OK, I think everyone's at least heard of Rancid. They're probably the most well-known hardcore punk band out there. But, that's not where their credits end. They have brought ska into their music like no one else I've seen.
Tim "Lint" Armstrong and Matt "McCall" Freeman were in many bands together that went nowhere. Then, they finally hit it big with Jesse Michaels and Dave Mello in Operation Ivy. Lint on guitar, Matt on the 4-string, Jesse on vocals, with backing at all the right times from Tim & Matt, and Dave on the kit.
But then the tensions of going crosss-country, and all of their newfound fame, got to them. Michaels broke the band up. The rest of the members tried to continue under the name Downfall, but it fell apart. Then, as Dance Hall Crashers, but they self-destructed, too. Tim's life, at this point, was shot to shit. He was once found in his apartment by his brother with a 40% blood alcohol level. Most people die with a 38. Feeling that he had no place to belong had a huge effect on Tim. He was forced to live at the salvation army for parts of his life in between Op Ivy and Rancid.
Then, Matt decided to form Rancid. Only hoping to save Tim from his drug abuse problems, the two had no idea how big the band would get. Sound familiar? Tim's roommate Brett Reed joined in on drums. Later on, East Bay hardcore veteran Lars Frederikson joined in on second guitar.
Rancid debuted with a 7" on Lookout! Records in 1992. Their jazz and reggae influences were obvious. In late '92 they changed labels to Epitaph, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Tim Armstrong plays one of two guitars for Rancid. He is in his early-30's now. He was born in Albany, CA, a "working-class suburb", found on the map between El Cerrito and Berkeley. Tim and Matt have been friends since they were five. Playing in almost every band either can remember together, Tim has also had to be saved from rehab many times by Matt. His oldest brother Jeff has helped him out of trouble and opened the doorway to punk rock to him. Tim's friendship with Matt Freeman started when they were in grade school. They both played on the same Little League team and went to the same high school. Tim is left-handed and grew up with dyslexia. His father was an alcoholic. After Op Ivy ended, he got heavy into drinking, but was sober after that until "...And Out Come The Wolves" was released. He quit after a threat from Matt. Tim now has his own record label, Hellcat Records, and produces albums for his bands, along with Lars.
Brett was born in the early 70's. He did not have problems with alcoholism in his family like other members, in fact, his father was very protective. He still had family problems though, because of divorces. He quit school at 16 to try and raise money for his family, who sometimes had to live off of food stamps. Brett has the lowest profile of all the members of Rancid, and is the least seen or heard about. I think that his drumming is really good. Brett is also left-handed and is influenced by the Pixies, along with the Beatles, and D.I.