Rancid (band)
 <tr style="text-align: center;"><td colspan="3"> Left to right: Tim Armstrong, Lars Frederiksen, Matt Freeman, Brett Reed </td></tr> | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information <tr><td>Origin</td><td colspan="2">Berkeley, California, USA</td></tr><tr><td>Genre(s)</td><td colspan="2">Punk rock |
Rancid is a punk rock band, formed in 1991 in Berkeley, California, by Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong (former members of Operation Ivy).
Rancid includes Armstrong on guitar and vocals, Freeman on bass and vocals, Brett Reed on drums and Lars Frederiksen on guitar and vocals. Reed left the band in 2006 and was replaced by Branden Steineckert, former drummer of The Used. As of November 2006, Armstrong and Freeman have been permanent members of the band and Frederiksen did not join Rancid until 1993 after the band was searching for a second guitar player.
They are credited, along with fellow California bands The Offspring and Green Day, with reviving mainstream popular interest in punk rock in the United States during the mid 1990s.[1][2]
Rancid's style often draws comparison with The Clash in their albums ...And Out Come the Wolves and Life Won't Wait, the latter of which is sometimes referred to as "Rancid's Sandinista!". This influence is further emphasized by direct homages to the seminal punk rock group in the lyrics to several of Rancid's songs, such as the title track to Indestructible.
Among mainstream audiences, Rancid is best-known for the songs "Ruby Soho" and "Time Bomb" from the 1995 album ...And Out Come the Wolves, as well as "Fall Back Down" from their 2003 album Indestructible.
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History
Origin and mainstream success (1991-2003)
After Operation Ivy broke up in 1989, Tim Armstrong (guitar, vocals) and Matt Freeman (bassist) formed Rancid in Albany, California in 1991.
Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day joined the band for a brief period before Frederiksen joined. Armstrong performing at a 1993 concert and co-wrote "Radio" on Let's Go. Originally Frederiksen turned down a request to join because he was a member of the UK Subs at the time. Tim Armstrong eventually asked Billie Joe Armstrong to become a full-fledged member of the band, but Billie Joe opted to stick with Green Day. Frederiksen later changed his mind and left the UK Subs.
Rancid enjoyed widespread popularity throughout the 1990s, with the band touring constantly from 1993 through 1998. They have released 6 full-length albums, along with numerous 7" vinyls and singles. Following the commercial and critical success of Let's Go, which garnered gold status in the U.S. with 500,000 copies sold, the band was pursued by several major labels, including Madonna's Maverick Records. Despite these offers, Rancid chose to stick with independent label Epitaph Records for their first four studio albums.
Rancid's second self-titled album was released on the Hellcat Records imprint in 2000. Rancid's 2003 album Indestructible was released by Warner Bros. Records. The band continue to be signed worldwide to Warner Bros. Records.
Hiatus (2004-2005)
In 2004, after the release of Indestructible, Rancid went on hiatus. All members continued work with side projects, although the group had not officially disbanded in any way.
Armstrong continued to play in the Transplants, and their second album, Haunted Cities, was released in 2005. He contributed guitar and backup vocals on Cypress Hill's hit single "What's Your Number?", from their tenth album Till Death Do Us Part. Frederiksen has a side band Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and their second album, Viking, was released in 2004. Freeman joined Social Distortion in 2004 and left in 2005. Also during 2005, Freeman was incorrectly diagnosed with lung cancer.[1]
Freeman, Reed, and Armstrong released three songs under the name Devil's Brigade: Vampire Girl, on the Give 'Em the Boot Hellcat Records Compilation, and a 12" [vinyl] record that included the songs "Stalingrad" and "Psychos All Around Me". Reed, aside from playing with Devil's Brigade, made a guest appearance on the Transplants' Haunted Cities.
2006 and later
Beginning March 7, 2006, Rancid played several acoustic sets as part of Hellcat Records' Hellcat Nights concert series at The Echo. This was their first time playing together since the hiatus of Armstrong's side project The Transplants. On April 13, 2006, Rancid announced plans for a worldwide tour beginning in July 2006, and the release of a DVD compiling 31 of their music videos, as well as a tentative release date of Spring 2007 for a new as-of-yet-unamed studio album. [2]
On August 31, 2006, Frederiksen collapsed on stage on their third Montreal date. He was reportedly taking antibiotics at the time for an upper respiratory infection.[citation needed] The collapse and seizure resulted from a combination of fatigue and a methamphetamine drug reaction. The band had to cancel four shows, but continued the rest of their tour as planned. Rancid has posted the rescheduled concert dates on its official website. [3]
Like many other bands once on the Lookout! Records roster, in September, 2006 Rancid pulled their self-titled EP from the Lookout! catalog.[3]
On November 3, 2006, Reed left Rancid and was replaced by former Used drummer Branden Steineckert. Recently, there has been some confusion whether Reed has left the band permanently or not. No permanent drummer has been announced and it is unclear if Steineckert will stay in the band to finish their new album.
Armstrong has announced plans for a debut solo album, A Poet's Life, which was planned to be available for free Internet downloading starting November 7, 2006. [4]
Members
Current members
- Tim Armstrong - Vocals, Guitars
- Lars Frederiksen - Guitars, Vocals (joined in 1993)
- Matt Freeman - Bass, Vocals
- Branden Steineckert - Drums (joined in 2006)
It is unknown whether Steineckert has joined the band permanently or that he is just staying for their tour. No permanent drummer has been announced, but during the UK tour, the band has said that he would be the new drummer and it is unclear if he will stay to finish their new album.
