Rancid is a punk rock band that came out of the San Francisco bay area’s East Bay punk scene. The scene there centered around ”Gilman Street” (a nameless punk rock venue nicknamed for the street it’s on in Berkeley, California). That venue is similar to what Soma was in San Diego or Chain Reaction in Orange County but even more legendary.
Although Rancid started in 1991, the band kept their look in the original, 80s, punk style (i.e. spiky dyed mohawks, studded leather jackets, spiky belts, Dr Marten boots, etc.) while other punk bands of the 90s incorporated the contemporary wear of the time into their look (like t-shirts, baggy pants, canvas belts, and skate shoes).
In the 90s, the members of Rancid were:
- Tim Armstrong (vocals and guitar)
- Matt Freeman (vocals and bass)
- Lars Frederiksen (vocals and guitar)
- Brett Reed (drums)
Because Tim Armstrong and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day (another band to come out of Gilman Street) have the same last name, it has always been a popular rumor that the two are brothers. That rumor is actually not true.
Prior to the formation of Rancid, Tim and Matt were in the legendary 80s ska-punk band, Operation Ivy, together. And following Rancid’s 90s hay day, members of the band ventured off into various spinoff bands like The Transplants and Tim Time Bomb. Tim Armstrong also went on to start his own record label, Hellcat Records, while Rancid was signed to Epitaph throughout the 90s.
I once met Tim at one of Soma’s New Year’s Eve events at San Diego’s Sports Arena and that encounter then led to my TV show’s connection with Epitaph (serving us with music videos for years to come).
Rancid’s 90s Albums
Rancid’s 90s Music Videos
Rancid was one of the punk bands of the 90s that made it to the mainstream with some music videos on MTV…