RANCID

Rancid is an American punk band formed in 1991 in Albany, California, by Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong, both of whom previously played in ska punk group Operation Ivy. The band is credited with helping to revive mainstream popular interest in punk rock in the United States during the mid-1990s.
Rancid includes Armstrong on guitar and vocals, Freeman on

bass and vocals, Lars Frederiksen on guitar and vocals, and Branden Steineckert on drums. The band was formed by Armstrong, Freeman, and former drummer Brett Reed, who left the band in 2006 and was replaced by Steineckert. Frederiksen joined Rancid in 1993 when the band was searching for a second guitar player.
To date, Rancid has released six studio albums, one split, one compilation, two EPs, a series of live online-only albums, and has been featured on countless compilations. The band rose to fame in 1994 with their second album, Let's Go, featuring the single "Salvation". In the following year, Rancid released their highly successful album ...And Out Come the Wolves, which produced their best-known hits "Roots Radicals", "Ruby Soho" and "Time Bomb", and was certified gold and platinum by the RIAA.[6] Their most recent studio album, Indestructible, was released in 2003. The band recently finished recording their next album expected to be released sometime in 2009.

History

Early history (pre-1993)
Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman had been playing together in the seminal[citation needed] ska punk band Operation Ivy from 1987-1989. When Operation Ivy broke up they decided to form a new band, and started another ska punk band called Downfall, which only lasted a few months. They then started a hardcore punk group called Generator, which also quickly broke up. They also started two other ska influenced bands, and Dance Hall Crashers, but moved on quickly from both. In 1991 Tim and Matt decided to try starting yet another band. They recruited drummer Brett Reed and formed Rancid.
Rancid's first recorded release was a 1992 EP for Operation Ivy's old label Lookout! Records. Shortly after releasing this, the band was signed to Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz's label, Epitaph Records. Rancid would release their self titled debut album for Epitaph in 1993.

Breakthrough success (1994-1996)
While Rancid was writing for a follow-up album, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, a friend of the band, joined them to co-write the song "Radio". This led to him playing a live show with the band. Tim Armstrong eventually asked Billie Joe to become a member of the band, but he opted to stick with Green Day. Tim had previously asked Lars Frederiksen to be Rancid's second guitarist, but he also turned down the request. After Billie Joe declined, Frederiksen changed his mind and decided to join Rancid.
Frederiksen played with the band on 1994's Let's Go. That year their then-label-mates, The Offspring, experienced a huge success with their album Smash. The Offspring took Rancid on tour with them, and helped Let's Go make it to #97 on Billboard's Heatseekers and Billboard 200 charts, respectively. With the success of the album the band was pursued by several major labels, including Madonna's Maverick Records.
The band eventually decided to stay on Epitaph, and the next year released their third album ...And Out Come the Wolves. The new album quickly surpassed Let's Go in terms of success. Three of the album's singles, "Roots Radicals", "Time Bomb", and "Ruby Soho" all charted on the North American Billboard Modern Rock Tracks, and the band performed two of these songs on Saturday Night Live.

Later years (1997-2003)
After two years of touring for ...And Out Come the Wolves, Rancid returned to the studio in 1997 to begin recording their fourth album, Life Won't Wait, which was released on June 30, 1998. The album branched out from Rancid's previous musical styles, and combined punk rock with elements of roots reggae, rockabilly, dub, hip-hop, and funk. Due to this it was often compared to The Clash's Sandinista!. Unfortunately, the album was not as successful as ...And Out Come the Wolves, but has since garnered a strong cult following in recent times. In 1999, Rancid decided to end their seven year relationship with Epitaph and signed with Tim Armstrong's Hellcat Records (which was a division of Epitaph).
A second self-titled album was released in 2000 and would be their first release on Hellcat. The album failed to meet the success of Rancid's previous two albums and peaked at number 68 on the billboard charts.
2002 saw Rancid's three original members release three songs under the name Devil's Brigade, one on the Give 'Em the Boot III compilation, and two on a 12" vinyl record. Also that year, all four members of the band played on BYO Split Series, Vol. 3, a split album with NOFX in which Rancid covered NOFX songs and NOFX covered Rancid songs.
After a break from touring in 2001, Rancid returned to the studio with Gurewitz in 2002 to record their sixth album, Indestructible, which was released on August 19, 2003. It featured the hit song "Fall Back Down", and was Rancid's highest charting album ever, peaking at number 15.
Despite being produced by Gurewitz, the album was released by Warner Bros. Records making it the bands first and only major label release.

Hiatus (2004-2005)
In 2004, after a tour for Indestructible, Rancid went on an extensive hiatus. The band members spent time working with side projects, although they had not officially disbanded.
Armstrong continued to play with his side project the Transplants, who released their second album, Haunted Cities, in 2005. He also contributed guitar and backup vocals on Cypress Hill's hit single "What's Your Number?" from their tenth album Till Death Do Us Part. He also released a solo album, A Poet's Life in May 2007.
Frederiksen continued working with his side band Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and released its second album, Viking, in 2004, Tim Armstrong helped produce and write it.
Freeman briefly toured with Social Distortion in 2004 as John Maurer's replacement until they found their current bassist Brent Harding.

