play with in-ears. Its a huge benefit for situations like that because your monitor is directly in your ears. Good stuff. 

I listened to the first recording that you played on, The Vestals “Faking It With You”, a straight ahead no nonsense punk unleashing!  What was that studio experience like?

That was my first ever time recording. We recorded at this studio in Denver called Motaland. I was so freaking nervous. But TBH, it’s my favorite recording of my early drumming. Just stripped down, raw, rock n’roll. Oh and my (.)(.) smudge prints were on the glass window of control room for years I was told. Ha!!

In September of 2022, Adam Bones and yourself reformed The Two Tens. What was the genesis of that reunion?

The Two Tens will always be reformed and formed again and again. The band will always be. We’ve always had to take breaks here and there for life stuff, but it’s a band that both of us really love. We will have creative spurts to write, so that’s usually how that happens.

How did the band name originate?

Ha! Adam is a 10 and I’m a 10. It was actually a joke when I told Adam, but he loved it.

You both went into the studio to record TMac in September of 2022 and released it last week. Why the delay?

Life happens. We both moved and started new projects but we knew we needed to release it. Adam had a beautiful idea to release it in honor of my Dad that passed away and it just made sense. “TMac” was named after him and released on his birthday. Sometimes you have to wait to release art so it can have real meaning. I hadn’t played drums in 5 months before our release show and this record got me out of hiatus. I’ll always be grateful to Adam for that. 

You and Adam collaborated with two titans of the industry - Ed Stasium and Sonic Iguana Studios.  Have you ever worked with either before?

The music community is very much family. And once you find something that works, you let it roll. Ed and Mass both worked with L.A. Machina and most of those recording will never see the day of light, even though they are probably some of the best music I’ve every played on. But……I got to work with both of them again with The Two Tens, “TMAC”, and for that I’m very happy. Both are legends in the field and I learned so much from both of them. Thank you Ed and Mass!!!