This week’s artist (as guessed correctly in-studio by Gary Vail of Ultramunx; congratulations!) is none other than the 20 year veterans of skatepunk, Rancid. Currently on tour (but not for long) and in Los Angeles, this band hasn’t given up the fight for fast-paced, fun music. Today we bring you the noise and find out who you really dial when you really want the truth.
Rancid, though formed in ’91, was actually in the makes years before. Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman had been friends and punk-lovers for ages, and when their former band, Operation Ivy, disbanded, worry was not in their hearts. The two playing in various line-ups of other punk and ska teams like Dance Hall Crashers, finally decided that they should form their own group, play fast, loud, and with lots of energy. And so Rancid came to be. Freeman on bass, Armstrong on guitar and their longtime friend Brett Reed on drums, the three began playing live shows within months and by ’92 had released their first EP.
Signed to Epitaph Records, the band enjoyed their liberty and control over their own music, but due to their initial success and the punk scene flourishing at the time, Rancid were in hot commodity and desired by major labels. Enjoying their creative freedom the band actually refused to sign with a major label, 
feeling they would not have enough power over the album-making process and thus stayed with Epitaph. Come ’95 the band released their third album …And Out Come the Wolves, named so due to the animal-like nature the major labels had in trying to buy the band. With their third album also came many of the bands hits. Songs like “Time Bomb,” “Ruby Soho,” “Maxwell Murder,” “Roots Radicals,” and “Listed M.I.A.” enjoyed copious amounts of radio play over the years.
Over the years Rancid has had the pleasure of playing with some of the biggest names in punk and having them appear with the band in their own albums or in concert. People like X singer Exene, Billy Joe Armstrong, and Dicky Barrett have all contributed to Rancid’s tenure as a band. Their stage presence commands the energy and life that usually goes with a ska-punk band and they are able to amplify that through their devotion to the music. Rancid though perhaps past their heyday on the radio, have not stopped putting out music. Currently with seven albums out, the band plan to hit the studio and record their eighth in the near future. Until their next album hits, you can catch them live (they just finished a tour opening for Blink 182, but are still doing some headlining of their own), but if you can’t do that, follow the links below to get your fix or dust off your old albums and give ‘em a spin.
Useful Links