Reformation and new album (2006-present)
In early 2006, Rancid would reunite to embark on a successful tour and played several acoustic sets as part of Hellcat Records' Hellcat Nights concert series at The Echo. This was the first time the band had played together since their hiatus. On April 13, 2006, Rancid announced plans for a worldwide tour beginning in July 2006, and the release of a DVD compiling 31 of their music videos, as well as a tentative release date of Spring 2007 for a new as-of-yet-unnamed studio album.
Like many other bands once on the Lookout! Records roster, in September 2006, Rancid pulled their self-titled EP from the catalog.
On November 3, 2006, Reed left Rancid and was replaced by former Used drummer Branden Steineckert. Steineckert was let go from The Used for reasons that have not been made public, but he announced he doesn't feel bitter about it and his new home is with Rancid, joining the band permanently. A full blog describing his feelings may be found at Steineckert's MySpace.
Armstrong released his much anticipated solo LP entitled A Poet's Life on May 22, 2007. The disc features 10 songs, and the album itself is packaged with a bonus DVD featuring a video for each song on the album.
According to new drummer Branden's Myspace blog, Rancid had finished writing their long-awaited follow-up to Indestructible. This would be their first album without the "classic" line-up, with Branden Steineckert replacing Brett Reed on drums. The record was written at Branden's Unknown Studios in Utah and was recorded in California. On February 3, 2009, it was announced that the band finished recording their new album and aiming for a spring release. but then pushed it back once again to a Summer release.
In December 2007, it was announced that Rancid would release B Sides and C Sides. It is a compilation of songs that have been premiered on the flipside of records and numerous compilations.
On February 18, 2008, Punknews.org reported that Rancid would be touring Japan in April for a handful of shows following their two days headlining the Punkspring 2008 festival. Following the Japanese tour, Rancid will also embark on a full scale U.S. tour during the summer and a UK winter tour.
Rancid will be touring again in the summer with Rise Against, Riverboat Gamblers, and Billy Talent through North America. The tour will begin on June 4, 2009 in Vancouver, British Columbia and will end in Toronto, Ontario on July, 31.
Rancid used to host a one hour once a week XM radio show. The show was called Rancid Radio and was on "Fungus" channel 53 Saturday at midnight. However, the show has been cancelled due to Fungus 53 being pulled from XM's programming.

Lineups
Current
• Tim Armstrong – lead vocals, guitars (1991–present)
• Lars Frederiksen – guitars, backing vocals (1993–present)
• Matt Freeman – bass, backing vocals (1991–present)
• Branden Steineckert – drums, percussion (2006–present)
Former
• Brett Reed – drums, percussion (1991–2006)

Collaborations
• Rancid collaborated with reggae artist Buju Banton on the song "Misty Days," which appeared on his album Unchained Spirit. This was considered a controversial move by some, due to Banton's history of extreme homophobia. The song also appeared on Give 'em the Boot II without the reggae lines that Banton delivers in the Unchained Spirit version.
• Rancid collaborated with Stubborn All-Stars on the song "I Wanna Riot" for the Beavis and Butt-Head Do America soundtrack. Both bands also collaborated for a live cover of "The Harder They Come" for the "Tibetan Freedom Concert".
• Rancid collaborated on Buccaneer's "Bruk Out" on the Give 'Em The Boot II compilation.
• Rancid collaborated with Dr Israel on the track 'Coppers', which appeared on Rancid's Life Won't Wait and also Israel's Inner City Pressure.
• Rancid collaborated with Iggy Pop on the song "No Fun" on the Give 'Em The Boot DVD.
• Rancid collaborated with NOFX to create the album "BYO Split Series, Vol. 3" in March 5 of 2002

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NOFX

NOFX (pronounced "no ef-ex") is an American punk rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California (now based in San Francisco), in 1983.
The band was formed by vocalist and bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined them shortly afterward. In 1991 El Hefe joined


to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up. The band rose to popularity in 1994 with their album Punk in Drublic which was certified gold.
NOFX has released 10 studio full lengths, 15 EPs,and many 7" singles. The group has independently sold over 6 million records worldwide,making them one of the most successful independent acts of all time. The band also aired their own show on Fuse TV entitled NOFX: Backstage Passport.

