![]() ![]() It would appear that Tim Armstrong seems to be vying for candidacy as the Second Coming of Joe Strummer. While his penchant for Caribbean-tinged punk never quite abandoned Armstrong - some of Rancid’s biggest hits like “Time Bomb” and “Ruby Soho” bearing a strong essence of ska in their composition - most of the tracks on his solo album beef up the reggae quotient even more. His influences on the album are clear, dating back to reggae/punk fusion forebears like Blondie and the Clash. One of the most influential bands in terms of bringing ska to the forefront of the underground punk music scene and eventually to the mainstream during the late ’80s and early ’90s, Armstrong references his former outfit on the disc’s autobiographical tune, “Among the Dead”, with lines like “1987 in the East Bay / Cold as hell, it’s the middle of summer / Me and Jesse and Matt and / Dave Mello, he was the drummer”.īesides the allusion to his former band, A Poet’s Life sparkles with facets of Armstrong’s past and present. ![]() Once upon a time, before Tim Armstrong and his Rancid cohorts swaggered out of the Berkeley punk scene, there was Operation Ivy. Beyond any financial gamble taken with the release (and pre-release) of A Poet’s Life, Armstrong goes out on the limb of the tree where his roots are buried. And why not?! Being co-owner of Hellcat Records affords Armstrong the ability to take such a risk. Okay, so the videos had been released online along with the songs prior to A Poet’s Life‘s formal release, but it’s still a nice touch. Although everything contained on the album was fantastically freebied out to fans as Armstrong’s own personal “thank you”, those who ran out and purchased the disc were rewarded not only with ten new songs in a tangible format, but also an accompanying DVD featuring videos for each one of the new tracks. On his first-ever solo album, A Poet’s Life, Armstrong serves up a reggae- and ska-flavored punch, reinventing himself as a punk Robin Hood.Īll of the songs on A Poet’s Life were given away free to fans willing to participate in an online scavenger hunt, tracking down the MP3s on various blogs and websites at least a month before the album’s release. He was releasing one song at a time, and has released a music video with each song.Tim Armstrong’s name has been synonymous with punk, having revived the genre for a whole new generation of fans before it became a dried out, bastardized, and candy-coated shell of what it used to be. He has also done a solo album entitled A Poet's Life, which fans can download for free on the internet. Give 'em the Booth compilations, Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards.Ī new album by Rancid was set for an early 2007 release, but has been delayed as of recent to the fall of 2008. His artwork and photography are also to be seen on various cds of his own label HellCat, eg. He has showcased his other artistic talents and created artwork for the Insaints logo. He has also produced several albums, including the debut albums by AFI, Answer That and Stay Fashionable (1995), The Gadjits, At Ease (1996), F-Minus, S/T (1999) and Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards, S/T (2001).Īrmstrong is still very active in the Berkeley scene that grew up around 924 Gilman Street. He has collaborated with P!nk, the The Aggrolites, Gwen Stefani, Buju Banton, Kelly Osbourne and Skye Sweetnam. ![]() Israel, Agnostic Front, The Lordz, Time Again and Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards, which is a side-project of his Rancid bandmate Lars Frederiksen. He's contributed vocals, guitar, songwriting to tracks by bands including Box Car Racer, Cypress Hill, Bad Religion, Stubborn All-Stars, Head Automatica, The Specials, The Matches, Left Alone, NOFX, Fruit Cocktail, H2O, Dr. In addition to his projects, Armstrong has also been known to pop up on others' albums in various roles. Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker later came on to replace the drum machine. While still with Rancid, he also has a side-project, Transplants, which started with Armstrong, his friend "Skinhead Rob" Aston and a drum machine. In 1991 Armstrong went on to greater fame with the very successful Rancid. He was also in Downfall with Matt Freeman (Rancid). Soon thereafter, Armstrong helped found the Dance Hall Crashers, but left the band after a brief period of time. After Basic Radio disbanded, he performed in the ska punk band Operation Ivy under the nickname "Lint" from their beginning in 1987, until they disbanded in 1989. One of the first bands that Tim played in was Basic Radio. Timothy Lockwood Armstrong (born November 25 1966) is an American musician best known for his work with punk rock bands Rancid, Operation Ivy, and Transplants, as well as his record label Hellcat Records.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |