Rancid was undoubtedly a front band in the early 1990s punk revival.
Stemming from Albany, California (San Francisco Bay area), the band
consists of Lars Frederiksen (guitar), Brett Reed (drums), Matt Freeman
(bass), and Tim Armstrong (vocals / guitar). The band, whose members are
from blue-collared homes, sing about traditionally punk ideas
concerning life and politics. The roots of the band begin in 1987 when
Armstrong and Freeman (sometimes goes by the alias of Matt McCall) were
in a band called Operation Ivy. The band also was composed of Dave Mello on
drums and Jesse Michaels on vocals. In 1989, after the band split up,
Freeman, Armstrong and Reed formed Rancid.
Rancid’s 1992 debut EP was entitled I’m Not the Only One. The EP
consisted of five tracks and was released by Lookout! Records. At that
time, Rancid was looking for a second guitarist. They debated using
Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong. They were, however, approached by
Brett Gurewitz and eventually signed to his label, Epitaph Records.
While recording a demo for Epitaph, Reed met Frederiksen and convinced
him to join the band. Frederiksen had previously played guitar for UK
Subs. Rancid’s self-titled debut was released in 1993. In September of
the same year, the group went on their first national tour. In November,
they went on their first European tour. In February of 1994, they began
to record once again.
The band’s sophomore album, Let’s Go, contained twenty-three songs. The
album also contained the hit single, ‘Let’s Go.” The group was compared
to 1970s punk band, the Clash. The album soon went gold and then reached
platinum status. Rancid had definitely made their name with punk
audiences. At this time, punk bands, such as The Offspring and Green Day,
were going main stream. Labels realized the wide acceptance and
popularity of the punk revival. Thus, a bidding war began to sign Rancid
to a major label. The group was approached by many big name companies.
Madonna’s Maverick records made the band an offer. Supposedly the letter
to the band contained a picture of the singer nude. The boys declined
Maverick’s offer. Epic records offered Rancid a half million dollar
advance if they signed to them. The group also declined Epic Records.
Rather than go with a big name label, the stayed with Epitaph. Rancid
wanted to stay where their ‘friends’ were. Also, they realized they
would have more creative ability, and be able to do what they wanted
with Epitaph. The group was never looking for main stream exposure or
popularity. This decision helped Rancid maintain their punk fans after
the other main stream punk groups faded away. In March 1995, Rancid
returned to the studio once again.
Their next album, …And Out Came the Wolves, was a major seller. The
album contained the hit singles “Time Bomb” and “Ruby Soho.” The album
soon went popular. The videos were constantly being shown on MTV and the
singles were receiving major air play on radios. Rancid named the album
after their ‘predatorial’ experience of signing with a label. In 1996,
the group played on the Lollapalooza tour. Afterwards, they took their
first break since they created Rancid.
Rancid’s 1998 album, Life Won’t Wait, featured many artists. The album
featured The Specials, Hipcat, Dicky Barrett, Buju Banton, and Agnostic
front vocalist, Roger Miret. The group collaborated with The Mighty,
mighty Bosstones on the single “Cash, Culture And Violence.” Life Won’t
Wait contained much more ska than the group’s previous albums. Two of
the tracks were recorded in Jamaica. Rancis released their second self-titled
album in 2000. Rancid contained twenty-two songs and the album finished
in less than forty minutes. The album received great, positive response
from the punk community.
Bio written by: bandhunt |
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