History

Early years (1983–1990)
In 1983, guitarist Eric Melvin met bassist/vocalist Mike Burkett (Fat Mike) and started the band under the name NOFX, after a Boston hardcore punk band called Negative FX. At this time, they were joined by drummer Erik Sandin. NOFX's first recording was a demo from 1983, produced by Germs drummer Don Bolles, which did not sell any copies. They released their self-titled debut EP NOFX on Mystic Records in 1985, which was later re-released in 1992 as part of the Maximum Rocknroll CD. The band's lineup had undergone numerous changes; however, the original three members had reunited. For a year, Erik Sandin left the band and was replaced by Scott Sellers, and later by Scott Aldahl. Dave Allen was in the band for about four months, until he died in a car accident. In 1986, the band released So What If We're on Mystic! Dave Casillas joined the band on second guitar in 1987 and was featured on the EP The P.M.R.C Epitaph Years (1991-2002)
1991 saw the release of Ribbed. By that year, Steve Kidwiller left the band, and Aaron Abeyta (a.k.a. El Hefe) joined to round out the group. With Abeyta, the band recorded the album White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean followed by The Longest Line, released in 1992.
In 1994, punk rock entered the mainstream with the success of The Offspring's Smash and Green Day's Dookie, and NOFX had a commercial breakthrough with the release of their album Punk in Drublic, NOFX's best-selling album to date. The album went Gold without any radio airplay or aired music videos, although a video has been made for the song "Leave It Alone". Due to the success of Punk in Drublic, NOFX received many offers to sign with major labels, but they turned the offers down. The following year, the band released their first live album I Heard They Suck Live!!
Punk in Drublic was followed by 1996's slower Heavy Petting Zoo. The album did not approach the success of their predecessor, although it was the first NOFX record to achieve a position on the US Billboard charts, peaking at number 63. The band stated, "Weird record. I thought it was the coolest record when we finished it, but a few months later I wasn't so sure. Some of those songs are kinda weird. I like the cover a lot though. I think it sold well in Belgium."[14]
In 1997 the band released So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes, a return to faster punk, as exemplified by the frenetic opening track, "It's My Job to Keep Punk Rock Elite."
In 1999, the band released The Decline, an 18-minute single-track EP which served as a fiery and cynical social commentary. The Decline, at 18 minutes, 23 seconds, is the second-longest punk song ever recorded (after Crass's 22-minutes Yes Sir, I Will).
NOFX released the full-length album Pump Up the Valuum in 2000. It would be their final album on Epitaph, as the band decided to move on to Fat Mike's own label Fat Wreck Chords.
2002 saw the band record BYO Split Series, Vol. 3, a split album with Rancid in which Rancid covered NOFX songs and NOFX covered Rancid songs.
[edit] Recent History (2003-Present)
In 2003, NOFX released The War on Errorism, an album of political songs. It became the start of their anti-George W. Bush campaign, and a rallying point for leftist punks. Fat Mike organized the website punkvoter.com, compiled two chart-topping Rock Against Bush CDs, and kicked off a Rock Against Bush U.S. tour. The song "Separation of the Church and Skate" from that album was featured in the game Tony Hawk's Underground.
In February 2005, the band launched the NOFX 7" of the Month Club, a subscription-based service which saw the release of one new EP almost monthly, from February 2005 to March 2006 (a total of 12 releases). The cover art for these EPs was chosen from fan-submitted entries. The first 3000 subscribers to the club received all of their records on colored vinyl. Fat Wreck Chords later released full sets of the EPs.

On March 14, 2006, the EP Never Trust a Hippy was released. This EP was followed on April 18 by the full-length album Wolves in Wolves' Clothing. On September 12, 2006, the video game EA Sports NHL 07 was released, featuring Wolves in Wolves' Clothing on its soundtrack, produced by Bill Stevenson and Fat Mike. Also in 2006, NOFX's song "Kill All The White Man" was played briefly in the action movie Crank, and was credited as such in the film's soundtrack.
In January 2007, the band recorded three nights of shows in San Francisco, California, for a live album entitled They've Actually Gotten Worse Live!, released November 20, 2007. The live album is described on the press release as "their sloppiest, drunkest, funnest, best sounding recording ever … and they even made sure not to play any songs off their 1995 live album I Heard They Suck Live."[10]
NOFX launched a world tour in September 2007, which included concerts in Israel (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa). During their final concert in Israel (7 September in Haifa), vocalist Fat Mike inadvertently struck guitarist Eric Melvin with his bass guitar during the performance of "Bottles to the Ground," breaking the guitar's neck, and leaving a bloody gash on Melvin's forehead. The broken bass guitar was replaced with one from Useless ID for the rest of the show. The band completed their scheduled set amidst the audience's cheers for Melvin's good humor and perseverance. This tour was the basis of the band's recent TV show, NOFX: Backstage Passport.
During the same world tour NOFX played four shows in South Africa (one in Cape Town, one in Durban, two in Johannesburg), the band's first concerts on the African continent. The tour of South Africa followed successful tours by bands Lagwagon, Frenzal Rhomb, and Mad Caddies, all of which are signed to Fat Wreck Chords.
NOFX will release their new album, Coaster,on April 28, 2009. The band worked with the same co-producer, Bill Stevenson, who produced the previous album Wolves in Wolves' Clothing. NOFX has also recently been added to the lineup for the Warped Tour 2009.
[edit] Music style and influences
The band's sound is diverse, utilizing elements of melodic hardcore, skate punk, ska, and other music genres. Their lyrics generally satirize issues such as politics, society, racism, sexism, homophobia, class inequalities, the music industry, and religion.
They cite their influences as Adrenalin O.D., Rich Kids on LSD, Sex Pistols, Bad Religion, and The Subhumans.
[edit] Relationship with the media
For years the band has consented to very few interviews and have only made a few music videos, citing the fact that they do not need any more exposure and that people were exploiting them. In recent years Fat Mike has consented to more interviews, including four different interviews with Nardwuar between 2002 and 2006.The band has also refused permission for their music videos to be played on MTV, VH1, and similar music channels, although they made a live appearance on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 2004.[23] The credits on the album Heavy Petting Zoo call on MTV, along with major labels, to "Leave us the fuck alone."
Fat Mike has also repeatedly conducted friendly interviews with the Australian Broadcasting Corporations' Youth radio station Triple J on its breakfast show with Jay (Jason Whalley) and the Doctor (Lindsay McDougall). Jay and the Doctor are both members of Frenzal Rhomb, an Australian punk rock band that has played many tours and festivals with NOFX, and have their music distribution outside Australia handled by Mike's Fat Wreck Chords label[24].
In 2008 NOFX aired a documentary series on Fuse TV about their worldwide tour.The show was entitled NOFX: Backstage Passport.

