Song Of The Week: 9/4/11

Song: "Leave It To Tomorrow"

Artist: Rancid

Album: "Demolition Sessions"

Year: 1994



"Leave It To Tomorrow" is a demo by the band Rancid that was released as part of a collection of demos and outtakes that were recorded between 1993 and 1994. The whole "Demolition Sessions" compilation is a must have for any Rancid fan and, while considered a rarity, is not very hard to find while searching the internet. Before forming Rancid in 1991, guitarist Tim Armstrong and bassist Matt Freeman were in the influential punk/ska outfit Operation Ivy. After Op. Ivy dissolved, Freeman wanted to continue to work along side Armstrong and thus, Rancid was formed. In 1993, Lars Frederiksen would join the band as a second guitarist as well as another vocalist. Rancid, along with the bands The Offspring, Green Day and Bad Religion, were at the forefront of the punk revival of the mid-90's. Just after grunge exploded on the music scene, a series of punk bands began to attract some of the spotlight. Rancid, however, would stick with independent punk label Epitaph Records while several other bands would sign with the mainstream. This always gave Rancid that extra street cred in punk circles. 1995's "And Out Come The Wolves" would be the pinnacle of Rancid's success as a band thanks to the hit singles, "Timebomb", "Ruby Soho" and "Roots Radicals". Record sales alone would not signify Rancid as a band. To this day, they are one of the most respected bands in punk circles and beyond. Their style is reminiscent of punk legends The Clash. Rancid, like The Clash, are not afraid to delve into other genres besides straight-forward punk. They've dabbled in reggae,ska, rockabilly, blues and even some hip hop. After releasing 2003's "Indestructible", Rancid went on a little bit of a hiatus in which they focused on side projects, most notably The Transplants, Devil's Brigade and The Bastards. In 2009, the band got back together and dropped "Let The Dominoes Fall". Currently, after a short tour opening up for Blink 182, Rancid is set to hit the studio in September of 2011 and are hoping to have what would be their eighth studio album hit the shelves sometime in 2012.