 With their infectious blend of punk, ska and reggae, Bay-area natives Rancid, along with Green Day and the Offspring, helped bring the latter day punk revival to its peak. By taking classic punk themes and structures and injecting a heavy dose of ska rhythms, Rancid helped to revitalize the stagnant genre. Rancid was formed in 1991 by vocalist/guitarist Tim Armstrong and bassist Matt Freeman. Childhood friends, the two had also played together in the legendary ska-punk band Operation Ivy. After Op Ivy's break up in 1989, Armstrong drifted, turning to alcohol and frequently sleeping in shelters. Freeman formed Rancid with him as an effort to sober up and get his life back together. The two immediately recruited Brett Reed, a former roommate who had only been playing for six months, to play drums, and in 1992 released a single on Lookout! Records. Rancid subsequently signed to Epitaph Records to record their eponymous debut in 1993. Around that time they began looking for a second guitarist. After playing a few shows with Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong (no relation to Tim), the band settled on former U.K. Subs guitarist Lars Frederiksen. The new quartet soon headed back in the studio to record their sophomore effort, Let's Go. Recorded live over four days, the record boasted 23 tracks, several of which have become Rancid standards, including "Radio," "Tenderloin" and the single "Salvation" which quickly became a MTV and radio staple. For better or worse, the single brought the band mainstream exposure, selling almost a million copies and touching off a bidding war between several major labels. The band chose artistic freedom over money and stuck with Epitaph. The following year Rancid released ...And Out Come the Wolves. The album further thrust the group into the limelight with the trio of singles, "Roots Radicals," "Time Bomb" and "Ruby Soho." In the late spring of 1998 they returned with their fourth full-length album, Life Won't Wait. Rancid will spend the summer of 1998 playing all across the country on the Warped Tour. Rancid's fifth and latest album, Rancid 2000, was released in the summer of 2000. Joe Hauler
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