Time to put on your skanking shoes because Rancid’s singer/guitarist Tim Armstrong and Operation Ivy vocalist Jesse Michaels have reunited! Forming an all-new supergroup in March 2021, Bad Optix, have released their debut single, “Raid.” Read more: The Home Team Announce Summer Headline Shows with Action/Adventure The track features the former bandmates trading off vocal duty accompanied by Circle Jerks/The Bronx’s drummer Joey Castillo (formerly of Queens of the Stone Age) and Trash Talk’s bassist Spencer Pollard filling in the gaps. Seething with Armstrong and Michaels’ obvious ska influence, “Raid” is a spiritual, slow-burn anthem packed with horns, organs, and… Read more »
You never forget your first. You know, that first time hearing an opening riff to a song that’s going to rule your speakers for the foreseeable future. Or when a chorus hits and it only needs to be heard once before you can scream along to it like you’ve known it your entire life. It’s what music is all about—now Radio Uprising is here to make that experience a regular occurrence. Showcasing the greatest bands and artists that tomorrow has to offer, you might hear their tunes on idobi today, and then maybe someday in an arena. — Elle Mitchell Most powerful:… Read more »
Around the time Brett Gurewitz was launching Epitaph Records in 1981, his father was lecturing him to take guitar lessons. The Bad Religion guitarist and punk-rock entrepreneur never sat down for courses with a guitar instructor, although he did go to school to learn to be a recording engineer. However, no amount of schooling could have prepared Gurewitz for the next 25 years of his life. Epitaph Records brought a new era of punk rock to the masses in 1994 when the Offspring’s “Smash” turned into one of the biggest rock records of the decade. The success of the label’s… Read more »
In his continuing bid to be the hardest-working man in rock, Travis Barker has piled a few new endeavors onto his overstuffed plate. On top of firming up plans for side project the Transplants to drop their debut LP, setting off on the road with Box Car Racer, and preparing the new Blink-182 album, the drummer somehow found time to bring his collection of vintage Cadillacs up to 11 with the addition of a ’54 Coup De Ville and ’78 El Dorado. Although the Transplants album doesn’t yet have an official title, it’s scheduled for release October 22, according to… Read more »
The Transplants, a punk supergroup composed of drummer Travis Barker of Blink-182 and singer-guitarist Tim Armstrong and bassist Matt Freeman of Rancid, will release their debut album in September on Hellcat Records. “I got a call from Tim and he said, ‘What’s up? You’re my favorite drummer,’” says Barker. “I said, ‘Really? Amazing!’ Originally I thought I was going to come in and do some drum tracks, but they were like, ‘We want you to be in our band.’” The sixteen-song album features vocals from Armstrong’s wife Brody – of the punk band the Distillers – on a pair of… Read more »
In a move likely designed to appeal to fans disappointed by indie punk band Rancid’s switch to Warner Bros., the group’s new album will not carry any mention of the label’s name. The veteran act has left its long-time home of Hellcat/Epitaph Records for the release of its forthcoming album, “Indestructible,” due Aug. 26. A spokesperson for the band says Rancid will continue to be aligned with Hellcat, the label co-run by frontman Tim Armstrong and Epitaph founder/Bad Religion member Brett Gurewitz. “It’s a unique deal that doesn’t play by the traditional record biz rules,” says the spokesperson. “It’s Rancid… Read more »
The seventh edition of Epitaph Records’ “Punk-O-Rama” compilation series will be released June 25 and feature 19 tracks from the likes of Rancid, Bad Religion, NOFX, Pennywise, the Hives, and Bouncing Souls. Following the series’ modus operandi, “Punk-O-Rama Vol. 7” will be specially priced at $5.98. Epitaph says the first six volumes have collectively sold 1.7 million copies worldwide, and the most recent four volumes have reached The Billboard 200. “Vol. 6” debuted at No. 80 on the tally in June 2001. “Vol. 7” features songs from many Epitaph artists’ recent releases, but also includes four previously unreleased tracks: Guttermouth’s… Read more »