Discography


Studio albums
• 1984: Maximum Rocknroll (Released 1992)
• 1988: Liberal Animation
• 1989: S&M Airlines
• 1991: Ribbed
• 1992: White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean
• 1994: Punk in Drublic
• 1996: Heavy Petting Zoo
• 1997: So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes
• 2000: Pump Up the Valuum
• 2003: The War on Errorism
• 2006: Wolves in Wolves' Clothing
• 2009: Coaster

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GAS HUFFER

Gas Huffer was a band from Washington state that played a sort of rockabilly punk, with lyrics both formal and comical, with antic stage presence. They classified themselves loosely in the Garage punk genre. The band created comic books with each album (drawn by all four members of the band, including Joe Newton, now deputy art director for Rolling Stone magazine), that contain the lyrics to the songs. This was done for every album up to

(and including) "Just Beautiful Music". They are contemporaries of many, much more famous, Pacific Northwest rock groups.
Gas Huffer played its final show - dubbed "The Last Huffer" - at Seattle's Crocodile Cafe on January 14, 2006. Opening the show were Girl Trouble from Tacoma, Washington, and Canned Hamm from Vancouver, British Columbia. At the conclusion of Girl Trouble's set, K.P. Kendall called Gas Huffer's Tom Price (who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease) to the stage and presented to him a "Certificate of Achievement".
Prior to Gas Huffer, Tom Price played with The U-Men.
The term "huffer" often refers to a form of substance abuse known as huffing.

Discography
Full-Length
• Janitors of Tomorrow (1991) on Empty Records
• Integrity, Technology & Service (1992) on Empty Records
• One Inch Masters (1994) on Epitaph Records
• The Inhuman Ordeal of Special Agent Gas Huffer (1996) on Epitaph Records
• Just Beautiful Music (1998) on Epitaph Records
• The Rest of Us (2002) on Estrus Records
• Lemonade for Vampires (2005) on Estrus Records

EPs
• Beer Drinkin' Cavemen from Mars (1992) on Empty Records (European release only)
• The Shrill Beeps of Shrimp (1993) on Empty Records

Singles
• Firebug (1989) on Black Label Records
• Ethyl (1990) on Black Label Records
• Mole (1992) on Sympathy for the Record Industry
• Washtucna Hoe-down (1992) on Hayseed Records
• Beer Drinking Cavemen from Mars/Hotcakes (1992) on Sub Pop
• Ooh Ooh Ooh!/Flaming Star (1996) on Lance Rock Records
• Rotten Egg/Old Summertime (2000) on Au Go Go Records

Splits
• King of Hubcaps (1991) split with Fastbacks
• Knife Manual (1992) split with Mudhoney (You Stupid Asshole) on Empty Records (pressed on saw-shaped clear vinyl)
• Bad Guy Reaction (1992) Gearhead magazine split with Supercharger
• Teach Me to Kill (1994) split with Red Aunts

Compilations
• Tracks and Fields: Kill Rock Stars Compilation
• Runnin' On Fumes
• Punk-O-Rama Vol. 4: Straight Outta The Pit
• Punk-O-Rama Vol. 3
• All Punk Rods!
• Hype! The Motion Picture Soundtrack
• Twisted Willie
• Bite Back: Live At The Crocodile Cafe
• Punk-O-Rama Vol. 1
• Dope, Guns 'N Fucking In The Streets Vols. 4-7
• Teriyaki Asthma Vols. 1-5
• Bobbing For Pavement: The Rathouse Compilation
• Empty Records Sampler
• Playin with my skin flute- The Joe Newton Solo Compilation




Gas Huffer
Origin Washington, USA
Genre(s) Garage rock, grunge
Years active 1989 – 2006
Label(s) Sub Pop, Empty Records, Epitaph Records, Estrus Records, Kill Rock Stars Records, Sympathy for the Record Industry
Members
Tom Price - Guitar
Don Blackstone - Bass
Matt Wright - Vocals & Guitar
Joe Newton – Drums

