rap rock
Rap rock is a fusion genre that fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock's most popular subgenres include rap metal and rapcore, which include heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented influences, res ...
Tim Armstrong
Timothy Ross Armstrong (born November 25, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and producer. Known for his distinctive voice, he is the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Rancid and hip hop/punk rock supergroup Transplants. ...
Operation Ivy
Operation Ivy was the eighth series of American nuclear tests, coming after '' Tumbler-Snapper'' and before '' Upshot–Knothole''. The two explosions were staged in late 1952 at Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Proving Ground in the Marshall I ...
) played his friend and roadie Rob Aston some beats he had made using
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture ( sound design, audio post-produ ...
and asked Aston if he would consider contributing lyrics. Initially, Armstrong played all the instruments himself, but as the project grew, he invited musician friends such as Matt Freeman (Rancid),
Lars Frederiksen
Lars Erik Frederiksen (born Lars Erik Dapello, August 30, 1971) is an American musician and record producer best known as a guitarist and vocalist for the punk rock band Rancid, as well as the frontman of Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and ...
(Rancid), and
Vic Ruggiero
Victor "Vic" Ruggiero, (also known as Rugaroo, Bad Vic or Lord Sluggo) is a musician, songwriter and producer from New York City who has played in reggae, blues, ska and rocksteady bands since the early 1990s, including The Slackers, Stubb ...
(
The Slackers
The Slackers are an American ska band, formed in Manhattan, New York in 1991. The band's sound is a mix of ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, soul, garage rock, and jazz. The Slackers' notability is credited to their prolific career, tours of Nort ...
) to add to the sound. Before long, Armstrong and Aston decided to officially form a band, but to make things complete, they wanted a drummer, so
Travis Barker
Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Tran ...
from
Blink-182
Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...
was asked to join in 2002.
After the release of their first album, Transplants briefly disbanded in 2003, due to all members being involved in their own projects, including Rancid and Blink-182. Then in 2004, they reunited to record their second album (''
Haunted Cities
''Haunted Cities'' is the second studio album by the American punk rock/ hip hop band Transplants. It was released on June 21, 2005 via LaSalle Records/Atlantic Records, and sold close to 34,000 copies in its first week and came in at #28 on ...
'') before going on hiatus again until 2010 when the band started to record new material. This new material was released as ''
In a Warzone
''In a Warzone'' is the third album by the American punk rock/ hip hop band Transplants. It was premiered as a stream on ''Rolling Stones website on June 17, 2013 and released via Epitaph Records on June 25, 2013. Recording sessions took place at ...
'' in 2013.
History
''Transplants'' and first hiatus (2002–2003)
After two years of recording, Transplants released their debut album '' Transplants'' on
Hellcat Records
Hellcat Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. The label, an offshoot of Epitaph Records, was started as a partnership between Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, the owner of Epitaph, and Tim Armstrong of Rancid, w ...
in October 2002. In the end, the album was recorded and mixed entirely in Armstrong's basement. Special guest vocalists included Eric Ozenne (
The Nerve Agents
The Nerve Agents were an American punk rock band formed by Andy Outbreak and Eric Ozenne (ex-Redemption 87).
Their angry brand of music juxtaposed yelled, sometimes ranting vocals with distorted and often chorus laden chords, complex bass li ...
),
Davey Havok
David Paden Marchand (born David Paden Passaro, November 20, 1975), known professionally as Davey Havok, is an American singer and musician who is the lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band AFI (band), AFI, the synth-pop band Blaqk Audio, the ...
(
AFI
AFI may refer to:
* ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol
* Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer
* AFI (band), an American rock band
** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...
),
Son Doobie
A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative.
Social issues
In pre-industrial societies and some curren ...
(
Funkdoobiest
Funkdoobiest was an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, United States, composed of rappers Jason "Son Doobie" Vasquez, Tyrone "Tomahawk Funk" Pacheco and DJ Ralph "Tha Phunky Mexican" Medrano. They are members of the Soul Assassi ...
),
Danny Diablo
Dan Singer (born December 20, 1971), known professionally as Danny Diablo a.k.a. Lord Ezec, is an American hardcore punk and hip hop vocalist. He is a current member of underground hip hop acts The ShotBlockers, KAOS 13 and FTW, and a foundin ...
Lord Ezec
Dan Singer (born December 20, 1971), known professionally as Danny Diablo a.k.a. Lord Ezec, is an American hardcore punk and hip hop vocalist. He is a current member of underground hip hop acts The ShotBlockers, KAOS 13 and FTW, and a foundin ...
),
Lars Frederiksen
Lars Erik Frederiksen (born Lars Erik Dapello, August 30, 1971) is an American musician and record producer best known as a guitarist and vocalist for the punk rock band Rancid, as well as the frontman of Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and ...
Brody Dalle
Brody Dalle (born Bree Joanna Alice Robinson; 1 January 1979) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. She began playing music in her adolescence and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18, where she founded the punk rock band The D ...
