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====Brody====
====Brody====
Tim met current ex-wife [[Brody Dalle]] of [[The Distillers]] on tour when she was playing in her band Sourpuss, although Tim was considerably older than her and Dalle had lied about her age, of 17, the two began dating and after two years they were married and Dalle moved from her home in Melbourne to be with her husband.
Tim met current ex-wife [[Brody Dalle]] of [[The Distillers]] on tour when she was playing in her band Sourpuss. Although Tim was considerably older than her and Dalle had lied about her age (she was 17), the two began dating and after two years were married. Dalle moved from her home in Melbourne to be with her husband.
They divorced in 2003 after photographs of Brody kissing [[Queens of the Stone Age]] frontman [[Josh Homme]] were published in Rolling Stone Magazine. Armstrong, who claims he knew nothing of Dalle's relationship with Homme, said he broke down when he saw the photos. Dalle then called it off over the phone and issued a divorce. It is said that the two were suffering for a while and even seeking marriage therapy.
They divorced in 2003 after photographs of Brody kissing [[Queens of the Stone Age]] frontman [[Josh Homme]] were published in Rolling Stone Magazine. Armstrong, who claims he knew nothing of Dalle's relationship with Homme, said he broke down when he saw the photos. Dalle then called it off over the phone and issued a divorce. It is said that the two were suffering for a while and even seeking marriage therapy.
Dalle and Homme married after the birth of their daughter, Camille Harley Homme in 2006.
Dalle and Homme married after the birth of their daughter, Camille Harley Homme in 2006.

Revision as of 19:41, 26 July 2007

Tim Armstrong

Tim Armstrong (born November 25, 1966) is an American musician and songwriter best known for his work with punk rock bands Rancid, Operation Ivy, and Transplants, as well as his record label Hellcat Records.

Biography

Personal life

Pre-Rancid

Tim was born in Oakland, November 25 in 1966, son to an alcoholic father and hardworking mother, and is the youngest of three brothers.

As a young kid, Tim met one of his best friends, Matt Freeman (current bass player for Rancid) playing Little League Baseball in California at age 6. Tim and Matt grew up together in Albany, California and as a young punk in high school, Tim's favorite band was the Ramones. Tim quotes in Maximum Rancid - The Unauthorized Biography Of Rancid, that if it wasn't for the Ramones, Rancid would have never become a band. He was in the punk/ska band Operation Ivy from their beginning in 1987 under the nickname "Lint". Operation Ivy continued until its demise in 1989. He then founded two relatively unsuccessful bands called the Dance Hall Crashers and Downfall but later went on to greater fame with the very successful Rancid, founded in 1991. During time in between Operation Ivy and Rancid, Tim suffered from alcoholism, drug abuse and eventually homelessness. Freeman suggested the two start a band together in hopes of curbing Armstrong from his habits and they soon began writing songs that would appear on Rancid's first album.

Tim Armstrong while in Operation Ivy

For a long time, Tim was very active in the Berkeley scene that grew up around 924 Gilman Street. He showcased his other artistic talents and created artwork for the INSAINTS logo.

Brody

Tim met current ex-wife Brody Dalle of The Distillers on tour when she was playing in her band Sourpuss. Although Tim was considerably older than her and Dalle had lied about her age (she was 17), the two began dating and after two years were married. Dalle moved from her home in Melbourne to be with her husband. They divorced in 2003 after photographs of Brody kissing Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme were published in Rolling Stone Magazine. Armstrong, who claims he knew nothing of Dalle's relationship with Homme, said he broke down when he saw the photos. Dalle then called it off over the phone and issued a divorce. It is said that the two were suffering for a while and even seeking marriage therapy. Dalle and Homme married after the birth of their daughter, Camille Harley Homme in 2006. Armstrong has accused Dalle and Homme of adultery, and Homme received a series of death threats from Armstrong's fans. The conflict has divided L.A.'s punk rock microcosm.

Hell Cat Records

Tim Armstrong, being an icon in the punk rock scene of today, idolized various other punk rock legends. One of the most famous was Joe Strummer the front man for The Clash. Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros signed to Armstrong's label Hellcat Records a sub label of Epitaph Records and put out three records on the label. Tim and Joe are seen on the Hell Cat records movie Give 'Em The Boot DVD with each other talking about each other. In the music video to the cover of Redemption Song by Joe Strummer, Tim Armstrong is seen watching the painting of a mural memorial to the late Joe Strummer. Tim started the record label in 1997 as a sub-label of Epitaph, owned by his friend Brett Gurewitz. Tim gets choice on what bands are signed to the label but contorary to popular belief doesn't earn much from the label as it's just a vanity label. Tim also owns a merchandise stockist, Machete, where most of his friends are employed in the warehouse. Tim uses this as a way of employing his broke friends and providing cheap merch for all bands signed to Hell-Cat.

Musical history

One of the first bands that Tim played in was Basic Radio. 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. Soon thereafter, Armstrong helped found the Dance Hall Crashers, but left the band after a brief period of time. He was also in Downfall with Matt Freeman. In 1991 Armstrong went on to greater fame with the very successful Rancid with bassist Matt Freeman (who had previously played with Tim in Operation Ivy, Downfall, and Dancehall Crashers). Brett Reed was only a local skate punk who had been playing drums for six months when Tim and Matt asked him to be in the band.

