A pillar of punk rock’s rebirth during the ’90s, Rancid has maintained their independent ethos and ramshackle spirit for more than three decades.
∙ Rancid emerged from the ashes of hardcore band Operation Ivy, when guitarist Tim Armstrong and bassist Matt Freeman formed the band in Berkeley, California, in 1991.
∙ Infusing breakneck hardcore with classic ska grooves, 1995’s ...And Out Come the Wolves was the group’s platinum breakthrough, producing their biggest hits, “Time Bomb” and “Ruby Soho.”
∙ The band’s 2003 LP, Indestructible, hit No. 15 on the Billboard 200, and their 2009 follow-up, Let the Dominoes Fall, went to No. 11—their highest-charting album to date.
∙ Tim Armstrong and bandmate Lars Frederiksen joined the Ramones onstage for a few songs during the NYC punk icons’ final concert in 1996.
∙ In 1993, Billie Joe Armstrong (later known for his work with Green Day) played several shows with Rancid—and cowrote “Radio,” from the LP Let’s Go.
∙ Tim Armstrong teamed up with rapper Rob Aston and drummer Travis Barker to form Transplants in 1999, and he has kept the project going alongside Rancid ever since.