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BAD RELIGION

Bad Religion is an American punk band, founded in Southern California in 1980 by Jay Bentley (bass), Greg Graffin (vocals), Brett Gurewitz (guitars) and Jay Ziskrout (drums). They are often credited for leading the revival of punk rock and inspiring pop-punk bands during the late 1980s, as well as influencing a large number of other punk and rock musicians throughout their career. In the 29 years since its inception, Bad Religion has had numerous lineup changes, and Graffin has been the only constant member, although the band currently features three of the original four members.
To date, Bad Religion has released

fourteen studio albums, two EPs, three compilation albums, one live recording, and two DVDs. Their 1988 album Suffer has been regarded by some critics as one of the most important punk rock albums of all time, although it was not charted in Billboard. Bad Religion rose to fame with their 1993 album Recipe for Hate, which reached number 14 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, marking the highest initial charting album in the band's career. Their next album, Stranger Than Fiction, featuring the band's well-known hit singles "21st Century (Digital Boy)" and "Infected", was also highly successful and became the only Bad Religion album to obtain gold status in the US. Following Gurewitz's departure in 1994, Bad Religion declined in popularity and poor record sales continued until the release of The New America in 2000. Gurewitz returned to the fold in 2001, making Bad Religion a six-piece band, and contributed to their three most recent albums. The band has discussed the possibility of recording their next studio album, which is expected to be released in 2010,[8] and will also mark the first time that a Bad Religion line-up had not changed in four consecutive studio recordings.
They are particularly known for their sophisticated use of style, metaphor, vocabulary, imagery, and vocal harmonies (which they refer to in their album liner notes as the "oozin aahs.) Lyrics are often reflective on matters of personal feelings or of personal or social responsibility.


Formation and early career (1980-1982)
Bad Religion was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1980 by high school students Greg Graffin (Vocals, keyboards), Jay Bentley (bass), Jay Ziskrout (drums), and Brett Gurewitz, also known as "Mr. Brett" (guitar). James O'Hanlon from New York filled in on guitar briefly as well while Brett was in the hospital with a broken leg. The band's major influences stemmed from earlier punk acts such as The Ramones, The Adolescents, Black Flag, The Germs, and The Sex Pistols. Outside of the punk scene, their influences ranged from Elvis Costello, The Jam, and Nick Lowe to authors like Jack Kerouac. Greg Graffin called his influences "pop sounding rock tunes that were not necessarily commercial."
In 1981, the band released their eponymous debut EP on the newly-formed label, Epitaph Records, which was and continues to be managed and owned by Gurewitz. 1982 saw the release of their first full-length album, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, gaining the band a sizable following. During the recording of How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, Jay Ziskrout left the band and was replaced by Peter Finestone.

Into the Unknown, Back to the Known and hiatus (1983-1985)

In 1983, the band released Into the Unknown, a keyboard-driven progressive rock album that was enormously unpopular with the band's core fanbase. It is now officially out of print, after almost all of the 10,000 copies were surreptitiously sold out of the warehouse they were being stored in by Gurewitz's ex-girlfriend, Suzy Shaw (who currently runs Bomp Records).
The record has since become a collectors item, and has also gained acceptance from some fans. It can be seen going for more than 100 dollars on eBay.
Also in 1983, the Mystic Records compilation album "The Sound Of Hollywood, Vol. 2" was released featuring two Bad Religion songs- "Every Day" and "Waiting For The Fire" which continued in the mellow acoustic/keyboard direction of the previous album. These songs are exclusive to this vinyl-only release which has been out of print for many years.
In 1984, Greg Hetson of Circle Jerks fame, who had played the guitar solo for "Part III" on How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, teamed up with Graffin on the song "Running Fast" for the soundtrack of the film Desperate Teenage Lovedolls. Originally credited to Greg Greg on the initial release, the 1997 CD reissue lists the artist as Greg Graffin and Greg Hetson. Soon after, Graffin reassembled Bad Religion with Hetson replacing Gurewitz, who had gone into rehab for his drug problem. Bad Religion returned to a somewhat mellower, rock and roll version of their original sound with the Back to the Known EP, but disbanded temporarily soon after.
In 1985, Brett Gurewitz released a 5-song EP on Epitaph Records under the name The Seeing Eye Gods. This psychedelic influenced record is long out of print and has never been released on CD.

Reunion and Suffer (1986-1988)
Bad Religion slowly reformed in 1986 out of the Back to the Known lineup when Greg Graffin called Jay Bentley and asked him to return. Bentley's response was tentative, but after being assured that the setlist consisted mostly of tracks from How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, he agreed to return for one show, and ended up staying on because he had so much fun. A freshly rehabilitated Gurewitz was eventually convinced to come back aboard, and with Pete Finestone returning on drums and Greg Hetson on second guitar, Bad Religion was back.[11]
The reunited band released Suffer in 1988, cementing their comeback in the punk community. Not only is this album often cited as one of their very best by fans, but it is credited with "saving" the Southern California punk rock scene by fans and Bad Religion's contemporaries alike.[12]