In 1999 Tim invited Rob Aston ("Skinhead Rob") around to work on some music he had been creating by himself in his basement, the two worked together writing and recording music, later Travis Barker (of blink-182 fame) formed the band Transplants and released their self-titled debut album, Transplants, on October 22, 2002. Also in 2002, Armstrong contributed vocals to Tom Delonge's (also of blink-182 fame) side project entitled Boxcar Racer, on the track "Cat Like Thief". A second Transplants album, Haunted Cities, was released on June 21, 2005. The band's demise was confirmed by Rob Aston on January 16, 2006, when he told a reporter that the band had split.

Tim co-wrote 8 songs with Pink for her 2003 album Try This, he has also collaborated with Gwen Stefani on her debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

In addition to his projects, Armstrong has also been known to pop up on others' albums in various roles. He's contributed vocals/guitar to tracks by bands including The Lordz, Box Car Racer, Bad Religion, Stubborn All-Stars, Head Automatica, Fefe Dobson, The Matches, NOFX, Time Again and Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards, which is a side-project of his Rancid bandmate Lars Frederiksen. He's collaborated with P!nk, the Aggrolites, Gwen Stefani and Kelly Osbourne. He has also produced several albums, including the first album by AFI, Answer That and Stay Fashionable (1995), Viking by Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and a few tracks from Decomposer by the Matches.

The band Butane has dedicated their song T.A.B.S. to Tim.

Recent history

Armstrong is still very active in the Berkeley scene that grew up around 924 Gilman Street. He has showcased his other artistic talents and created artwork for the INSAINTS logo. He has also done a solo album entitled A Poet's Life, of which fans can download the tracks for free on the internet. He has so far released 10 music videos. In late December 2006, The Aggrolites issued a bulletin from their myspace page that the album would be available in March 2007, but this did not come to pass. After much airplay of the song "Into Action" (featuring Skye Sweetnam on guest vocals), it was decided to release A Poet's Life as a CD with a bonus DVD containing video clips for each song from the 22th May. Rancid's song "Sidekick" was also featured in a pornographic film entitled "Fuck the System".

An extract taken from hell-cat record's website about the solo album -

Punk legend Tim Armstrong has announced plans to give his debut solo album, A Poet's Life, away for free on the internet beginning April 17th. Each Tuesday fans are encouraged to hunt down new songs and videos that will be made available for download on various blogs, sites and social networks. Additionally the album will also be available for sale on May 22nd with a bonus DVD containing 10 new videos.

Never a stranger to having his music suddenly and widely embraced, as evidenced by the hit songs Armstrong has created for both Rancid and his side-project the Transplants, by March it was clear that the iconic singer/songwriter had another bona fide hit with the track "Into Action." The undeniably catchy dance song became an instant favorite of fans and critics alike, with support from everyone from Myspace users to the influential LA radio stations KROQ and Indie 103.1. Continuing to sweep the nation with its infectious groove, "Into Action" is guaranteed to be blasting from every car stereo and beach boom box this summer.

Be the first one to find hot new songs and videos each Tuesday!

Track Listing:

1. "Wake Up" 2. "Hold On" 3. "Into Action" 4. "Translator" 5. "Take This City" 6. "Inner City Violence" 7. "Oh No" 8. "Lady Demeter" 9. "Among The Dead" 10. "Cold Blooded"

Despite Armstrong's solo tour, drummer Branden Steineckert recently mentioned that Rancid plans to resume work on their new album in January 2008.[1]

Discography

Operation Ivy

  • Hectic EP (1988) – (credited as Lint) guitar and backing vocals on entire album
  • Energy (1989, 1991) – (credited as Lint) guitar and backing vocals on entire album
  • Seedy (1996) – (credited as Lint) guitar and backing vocals on entire album

Downfall

  • Although no records by Downfall exist, the band did release a demo and a couple songs. It should be noted that Tim and Freeman started the band. They were featured on the compilation Can Of Pork with a song called "North Berkeley" .[1]

Rancid

Transplants

Solo albums

Produced albums

Other

The following is a list of songs that Armstrong has appeared on where he was not a member of the band.

Filmography

Guitars and Amplification

  • On Rancid's first album, Armstrong recorded with a Gibson SG through a Marshall
  • With Let's Go, the same SG was used along with his custom-built Hagstrom Viking through the Marshall
  • On AOCTW, he used a Epiphone Les Paul along with a Fender Stratocaster
  • By Life Won't Wait Armstrong used various guitars, such as the Hagstrom, Gibson Les Paul, Fender Stratocaster, and a 1974 Gretsch Country Club
  • On Rancid (2000) he switched to a Mesa Boogie amp and used the Hagstrom and the Gretsch Country Club
  • Currently Armstrong is using his Country Club and a Schecter S-1 which he started using since the Transplants released their second album, Haunted Cities
  • Armstrong recently used a Gretsch White Falcon for a solo performance for the radio station KROQ.

Conflicts

Armstrong has had quite a few conflicts with other bands over the recent years.

  • The Queers mentioned Tim Armstrong in their song Rancid Motherfucker.
  • Leftover Crack have had disputes with Tim Armstrong & many other artists on his label Hellcat Records over censorship issues and accusing them of being homophobic.


References

  1. ^ Rancid posts update, plans to record in January 2008
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