Rancid

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Biography

Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by 80s punk veterans Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman , both of whom previously played in the highly influential ska punk band Operation Ivy (band)|Operation Ivy , Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring —for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the United States during the mid-1990s. Unlike Green Day and The Offspring however, Rancid remained signed to an independent record label and retained much of its original fan-base, most of which was connected to its Underground music|underground roots.DeRogatis, Jim. ''Milk It!: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90's''. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2003. Pg. 357, ISBN 978-0-306-81271-2 Rancid's songs reflect its advocacy for populism|populist radical politics , near-religious practice of DIY ethic s, and discontent with punk elitism .

Rancid includes Armstrong on guitar and Singing|vocals , Freeman on Bass guitar|bass and vocals, Lars Frederiksen on guitar and vocals, and Branden Steineckert on Drum kit|drums . The band was formed by Armstrong, Freeman, and former drummer Brett Reed , who left the band in 2006 and was replaced by Steineckert. Frederiksen joined Rancid in 1993 when the band was searching for a second guitar player.

To date, Rancid has released seven studio albums, one split album, one compilation, two extended plays, and a series of live online-only albums, and has been featured on a number of compilation albums.For album and single sales information, see the Rancid discography page. The band has independently sold over four million records worldwide, making it one of the most successful independent punk groups of all time. The band rose to fame in 1994 with its second studio album, '' Let's Go (Rancid album)|Let's Go , featuring the single " Salvation (Rancid song)|Salvation ". In the following year, Rancid released its highly successful album ...And Out Come the Wolves , which produced its best-known songs " Roots Radicals ", " Ruby Soho " and " Time Bomb (Rancid song)|Time Bomb ", and was certified gold and platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA , selling over one million copies in the United States alone. Its next four albums, Life Won't Wait , Rancid (2000 album)|Rancid , Indestructible (Rancid album)|Indestructible and Let the Dominoes Fall , were also critically acclaimed, though not as successful as ...And Out Come the Wolves . Rancid is currently working on an eighth studio album, which is said to be recorded in September 2011, and expected to be released in 2012.

History

Early history (pre-1993)

Childhood friends Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman grew up together in the small, working-class town of Albany, California , near Berkeley. The two had been playing together in the influential ska punk band Operation Ivy (band)|Operation Ivy from 1987–1989. The band became popular in the punk scene at 924 Gilman Street , a club and concert venue featuring Bay Area punk bands. When Operation Ivy broke-up, Armstrong and Freeman decided to form a new band, and formed a ska punk band called Downfall (band)|Downfall , which disbanded after a few months. They then started a hardcore punk band called Generator,from BYO Split Series Volume III liner notes which also disbanded shortly after. They also started the ska influenced Dance Hall Crashers , though left the band shortly after it was formed. During this time, Armstrong was struggling with alcoholism , and to keep him focused on other interests, Freeman suggested they form a new band. In 1991, they recruited Armstrong's roommate Brett Reed as their drummer and formed Rancid.

A few months after the band's inception, Rancid began performing around the Berkeley area, and quickly developed a fan following. Rancid's first recorded release was a Rancid (EP)|1992 EP for Operation Ivy's old label Lookout& #33; Records . Shortly after releasing the extended play, the band left Lookout& #33; and was signed to Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz 's record label, Epitaph Records . Rancid released its Rancid (1993 album)|self-titled debut album through Epitaph in 1993.

Breakthrough success (1994–1996)

While Rancid was writing for a follow-up album, Billie Joe Armstrong joined them to co-write the song "Radio", which resulted in Billie Joe playing a live performance with Rancid. Tim had previously asked Lars Frederiksen to be Rancid's second guitarist, but he turned down the request initially as he was playing with the UK Subs at the time. After Billie Joe turned down the request, Frederiksen changed his mind and joined Rancid.

Frederiksen played with the band on its second studio album '' Let's Go (Rancid album)|Let's Go (1994). That year, its then-label-mates, The Offspring , experienced huge success with its album Smash (The Offspring album)|Smash ''. Rancid supported The Offspring's 1994 tour, which helped ''Let's Go reach number 97 on Billboard (magazine)|Billboard ' s Heatseekers and the Billboard 200| Billboard 200 charts, respectively. The album also provided its first widespread exposure when MTV broadcasted the video for the single " Salvation (Rancid song)|Salvation ." Let's Go'' was certified Music recording sales certification|gold on July 7, 2000, and with the success of the album the band was pursued by a number of major record labels, including Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna 's label Maverick Records . Many rumors circulated during this time period. Some of the rumors were Epitaph employees were not allowed to discuss matters with the press, Rancid convinced an A& R man from Epic Records|Epic to shave a blue mohawk, and Madonna sent the band nude pictures of herself.