No Control, Against the Grain and Generator (1989-1992)
During the Suffer tour in 1988, Bad Religion began writing "album's worth of material" and debuted a new song called "21st Century (Digital Boy)". After the Suffer tour ended in early 1989, Bad Religion immediately decided to commence work on their next album and entered the Westbeach Recorders studio in June of that year to record it. The resulting album, No Control, was released in November 1989, and ended up selling more than 50,000 copies. By the time it was released, the band had become one of the most critically-praised hardcore punk bands of the time, in spite of a lack of mainstream success.
Bad Religion's hardcore punk style continued with their next album, Against the Grain, which was released in 1990. While the album still did not break the group into mainstream audiences, it was the first 100,000 seller, and showed how quickly they were growing. The track "21st Century (Digital Boy)" off the album, which was originally intended to appear on No Control, is generally regarded the band's most well-known song, and is often a staple at live shows.
Bad Religion's sixth album, Generator, was released in 1992. Before recording sessions for Generator commenced, drummer Pete Finestone left Bad Religion early in 1991 to focus on his other band, The Fishermen, which had signed with a major label, and Bobby Schayer joined the band as his replacement.
To coincide with the band's success, Bad Religion released a compilation album, 80-85, in 1991. It is a repackaging of their debut album, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, their two EPs, Bad Religion and Back to the Known and the band's three track contributions to the Public Service EP. This compilation did not include Into the Unknown. 80-85 is now out of print and has been replaced by the 2004 re-issued version of How Could Hell Be Any Worse? with the same track listings.



Mainstream success (1993-1995)
With alternative rock and grunge breaking into the mainstream, Bad Religion left Epitaph Records for Atlantic Records and quickly re-released their seventh full-length studio album Recipe for Hate (1993) on the major label. Also in 1993, the band recorded the song "Leaders and Followers" for the soundtrack for the Kevin Smith film, Clerks. Their next album, 1994's Stranger Than Fiction, subsequently became their most successful release, scoring hits with "Infected" and a re-recording of "21st Century (Digital Boy)", which was originally released on Against the Grain. To date, Stranger Than Fiction remains another one of Bad Religion's best known albums, with sales continuing fifteen years after its release. On March 4, 1998, it also became the band's first RIAA certified gold record for sales of over half a million in the United States.[13]
Before the release of Stranger Than Fiction, Gurewitz left the band. He officially cited the reason for his departure as the increasing amount of time he was needed at Epitaph as The Offspring became one of the biggest bands of the mid-1990s, but it was well known that his departure was not on good terms. Gurewitz, along with many fans, accused the band of selling out for leaving Epitaph to seek greater financial success despite the fact that Gurewitz was making millions off of The Offspring alone.[14]
As tensions increased, Graffin would sing alternate lyrics during concerts such as "I want to know where Brett gets his crack" or "I want to know why Gurewitz cracked," on the song "Stranger Than Fiction".[15] These barbs referred to Gurewitz's struggles with crack, heroin and other addictions which plagued him for years. Brett discussed his drug use in an interview on the band's Suffer tour documentary, Along the Way, and is now clean and sober. In response, Gurewitz recorded a song with his new band The Daredevils entitled "Hate You", reportedly directed towards Jay Bentley.
Gurewitz was replaced as a guitarist by Brian Baker, a former member of bands such as Minor Threat and Dag Nasty. Since Greg Graffin and Gurewitz had split songwriting duties, Graffin was now Bad Religion's primary songwriter.

Sans Gurewitz period (1996-2000)
Bad Religion continued touring and recording without Brett Gurewitz and released three more albums for Atlantic, starting with The Gray Race (1996), produced by former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek. The album would score Bad Religion a minor U.S. radio hit with the song "A Walk" as well as the European release of "Punk Rock Song" (sung in both English and German). The band would find its greatest success in Europe, where the album would reach the German music charts at #6 and score the band their first European gold record for sales in Scandinavia alone.

Their next album, No Substance (1998), was not as well received by the critics or fans. For The New America (2000), Todd Rundgren, an early musical inspiration for Graffin, was brought in to produce. "Todd was kind of an underground sensation back in 1974. Here's a guy who was making pop music but in a way that you wouldn't hear on the radio. So much of my early musical identity was wrapped up in the way he conducted himself." In the summer of 1999 they set out on a three month US arena tour opening for Blink 182. Unfortunately, the experience might not have been all that Greg and the rest of the band might have hoped. Interest in recording the record waned, due to Rundgren's poor attitude. Jay Bentley reflects on this by saying, "I didn't feel we were going anywhere and so did Greg. Todd didn't like Greg and that made Greg so mad! He met his idol and he was a jerk! I don't think Todd gave a shit about anything." Meanwhile, Bobby Schayer left the band following a serious shoulder injury and was replaced by Brooks Wackerman (Suicidal Tendencies).
Bad Religion departed from Atlantic Records in 2001 and returned to Epitaph.

Reunion with Gurewitz (2001-2004)
In 2001, Brett Gurewitz rejoined the band in time to record The Process Of Belief (2002). Graffin states, "there was a little bit of disappointment on my part when he left the band, but we never had any serious acrimony between the two of us. I can't say the same for the rest of the band. But he and I, being the songwriters from way back, we really wanted to try again."
Their next album, The Empire Strikes First, was released in June 2004. Both albums are widely regarded by fans and critics as a return to form for the band, as opposed to their time on Atlantic.
The band also re-released digitally-remastered versions of several of their early albums on Epitaph Records, including How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, Suffer, No Control, Against the Grain, and Generator. The How Could Hell Be Any Worse? re-issue, though reclaiming the original title of the band's debut LP, contained all of the same material as the previously issued 80-85 compilation, including their first EP, the Public Service EP (with different versions of the songs Bad Religion, Slaves, and Drastic Actions than the self-titled EP) and the "Back To The Known" EP.