Past members
- Brett Reed - Drums (1991-2006)
Collaborations
- Rancid collaborated with reggae artist Buju Banton on the song "No More Misty Days," which appeared on his album Unchained Spirit. This was considered a controversial move by some, due to Banton's history of extreme homophobia. The song also appeared on Give 'em the Boot II without the reggae lines that Banton delivers in the Unchained Spirit version.
- Tim Armstrong appeared as a guest vocalist on Time Again's "The Stories Are True" from their 2006 release of the same name on Hellcat Records.
- Tim Armstrong did vocals for the Head Automatica song "Dance Party Plus" from the album Decadence (2004).
- Tim Armstrong did vocals for the Bad Religion song "Television" on the album Stranger Than Fiction.
- Rancid collaborated with Stubborn All-Stars on the song "I Wanna Riot" for the Beavis and Butt-Head Do America soundtrack.
- Rancid collaborated on Bucaneer's "Bruk Out" on the Give 'Em The Boot II compilation.
- Rancid collaborated with Iggy Pop on the song "No Fun" on the Give 'Em The Boot DVD.
Related projects
- Tim Armstrong had a side project named Transplants, which formed in 1999. Recently, there has been some confusion whether the band had broken up or not. However, Armstrong recently said that he wanted to make another album with the band "in the upcoming years".
- Lars Frederiksen has a side project named Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards.
- Matt Freeman was a touring bassist for Social Distortion in 2004 and 2005, but did not appear on any albums by the band. He is the bassist and lead vocalist in the psychobilly band, Devil's Brigade, in which Tim Armstrong and Brett Reed also play.
- The Rancid song Brad Logan appears on the Chef Aid South Park album.
- Rancid did a split CD with NOFX, in which Rancid did covers of six NOFX songs and NOFX did covers of six Rancid songs.
- Freeman and Armstrong both played together in the late 1980s in Operation Ivy (band). After playing together in Operation Ivy, they played in other bands, such as Downfall, Shaken 69, and Dance Hall Crashers.
- Between 1988 and 1990, Armstrong and Joey Schaaf recorded songs on a four-track recorder under the name the LJs.
References in their lyrics
- Dave Courtney, a famous ex-mobster from London who is now crime-free and an author.
- Harry Bridges, an American labor leader along the westcoast.
- Don Giovanni, the title and lead character of an opera composed by Mozart
- Travis Bickle, a fictional character in the film Taxi Driver directed by Martin Scorcese.
- The song Rwanda is about the 1994 genocide.
- The song "As Wicked" mentions Albany Hill, in Albany, California, where Armstrong and Freeman grew up.
- "Journey to the End of East Bay" is a reflective song about Operation Ivy, one of the bands Armstrong and Freeman were in before Rancid. The song also has a reference of how long Operation Ivy was active, "started in '87, ended in '89".
- Django, a film series starring Franco Nero in the title role. The character is famous for dragging around a coffin, which holds a machinegun.
- Al Capone, a famous Italian-American Mobster, known to most as "Scarface"
Discography
Studio albums
 Rancid, 1993 (Gun Cover) |  Let's Go, 1994-US |  ...And Out Come the Wolves, 1995-US, UK |  Life Won't Wait, 1998-US, UK |
 Rancid, 2000 (Skull Cover)-US, UK |  Indestructible, 2003-US, UK |
EPs
- Rancid (1992) - UK
- Radio Radio Radio (1993)
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | UK Singles Chart | |||
| 1992 | "I'm Not the Only One" | - | - | - | Rancid EP |
| 1993 | "Hyena" | - | - | - | Rancid (1993) |
| 1994 | "Nihilism" | - | - | - | Let's Go |
| 1995 | "Salvation" | 21 | - | - | Let's Go |
| 1995 | "Roots Radicals" | 27 | - | - | ...And Out Come the Wolves |
| 1995 | "Time Bomb" | 8 | - | - | ...And Out Come the Wolves |
| 1996 | "Ruby Soho" | 13 | - | - | ...And Out Come the Wolves |
| 1998 | "Bloodclot" | - | - | - | Life Won't Wait |
| 1998 | "Hooligans" | - | - | - | Life Won't Wait |
| 1998 | "Brad Logan" | - | - | - | Chef Aid |
| 2000 | "Let Me Go" | - | - | - | Rancid (2000) |
| 2003 | "Fall Back Down" | 13 | - | - | Indestructible |
| 2004 | "Red Hot Moon" | - | - | - | Indestructible |
| 2004 | "Tropical London" | - | - | - | Indestructible |
Other releases
- BYO Split Series, Vol. 3 (2002) - split with NOFX
See also
- Rancid Gigography
- 1990s music groups
- List of alternative music artists
- List of musicians in the second wave of punk music
References
- Huey, Steve. "Rancid". All Music Guide. Retrieved June 13, 2005.
External links
- The Official Rancid Website
- Hellcat Records
- Epitaph Records
- The Official LJs Webpage
- Rancid Lyrics
- Not Dead - Rancid Fansite
| Rancid |
| Tim Armstrong | Lars Frederiksen | Matt Freeman | Branden Steineckert |
| Former members: Brett Reed |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio albums: Rancid (1993) | Let's Go | ...And Out Come the Wolves | Life Won't Wait | Rancid (2000) | Indestructible | (Seventh Studio Album) EPs and compilation albums: Rancid (EP) | Radio Radio Radio | BYO Split Series, Vol. 3 |
Categories
Articles with unsourced statements | 1990s music groups | Alternative musical groups | American musical groups | Epitaph Records artists | Hellcat Records groups | Later punk groups | Punk rock groups | California musical groups | Pop punk groups | Streetpunk