(
The Distillers
The Distillers are an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1998 by vocalist and guitarist Brody Dalle. Dalle co-wrote, played guitar and provided lead vocals for nearly every track on the band's three albums. After the ...
, ex-wife of Armstrong). Brody sings on the track " Weigh on My Mind", which Armstrong, at the time, described as "their song."
The singles " Diamonds and Guns" and " D.J. D.J." quickly became MTV favorites and earned the band critical and commercial success. "Diamonds and Guns" and its unmistakable piano hook played by co-producer
Dave Carlock
David Walter Carlock is an American record producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
His production style has been described as very hands on and song oriented. He received a Grammy Award for engineering Pink's, "Trouble".
Biography
E ...
was featured in TV commercials for
Garnier Fructis
Garnier () is a mass market cosmetics brand of French cosmetics company L'Oréal. It produces hair care and skin care products.
Launch
''Laboratoires Garnier'' was founded in France in 1904 by Alfred Amour Garnier. The company's first produ ...
shampoo and
Neutrogena
Neutrogena Corporation, trading as Neutrogena, is an American company that markets skin care, hair care and cosmetics owned by parent company Johnson & Johnson and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.Bulletproof Monk''.
By 2003, the band had temporarily disbanded, while Barker worked on then-upcoming Blink-182 album, and Armstrong worked on Rancid's '' Indestructible.''
''Haunted Cities'' (2004–2005)
In 2004, during an extensive Rancid hiatus, Armstrong decided to bring Transplants back together. The band's second album, titled ''
Haunted Cities
''Haunted Cities'' is the second studio album by the American punk rock/ hip hop band Transplants. It was released on June 21, 2005 via LaSalle Records/Atlantic Records, and sold close to 34,000 copies in its first week and came in at #28 on ...
'', was released in June 2005, just four months after Barker's former band
Blink-182
Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...
announced their hiatus.
The album's first single, " Gangsters and Thugs" was a hit and the band began touring on the 2005
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...
. After the
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...
, Transplants started to plan a large North American tour with Pennywise and wanted to release a second single. The band shot and released another video for the single "
What I Can't Describe
What or WHAT may refer to:
* What, an interrogative pronoun and adverb
* "What?", one of the Five Ws used in journalism
Film and television
* ''What!'' (film) or ''The Whip and the Body'', a 1963 Italian film directed by Mario Bava
* '' Wha ...
." The band released the
Chopped and screwed
Chopped and screwed (also called screwed and chopped or slowed and throwed) is a music genre and technique of remixing music that involves slowing down the tempo and deejaying. It developed in the Houston hip hop scene in the early 1990s by D ...
version of ''
Haunted Cities
''Haunted Cities'' is the second studio album by the American punk rock/ hip hop band Transplants. It was released on June 21, 2005 via LaSalle Records/Atlantic Records, and sold close to 34,000 copies in its first week and came in at #28 on ...
'' on November 1, 2005.
Soon after the cancellation of the tour, two band members announced several more side projects that they would be embarking on during Transplants break. Barker revealed that he would be starting a tour with
DJ AM
Adam Michael Goldstein (March 30, 1973 – August 28, 2009), known professionally as DJ AM, was an American disc jockey (DJ). Born in Philadelphia, Goldstein became interested in deejaying as a child after watching Herbie Hancock perform his 1 ...
and also a new band with Aston and DJ
Paul Wall
Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse Records, and has released several albums under the label and collabor ...
which would become
Expensive Taste
Expensive Taste (styled as Expen$ive Taste) was an American hip hop super-group formed by Paul Wall, Skinhead Rob ( Transplants), and Travis Barker ( The Aquabats, Blink-182, Box Car Racer, +44 and Transplants). Expensive Taste released ...
. Aston revealed that he was working on a solo album.
Second hiatus (2006–2010)
In an interview with Aston and
Paul Wall
Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse Records, and has released several albums under the label and collabor ...
on January 16, 2006 about their project,
Expensive Taste
Expensive Taste (styled as Expen$ive Taste) was an American hip hop super-group formed by Paul Wall, Skinhead Rob ( Transplants), and Travis Barker ( The Aquabats, Blink-182, Box Car Racer, +44 and Transplants). Expensive Taste released ...
, Aston stated "The
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...
had just ended and Transplants had just broken up". This led to some confusion over whether the band had officially broken up, or not. Despite the statement made by Aston about how the band had "broken up", frontman
Tim Armstrong
Timothy Ross Armstrong (born November 25, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and producer. Known for his distinctive voice, he is the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Rancid and hip hop/punk rock supergroup Transplants. ...
contradicted this statement on a MySpace bulletin. He stated: "In the upcoming years, I hope to make another Transplants album. I love recording with those guys".
From 2006 to 2009, Transplants had been "on hold", as all the members had continued working on their own projects. Armstrong was busy touring with Rancid promoting their new album, '' Let the Dominoes Fall''. He also released his solo album, ''
A Poet's Life
''A Poet's Life'' is the debut solo studio album by American musician Tim Armstrong. It was recorded with The Aggrolites in Los Angeles, California and released on May 22, 2007 via Hellcat Records.