New Maps of Hell (2005-2008)
On March 7, 2006, a live DVD, Live at the Palladium was released. This DVD featured a live show performed in late 2004 at the Hollywood Palladium, as well as extensive interviews, several music videos, and a photo gallery. During one of the interview segments, guitarist Brett Gurewitz said the band's next album would be a double length release, but this turned out not to be the case.
Greg Graffin released his second solo album, Cold as the Clay, on July 11, 2006.
Bad Religion's fourteenth (and most recent) studio album, New Maps of Hell, was released on July 10, 2007. On June 29 of that year (Greg Hetson's 46th birthday), Epitaph Records started selling New Maps of Hell at the Warped Tour in Pomona, California. The album was a commercial success and spawned two hit singles "Honest Goodbye" and "New Dark Ages", and as a result, New Maps of Hell reached number 35 on the Billboard 200, marking Bad Religion's highest ever chart position. Bad Religion also joined the 2007 Warped Tour to support the album.
Hetson formed a supergroup band called Black President, consisting of Charlie Paulson (from Goldfinger), Jason Christopher, Wade Youman (both from Unwritten Law) and Christian Martucci (from Dee Dee Ramone).
In early March 2008, Bad Religion played several-night residences at House of Blues venues in Southern California as well as Las Vegas. They also played at the KROQ Weenie Roast (y Fiesta) on May 17 along such bands as Flobots, Metallica, The Offspring, Pennywise, Rise Against and Scars on Broadway. Following that, they performed four European festival appearances in May and June.
On July 8, 2008, Bad Religion released their first-ever deluxe edition CD, a reissue of 2007's New Maps of Hell. The deluxe version includes the original 16 song CD, along with seven new acoustic tracks recorded by Graffin (vocals) and Gurewitz (guitars/back vocals). Three of the acoustic songs are new, written specifically for this release; the other four tracks are new acoustic versions of BR songs. The release also includes a DVD with an hour-long live performance, music videos and behind-the-scenes footage.

Next album (2009-present)
In June 2008, Jay Bentley said in an interview at the Pinkpop Festival in Landgraaf, Netherlands that Gurewitz had already begun writing new material for the next Bad Religion album. Bentley stated that the band was planning to return to the studio after Graffin teaches UCLA to start work on the follow-up to New Maps of Hell planned for a June 2009 release. However, according to a December 2008 report on the fan site The Bad Religion Page, Bentley revealed that due to Bad Religion's upcoming touring commitments for 2009, the band would not have a chance to record their new album until around the end of the year, for an expected 2010 release date.

Lyrics and ideology
The majority of Bad Religion's lyrics are written by either Greg Graffin or Brett Gurewitz. Only on rare occasions will they co-write a song. Other band members, such as Jay Bentley, also contribute songs, but these constitute only a small percentage of the Bad Religion catalog.
Brett Gurewitz acknowledges attempting to emulate The Germs singer Darby Crash early on in Bad Religion's lyrical style. "He wrote some intelligent stuff, and didn't shy away from the vocabulary, which I thought was cool." In addition to their use of unusually sophisticated vocabulary for a punk band, Bad Religion is also known for their frequent use of vocal harmonies. They took their cues from The Adolescents, in the way that they used three-part harmonies. Bassist Jay Bentley says, "Seeing The Adolescents live, it was so brilliant. So, in a way, the Adolescents influenced us into saying we can do it too, because look, they're doing it."

Social and political issues
Many of Bad Religion's songs are about different social ills, although they try not to ascribe the causes of these ills to any single person or group. Greg Graffin believes that the current political situation in the United States can make it difficult to voice these concerns, as he doesn't want to feed the polarization of viewpoints.
The band doesn't always restrict political commentary exclusively to metaphor. Brett Gurewitz pulled no punches when he attributed his anger towards former U.S. president George W. Bush as the major inspiration for The Empire Strikes First. "Our whole album is dedicated to getting Bush out of office. I'm not a presidential scholar but I don't think you'll find a worse president in the history of the United States. He's probably one of the worst leaders in the history of world leaders. I just hate the guy."


Religion
Faith in your partner, your fellow men, your friends, is very important, because without it there's no mutual component to your relationship, and relationships are important. So faith plays an important role, but faith in people you don't know, faith in religious or political leaders or even people on stages, people who are popular in the public eye, you shouldn't have faith in those people. You should listen to what they have to say and use it.

Greg Graffin
Despite the name of the band, the members do not consider themselves antitheist. Singer Greg Graffin states that more often than not, the band prefers to use religion as a metaphor for anything that doesn't allow for an individual's freedom to think or express themselves as they choose. In this way, their songs are more about anti-conformity than anti-religion. Greg Graffin himself is an atheist who co-authored the book 'Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?' The band's bassist Jay Bentley has stated that he has spiritual beliefs. [30] Brett Gurewitz is a "provisional deist."

Band members
For more details on this topic, see List of Bad Religion band members.
Although Greg Graffin is the only constant member of the band's line-up, the band currently features two other original members, Brett Gurewitz and Jay Bentley.

