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New Rancid: Devil In Disguise

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Video: Rancid – “Devil In Disguise”

Directed by Tim Armstrong and Kevin Kerslake. From Tomorrow Never Comes, out now on Epitaph.

I remember the first time I heard Rancid. It was back when the only place to see videos was on the television. In real time. And unless you were handy with a VCR, if you missed it, you missed it. And you might not ever see it again. But I saw the video for “Time Bomb” on MTV and was blown away. Listening today, it might just sound like a normal, catchy 90s ska song but at the time it was wild to see grimey punks who sang like that on MTV. I wasn’t aware of the Operation Ivy back story or any of the history of the Berkeley punk scene. All I knew was that this was a great song sung by ugly kids with terrible voices who looked like they’d stab you for drug money. I loved it.

I’m glad I got the chance to see them live back then in a shitty club with a chicken wire fence that separated the bar from the kids. It was perfect. I’ve seen them more recently a couple of times at Riot Fest and they’re still just as exciting as ever. And fun. They put on a great show and there’s always a palpable sense of danger. You might get bonked in the head with a shoe or a beer can or you might get knocked over and accidentally stomped to death. You never know! Makes it exciting.

“Devil In Disguise” sounds like it could have been inspired by an Irish drinking song or a sea shanty. You can imagine a throbbing crowd jumping up and down and screaming along with the chorus and spilling beer all over everybody. Perfect.

Rancid: web, bandcamp, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.
Shorties

Riot Fest 2021: Be Safe Out There

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So this is what it’s like attending a big music festival during a global pandemic, huh? Cool.

Big thanks to the 385,000 guinea pigs who attended Lollapalooza this year and proved that you can go to a huge, multi-day outdoor party without becoming part of a superspreader event…as long as you are required to show proof of vaccination or a negative test result.

I’ll admit that I had been dubious that Riot Fest was going to happen this year, especially after seeing those photos of the tightly packed, maskless hordes in Grant Park. But health officials only found 203 cases connected to Lollapa. Nothing unexpected. So yay!

That good news did not prevent several bands on the original lineup from pulling out of Riot Fest including My Chemical Romance, Nine Inch Nails, Pixies, Dinosaur Jr, PUP, Holy Fawn, White Lung, Skating Polly, Faith No More, and Mr. Bungle. You might think that losing several big-name headliners and support groups would tank a music festival.

But Riot Fest is scrappy. And agile!

They were able to add a bunch of replacements at the last minute. It’s hard to imagine a corporately owned event being this quick on its feet, but independent Riot Fest can get shit done. They added Skipknot, Flaming Lips, Rise Against, Anthrax, Body Count, Pinegrove, Envy on the Coast, Action/Adventure, and Clockworks. Not only that but they tacked on a bonus Thursday with Morrissey, Patti Smith, Alkaline Trio, Joyce Manor, WDRL, and Kristeen Young.

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Links, MP3s

Rancid Says Punk Is Still Not Dead

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Lars Frederiksen and Tim Armstrong from Rancid talk to Express Night Out about getting older, having kids, and what punk means today:

I got friends who are my age — I’m 43 — who say punk rock is dead. Really? Why don’t you come to some of these house parties and backyards, get on the mic, stop the shop, make an announcement: “Excuse me, everybody, punk rock is dead” — to a bunch of 17- and 18-year-olds in a backyard somewhere.

Back in the 90s I saw Rancid at the Eastown Works in Grand Rapids (before it was converted into a church). It was an all-ages show, but the elevated bar was kept separate from the moshing throngs below by a chicken wire fence, so we grown-ups could safely enjoy the mayhem. It was perfect. One of the sloppiest shows I’ve ever seen, but one of the most fun.

MP3: Rancid – “Last One to Die” from Let the Dominoes Fall, out now on Epitaph.

Rancid: iTunes, Amazon, Insound, wiki, MySpace.

Via punknews.

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