The band eventually decided to remain signed to Epitaph, and the next year released its third album ...And Out Come the Wolves on August 22, 1995. The album quickly surpassed ''Let's Go in terms of success, and reached number 45 on the Billboard 200| Billboard'' 200 album chart. on January 22, 1996, the album was certified gold. The album received positive reviews, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic described the album as having "classic moments of revivalist punk". Erlewine praised the music and claims the album "doesn't mark an isolationist retreat into didactic, defiantly underground punk rock". Three of the album's singles, " Roots Radicals ", " Time Bomb (Rancid song)|Time Bomb ", and " Ruby Soho " all charted on the Alternative Songs| Billboard Modern Rock Tracks , and earned Rancid its heaviest airplay on MTV and radio stations to date. The band also performed "Roots Radicals" and "Ruby Soho" on Saturday Night Live .

Middle years (1997–2003)

After two years of touring for ...And Out Come the Wolves , Rancid returned to the studio in 1997 to begin recording its fourth studio album, '' Life Won't Wait '', which was released on June 30, 1998. The album branched out from Rancid's previous musical styles, and combined punk rock with elements of roots reggae , rockabilly , Dub music|dub , Hip hop music|hip-hop , and funk . Due to this it was often compared to The Clash 's Sandinista! . Though the album did not achieve the success of ...And Out Come the Wolves , but has since garnered a strong cult following in recent times. In 1999, Rancid decided to end its seven year relationship with Epitaph and signed with Armstrong's founded Hellcat Records (which is a sub-label Epitaph).

A Rancid (2000 album)|second self-titled album was released on August 1, 2000 and would be its first album released through Hellcat. The album failed to achieve the success of Rancid's previous three albums and reached number 68 on the Billboard charts. On the album, the group largely abandoned its ska-punk influences, recording a more Hardcore punk|hardcore -influenced album.

The three original members of Rancid released three songs under the name Devil's Brigade (band)|Devil's Brigade in 2002, one on the '' Give 'Em the Boot III compilation album, and two on a 12-inch Gramophone record|vinyl record . In March of the same year, a split album with NOFX entitled BYO Split Series Volume III was released, in which Rancid covered NOFX songs and NOFX covered Rancid songs.

After a break from touring in 2001, Rancid returned to the studio with Gurewitz in 2002 to record its sixth studio album, Indestructible (Rancid album)|Indestructible , which was released on August 19, 2003. It featured the song "Fall Back Down", which was Rancid's highest-charting album to date, reaching number 15. Unlike the band's previous albums, Indestructible was distributed by a major record label, Warner Bros. Records .

Hiatus (2004–2005)

In 2004, after a tour for Indestructible , Rancid went on an extensive hiatus. The band members worked with side projects , although it had not officially disbanded. Armstrong continued to play with his side project the Transplants (band)|Transplants , who released their second album, Haunted Cities , in 2005. He also contributed guitar and backing vocals on Cypress Hill 's song "What's Your Number? " from its tenth album Till Death Do Us Part (Cypress Hill album)|Till Death Do Us Part . Armstrong also released a solo album, '' A Poet's Life in May 2007. Frederiksen continued working with his side-project Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and released their second studio album, Viking (album)|Viking '', in 2004, the album was co-written and co-produced by Armstrong. Freeman briefly toured with Social Distortion in 2004 as John Maurer 's replacement until the band found its current bassist Brent Harding . Freeman and Frederiksen both had children during this time as well—Freeman had two, and Frederiksen had one.

Reformation and Let the Dominoes Fall (2006–2010)

In early 2006, Rancid reformed to embark on a successful tour and played a number of acoustic performances as part of Hellcat Records ' Hellcat Nights concert series at The Echo (venue)|The Echo . It was the band's first live performance since its hiatus. On April 13, 2006, Rancid announced plans for a worldwide tour beginning in July 2006, and the release of a DVD consisting of 31 of its music videos, as well as a tentative release date of Spring 2007 for a new as-of-yet-unnamed studio album.

Similar to a number of other bands signed to Lookout& #33; Records , in September 2006, Rancid had taken its self-titled extended play from the label's catalog.

On November 3, 2006, Reed left Rancid and was replaced by Branden Steineckert , formerly a member of The Used .

Rancid released a compilation album, B Sides and C Sides , on December 11, 2007. The album consists of various b-sides, "c-sides", and songs from other compilations.

Rancid toured Japan in April 2008 for a number of shows following its two days headlining the Punkspring 2008 festival. Following the Japanese tour, Rancid embarked on a full tour of the United States during the summer and a tour of the United Kingdom in the winter.

Rancid used to host a one hour once a week XM radio show. The show was called Rancid Radio and was on "Fungus" channel 53 Saturday at midnight. However, the show was cancelled due to Fungus 53 being taken from XM's programming.

