sandiegopunk.com

I want to preface this article by stating that this is not a review in the purest sense but more of editorial on the incredible impact that punk has on our collective society. Thus, the role that like Rancid (among many others) plays in shaping mainstream punk. They are by no means the sole carriers of punk’s message nor are the harbinger’s of all that is authentic punk-rock. What they are is a great band that has witnessed punk rocked grow from ‘shunned by the masses’ to being played on mainstream radio and performed in large arenas. Now, don’t think for a minute that this author is any way overlooking the role of bands like Crass, the Kinks, Anti-Nowhere league, The Clash, Sex Pistols, New York Dolls, MC5, The Ramones and so many more. Because I am not.

This article is merely a window into the world of today’s punk rock scene via one path made by one band, that brought us to the point where punk is no longer a sub culture but a dominate culture that has fused with everything domesticated  and commercialized. What I am saying is that Rancid came off the heels of very large movement in the 80’s and seen that movement become something completely different in some many ways. That scene built itself up, saw a few major acts cross over but as far as punk being viewed as something worth marketing on a massive level, that took till the nineties to see that transformation. (Opposed to just marketing one band like what happened with The Clash, The Ramones or The Sex Pistols).

Enter Rancid and their non-stop touring (minus the hiatus in 2004). Their in your face abrasive and always intellectual sound and style have helped catapult punk to forefront of music shaping our collective culture. They have in essence brought an ideological prospective that once threatened the fabric of mainstream society into every kids room and ipod. They saw Mohawks go from a way to get your ass kicked to a major fashion trend.  They witnessed the birth of Warped Tour and death of Joe Strummer. With that being said they are perfect band to exemplify the transformative power of music.

Punk rock has helped shape how we think about politics, social standards, sexuality, community, DIY music. Punk rock music was largely self sufficient (and still is) before the era of myspace and our digitally interfacing web 3.0 world and laid the foundation for so many of today’s great DIY bands. For all you who struggled and still struggle to fit in you know what punk and the punk scene does for you. Many of us struggled throughout our youth to find a place to fit in and punk shows gave us haven to be ourselves and a group to share it with.

A band like Rancid was one of many bands to be our personal soundtrack to life. Before the majors got wind of Epitaph Records and before Lars entered the band; or they played major shows with Offspring, they were three kids helping grow a scene and leaving a trail of great bands behind them; such as Op Ivy, Dance Hall Crashers; all in an effort to create a great, tenacious sound and live show.

They were and are a working band that strives, despite the controversy that has surrounded them in the past, (Tim and Lars excessive lifestyle or Brody and Tim’s relationship or Bret leaving the band and being replaced by the Used’s Brandon Steineckert); they’ve continued to keep a sense of calm and integrity about them.

Regardless, of what you may or may not think about some of the business choices they’ve made, like their shifting to Warner Bros. for the distribution of Indestructible, you have to give credence to the fact they are largely responsible for bringing the countercultural, often subversive message of punk rock to the masses.

They have helped propel today’s pop punk sound into the spot light and keep it in the face of a country that for a while was critical and dismissive of punk’s importance. But when you see a crowd as diverse and mixed as this show it’s almost surreal to see how far punk has come over the past 4 decades. When you see a new generation of kids, nine years old, chanting songs with their parents, you see a movement that started in basements and dive bars become a part of our shared collective culture.

Rancid helps keep punk rock an integral part of America’s musical landscape. And their recent show in Chula Vista, CA was no exception. They played a fast paced in your face show with a few down times where they slowed and really ska’ed out a few tracks form Out Come the Wolves or when Tim took the time to play and acoustic song. They stuck with crowd favorites like Ruby Soho, Maxwell Murder and Time Bomb. And they reached back to Let’s Go for songs like Salvation.

They played to the fans staying away from a lot of their darker aggressive stuff from their two self titled albums. I wonder if in the wake of their success, they look out on a crowd like the one at this show and think, we have made it, our scene has made it, they message of punk has made it? Or do they wonder if they intrinsic value in their songs and the often overt message of questioning authority and challenging the status quo has been co-opted and commercialized to the point where no one cares about the music and are more concerned with drinking margaritas and running into each other. This writer likes to think that they see the young kids in the front and realize that their message thrives in the hearts and minds of a new generation.

Kevin Farr