still wanna riot
When I saw Rancid in August at the Black Cat, it was almost exactly 11 years after the first time I saw them--at the Avalon in Boston, ...And Out Come the Wolves had just come out and my favorite band was blowing up all over the place. More than a decade later they still kicked my ass. And when they broke into Op Ivy's "Big City" I freaked out because I knew how my 18-year-old self would have freaked out.
My punk phase has since been overtaken by indie rock, hip hop, reggae, southern soul, you name it. But I have always stuck by Rancid because they have always been about making real music--they've got skills, they know their roots, yet they push the envelope. They're serious, but they still have fun. I feel like no matter what kind of music I'm into, Rancid is still a touchstone--a point of reference that helps me relate.
And so when Tim Armstrong puts out a solo, straight-out reggae tune, I'm pschyed. It's simple, it's catchy, it's got just a bit of edge, but it's also got that heart that Rancid's able to pull off in a way so few bands can. This was recorded with the Aggrolites as his back-up band.
Tim says he's putting out an album's worth of solo stuff "in the months to come, one track at a time", downloadable from Rancid's Myspace Page. I can't wait to hear more.