Rancid formed in Berkeley, California in 1991 around Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both fresh out of Operation Ivy. ...And Out Come the Wolves (1995) — Time Bomb, Ruby Soho — is the definitive '90s punk revival record, with Indestructible (2003) right behind it. Browse Rancid vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Rancid formed in Berkeley, California in 1991 around Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, who had previously been members of the foundational ska punk band Operation Ivy (1987-1989). Lars Frederiksen joined as second guitarist in 1993, completing the classic lineup. Brett Reed was the band's drummer from 1991 to 2006, replaced by Branden Steineckert in 2006. They signed with Epitaph Records and built audiences across the early-to-mid 1990s. Their 1995 album...And Out Come the Wolves - featuring the singles Time Bomb, Ruby Soho, and Roots Radicals - became a commercial breakthrough and is widely cited as one of the most important documents of the 1990s American punk revival. Tim Armstrong launched the Hellcat Records label (an Epitaph imprint) in 1996 - launching the catalogs of the Distillers, Tiger Army, Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards (Frederiksen's parallel project), and dozens of others. Armstrong has parallel work as the Transplants (with Travis Barker and Skinhead Rob since 1999) and production work for other artists. They have continued releasing material across multiple decades. Their foundational influence on the contemporary punk and ska punk revival is widely cited.
Rancid's sound combines punk rock, street punk, ska punk, hardcore punk, oi!, and folk punk with Armstrong's distinctive vocal delivery (use of slurred working-class accent), Freeman's foundational virtuosic bass approach, and lyrical content addressing working-class life, Bay Area culture, substance abuse, politics, and personal experience drawing on classic 1970s punk and ska traditions.
Original Epitaph Records and Hellcat Records pressings of the Rancid catalog are foundational items in contemporary punk collecting. Multiple anniversary editions (particularly the 20th anniversary edition of...
Listeners new to Rancid typically start with...And Out Come the Wolves (1995) or Indestructible (2003).