The album was initially released for free as dow ...
'', in 2007. Travis Barker worked on an album with a recently reformed
Blink-182
Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...
, who toured during the summer of 2009, and also formed a new band called
Expensive Taste
Expensive Taste (styled as Expen$ive Taste) was an American hip hop super-group formed by Paul Wall, Skinhead Rob ( Transplants), and Travis Barker ( The Aquabats, Blink-182, Box Car Racer, +44 and Transplants). Expensive Taste released ...
, along with Aston.
Second reunion (2010–present)
In January 2010, Barker announced on his
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account that Transplants were reunited and are in fact recording new material in 2010. The band announced that their new website will be posted in February 2011. It was also announced that the third album will be released on the band's original home at Hellcat Records.
Armstrong and Aston appeared as guests on Barker's first solo album ''
Give the Drummer Some
''Give the Drummer Some'' is the debut solo studio album by American drummer Travis Barker. Barker had earlier announced that the album would be slated for a September 14, 2010 release, but was later pushed back, with the album being released on M ...
'' along with former
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...
guitarist
Slash
Slash may refer to:
* Slash (punctuation), the "/" character
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Slash (Marvel Comics)
* Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'')
Music
* Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band
* Nash ...
on a
Latin rock
Latin rock is a term to describe a subgenre blending traditional sounds and elements of Latin American and Hispanic Caribbean folk with rock music. However, it is widely used in the English-language media to refer any kind of rock music featurin ...
influenced song called "Saturday Night". The band performed the song live on '' Conan'' March 7, 2011, with Mix Master Mike on turntables, Elvis Cortez on guitar and Kevin Bivona on bass. Slash did not take part in the performance.
In an interview with 29-95 in April 2011, Barker has revealed that material for the Transplants album has been written since August 2010, and that 16 songs were already written by Armstrong, Aston and Barker for the album. He has also said that he expects around 30 songs to be written, with the best 12 to 15 making the cut.
On November 13, 2011, an announcement was made from the band's official Facebook page that they will be finishing up their new album in December. On November 29, Armstrong revealed that the album is slated for a spring 2012 release date, which will be followed by a new Rancid album in that summer.
On December 16, 2011, Aston posted a photo on Facebook revealing Kevin "Sweatshop" Bivona as the newest member.
After assorted announcements during 2012, the third album, titled ''
In a Warzone
''In a Warzone'' is the third album by the American punk rock/ hip hop band Transplants. It was premiered as a stream on ''Rolling Stones website on June 17, 2013 and released via Epitaph Records on June 25, 2013. Recording sessions took place at ...
'', was finally released June 25, 2013. The first single, "In a Warzone", came out April 2, 2013; a second single, "Come Around", was released the following week on April 9.
On February 28, 2014, it was revealed on the band's official Facebook page, that the band had begun writing and recording new material.
On April 28, 2015, Barker announced that Transplants were almost finished with the recording of several cover songs. He released a list with song titles including songs by bands like Circle Jerks, Unwritten Law, Cypress Hill, Minor Threat, Beastie Boys, House of Pain, and Sepultura. On January 19, 2017, Barker confirmed that Transplants would be releasing a covers album.
On June 6, 2017, the band posted "Friday the 13th. October 2017." on their Facebook page, which led to rumors this would be the date for the release of the announced record. On July 29, 2017, the band announced on their Facebook page that the new record would be released on October 13 2017 and it would be an EP named ''Take Cover''. The announcement was repeated on September 22. On October 6, 2017, Transplants announced the track list for ''Take Cover''. The EP would consist of 7 songs.
The EP ''Take Cover'' was released as planned on the 13th October 2017.
Band members
*
Tim Armstrong
Timothy Ross Armstrong (born November 25, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and producer. Known for his distinctive voice, he is the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Rancid and hip hop/punk rock supergroup Transplants. ...
–
lead vocals
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
,
lead guitar
Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the fe ...
(1999–present)
*
Skinhead Rob
Robert Aston (born October 29, 1978), better known by his stage name Skinhead Rob, is an American rapper best known as a founding member of the rap rock group the Transplants. He is also the lead vocalist in a D-beat punk band named Death Marc ...
–
lead vocals
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
(1999–present)
*
Travis Barker
Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Tran ...
–
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...
,
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
rhythm guitar
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...
(2011–present)
;Former touring members
*
Dave Carlock
David Walter Carlock is an American record producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
His production style has been described as very hands on and song oriented. He received a Grammy Award for engineering Pink's, "Trouble".
Biography
E ...
Haunted Cities
''Haunted Cities'' is the second studio album by the American punk rock/ hip hop band Transplants. It was released on June 21, 2005 via LaSalle Records/Atlantic Records, and sold close to 34,000 copies in its first week and came in at #28 on ...
'' (2005)
* ''
In a Warzone
''In a Warzone'' is the third album by the American punk rock/ hip hop band Transplants. It was premiered as a stream on ''Rolling Stones website on June 17, 2013 and released via Epitaph Records on June 25, 2013. Recording sessions took place at ...