Current members
• Greg Graffin – lead vocals, piano, synthesizer, acoustic guitar, songwriter (1980 – 1984, 1986 – present)
• Brett Gurewitz – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals, songwriter (1980 – 1983, 1986 – 1994, 2001 – present)
• Jay Bentley – bass guitar, backing vocals (1980 – 1982, 1986 – present)
• Greg Hetson – rhythm guitar (1984, 1986 – present)
• Brian Baker – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1994 – present)
• Brooks Wackerman – drums, percussion (2001 – present)

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THE EXPLOITED

The Exploited are a Scottish punk band from the second wave of UK punk, formed in 1979.
They started out as an Oi! band, before transforming into a faster street punk and hardcore punk band. From about 1987 on (around the time of Death Before Dishonour) they changed into a crossover thrash band. Formed in Edinburgh by ex-soldier Wattie Buchan, they signed to Secret Records in March 1981 and released their debut EP Army Life.

The album Punks Not Dead followed in the same year. Despite many lineup changes, the band continued into the 2000s and has developed a worldwide following. The band are currently writing material for a new album.
Current lineup
• Wattie Buchan - Vocals
• Gav - Guitar
• Irish Rob - Bass
• Wullie Buchan - drums
Former members
Guitar
• Hayboy (Steve) (1979-1980)
• “Big” John Duncan (1980-1983)
• Karl “Egghead” Morris (1983-1985)
• Mad Mick (1985)
• Nig (Nigel Swanson) (1987-1989)
• Gogs (Gordon Balfour) (1989-1991)
• Fraz (Fraser Rosetti) (1991-1995)
• Arf (Arthur Dalrymple) (1990)
• Jamie Buchan (1995-96)
• Robbie ( 2001 -2007)
Bass
• Mark Patrizio (1979-1980)
• Gary MacCormack (1980-1983)
• Billy Dunn (1983-1984, 1996-1997)
• Wayne Tyas (1984-1985, 1986)
• “Deptford” John Armitage (1985-1986)
• Tony Lochiel (1986-1987)
• Smeeks (Mark Smellie) (1987-1993)
• Jim Gray (1993-1996)
• Dave Peggie (2002-2003)
• Mikie (2003- ?)
• Jordan Switzer (2007- current)
Drums
• Jimbo (Jim Park) (1979)
• Dru Stix (Andrew Campbell) (1979-1982)
• Danny Heatley (1982)
• Steve Roberts (1982)(Troops of Tomorrow album)
• Tony Martin (1989-1991)
• Reiner (1997)
• Daniel Lynch (1998-2000)
• Wullie Buchan (on and off since 1982)
• Ian Purdie(Pud) (1991-1992)
Discography
Studio albums
• Punk's Not Dead - 1981 ( sample - "Punks Not Dead" (help•info))
• Troops of Tomorrow - 1982
• Let's Start a War (Said Maggie One Day) - 1983
• Horror Epics - 1985
• Death Before Dishonour - 1987
• The Massacre - 1990
• Beat the Bastards - 1996
• Fuck the System - 2003
Singles
• "Army Life" - 1980 (EP)
• "Exploited Barmy Army" - 1980 (EP)
• "Dogs of War" - 1981
• "Dead Cities" - 1981 (EP)
• "Attack/Alternative" - 1982
• "Computers Don't Blunder" - 1982
• "Troops of Tomorrow" - 1982
• "Rival Leaders" - 1983 (EP)
• "Fuck the U.S.A" - 1983
Split albums
• Don't Let 'Em Grind You Down (W/Anti-Pasti) - 1981
• Britannia Waives The Rules (W/Chron Gen & Infa Riot) - 1982
• Apocalypse Punk Tour 1981 (W/The Anti-Nowhere League, Chron Gen, Anti Pasti & Discharge) - 1992
Live albums
• On Stage - 1981
• Apocalypse Tour (Limited Edition) - 1981
• Live At The Whitehouse - 1985
• Live And Loud - 1987
• Live Lewd Lust - 1989
• Don't Forget The Chaos - 1992
• Live In Japan - 1994
EPs
• Jesus Is Dead - 1986 (12")
• War Now - 1988 (12")
Videography
• Live At The Palm Cove - 1983
• Sexual Favours - 1987
• The Exploited: 83-87 (1993)
• Live In Japan - 1993
• Alive At Leeds - 1995
• Rock and Roll Outlaws - 1995
• Buenos Aires 93 (1996)
• Beat 'Em All - 2004
Best of collections
• Totally Exploited - 1984
• Castle Masters Collection - 1990
• Apocalypse '77 - 1992
• Singles Collection - 1993
• Dead Cities - 2000
• Punk Singles & Rarities 1980-83 (2001)
• The Best Of The Exploited - Twenty Five Years Of Anarchy And Chaos (2004)
• Complete Punk Singles Collection - 2005
Compilation Albums
• "Oi! - The Album" - 1980
• "Lords Of Oi!" – 1997

The Exploited

Background information
Origin Edinburgh, Scotland
Genre(s) Crossover thrash, hardcore punk, oi!, street punk
Years active 1979-present
Label(s) Nuclear Blast Records
Website Official Band Homepage
Members
Wattie Buchan
Gav
Irish Rob
Willie Buchan

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