Plans for a follow-up to Indestructible had been mentioned in 2005, 2006 and 2007, but would materialize until January 2008, when Rancid entered Skywalker Sound to record it. The resulting seventh studio album, Let the Dominoes Fall , was released on June 2, 2009. In late May, the full album was streamed from the band's MySpace page. It was Rancid's first album without its "classic" line-up, with Branden Steineckert replacing Brett Reed on drums in 2006. The album was written at Branden's Unknown Studios in Utah and was recorded at Skywalker Sound in Nicasio, California . Music legend Booker T. Jones performed Organ (music)|organ on one song. A deluxe version of the album included the CD, some of the songs recorded acoustically on another CD, and a making of the album DVD. Rancid toured North America in the summer of 2009 in support of Let the Dominoes Fall , with Rise Against , Riverboat Gamblers , and Billy Talent as its opening bands. The tour began on June 4, 2009 in Vancouver, British Columbia and ended in Toronto, Ontario on July 31.. Noise Press . Retrieved 2009-02-26.

On June 10, 2009, the band appeared as the musical guest on '' The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien playing "Last One to Die" from Let the Dominoes Fall .

Planned eighth studio album (2011–present)

Asked in August 2010 whether Rancid will release another album in the future, bassist Matt Freeman replied, "We haven't really figured that out yet. We're not going anywhere . We're going to do something, we just don't know what it is yet. We're always together and we all talk everyday. We're just doing different stuff right now." It was announced on Punknews.org that Hellcat/Epitaph plans to release a Rancid live CD/DVD in the fall of 2011.

Rancid has recently announced that they would do a small US tour supporting Blink-182 from August 25 through September 4 and that this would enable them to warm up before entering the studio in September 2011 to record their eighth album with Brett Gurewitz . A 2012 release date is expected. The band also mentioned that a 20th anniversary world tour will accompany the album. They are announced to headline one of the biggest punkfestivals in the world, Groezrock in Belgium http://www.groezrock.be/news/rancid-simple-plan-lagwagon-parkway-drive-first-names. According to Tim Armstrong , Rancid's new album will arrive after the Transplants (band)|Transplants release their new one. http://collider.com/tim-armstrong-tim-timebombs-rocknroll-theater-interview/127145/

Members

Current

Tim Armstrong – Singing|lead vocals , Lead guitar|lead and Rhythm guitar|rhythm guitar(s) (1991–present)

Matt Freeman – Bass guitar|bass , Backing vocalist|backing vocals , lead vocals (1991–present)

Lars Frederiksen – lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar(s) (1993–present)

Branden Steineckert – Drum kit|drums , percussion (2006–present)

Former

Brett Reed – drums, percussion (1991–2006)

Timeline

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Period = from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/2011
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id:Guitar;Vocals value:blue legend:Lead& nbsp;guitar,& nbsp;lead& nbsp;vocals
id:Bass value:red legend:Bass
id:Guitars value:green legend:Guitars
id:Drums value:gray(0.45) legend:Drums
id:Lines value:black legend:Studio& nbsp;albums

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ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1991

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at:05/10/1993 color:black layer:back
at:06/14/1994 color:black layer:back
at:08/22/1995 color:black layer:back
at:06/30/1998 color:black layer:back
at:08/01/2000 color:black layer:back
at:08/19/2003 color:black layer:back
at:06/02/2009 color:black layer:back

BarData =

bar:Armstrong text:"Tim Armstrong"
bar:Frederiksen text:"Lars Frederiksen"
bar:Freeman text:"Matt Freeman"
bar:Steineckert text:"Branden Steineckert"
bar:Reed text:"Brett Reed"

PlotData=

width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Armstrong from:01/01/1991 till:end color:Guitar;Vocals
bar:Frederiksen from:01/01/1993 till:end color:Guitars
bar:Freeman from:01/01/1991 till:end color:Bass
bar:Steineckert from:11/03/2006 till:end color:Drums
bar:Reed from:01/01/1991 till:11/03/2006 color:Drums

Although Frederiksen had joined the band by the time its first album was released in 1993, he did not perform on the album.

Discography

: For all releases see Rancid discography .

Rancid (1993 album)|Rancid (1993)

'' Let's Go (Rancid album)|Let's Go (1994)

...And Out Come the Wolves (1995)

'' Life Won't Wait (1998)

Rancid (2000 album)|Rancid (2000)

Indestructible (Rancid album)|Indestructible (2003)

Let the Dominoes Fall (2009)

TBA (2012)

Copyright Citations

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Rancid Photo by: www.musicsnews.com


1. Blink-182 2. NOFX 3. The Ramones 4. Social Distortion 5. The Clash 6. The Offspring 7. The Used 8. The Vandals 9. Benji Madden 10. Dropkick Murphys 11. Dance Hall Crashers 12. Face To Face 13. Goldfinger 14. Sublime 15. The Distillers 16. Mike Ness 17. Billy Talent 18. Rufio 19. Bert McCracken 20. Tom DeLonge

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