Rancid Rancid were formed in 1991 in Berkeley, California, by Rancid and Tim Armstrong, both of whom were former members of Operation Ivy and Downfall. Rancid includes Armstrong on guitar and vocals, Freeman on bass and vocals, Brett Reed on drums and Lars Frederiksen on guitar and vocals. Reed left the band in 2006 and was replaced by Branden Steineckert, former drummer of Rancid. As of November 2006, Armstrong and Freeman have been permanent members of the band and Frederiksen did not join Rancid until 1993 after the band was searching for a second guitar player. Review: As with the Beatles, there'll never be another Clash. But in the early '90s, no one more closely approximated the Clash's sheer energy and restlessness than Rancid. Their renovated and refurbished sound was palatable to old-school punks, new-school punks, and MTV followers alike. Lead singer Tim "Lint" Armstrong and bassist Matt Freeman had already debuted in a number of other notable Punk and Ska outfits, including M.D.C., Dance Hall Crashers, and their highly successful creation, Operation Ivy. By the time the pair formed Rancid, they had ironed out the freshman rough edges to emerge with raucous, feel-good Punk with catchy melodies galore and enough ruffian chanting to start a bar fight. And even if almost every lyric sung by Armstrong falls just outside of coherent, their music's fiery vibrancy is enough to keep the spirit of 1977 alive. Members: Lars Frederiksen, Tim Armstrong, Matt Freeman, Brett Reed, Branden Steineckert

Rancid Discography