Biography
Rancid Vat, a long-running act fusing punk and metal, never attained major prominence within rock circles yet maintained a devoted niche following while surpassing the lifespan of countless comparable groups. Formed in 1981 in Portland, Oregon, the band originated when bassist Phil Irwin, known as the Whiskey Rebel, and his spouse Marla Vee—who handled bass, guitar, and drums—assembled the initial roster alongside lead vocalist Steve Wilson. Irwin and Vee, wed since 1977, remained the constant foundation through repeated lineup shifts. Across every configuration, the group earned a reputation for abrasive, vulgar, raucous, provocative, mocking, and confrontational material, with no observer ever describing its output as refined or restrained. Unlike numerous punk-oriented ensembles driven by sociopolitical messages, Irwin and Vee focused primarily on boisterous excess and never avoided provocative content or bizarre, perverse wit. Early compositions bore titles such as "(I Woke Up This Morning With) Puke on My Face," "Premature Ejaculator," "The Frozen Dead," and "Cranium Casserole."
Vee and Irwin had prior experience together in another Portland punk outfit, the Spaztics, which also featured bassist Brad Davidson in 1980; that short-lived unit lacked the endurance later shown by Rancid Vat. The original incarnation had existed only briefly when members of Smegma, an ensemble originally from Los Angeles that maintained a basement studio in Portland, offered the chance to record. This opportunity yielded the 1981 debut EP Stampeding Cattle, issued on the small Pig Face label operated by Smegma. Eric Larsen joined on rhythm guitar in 1982, and the band began tracking the album Burger Belsen in 1984, though its release occurred only in 1986.
Rancid Vat remained based in Portland through its first four years. The group relocated to Seattle in 1985, stayed a year, then shifted to Los Angeles in 1986, where Ace Farron Ford—recognized for his vocals with the Child Molesters—joined on bass. After one year in Los Angeles the band returned to Portland in 1987, at which point Ford departed and stayed in Southern California. Seven additional years passed in Portland before Irwin and Vee abandoned the West Coast entirely in 1994, relocating across the country to Philadelphia; Wilson chose to remain on the West Coast and exited the group. The move necessitated new recruits, among them Cosmic Commander of Wrestling, or Cosmo, on lead vocals, Jimmy Satan on guitar, and Eric Perfect on drums. Eight years earlier Cosmo had performed with Fat Howard's Army, and in the interval he had devoted considerable time to managing professional wrestlers. Cosmo's vocal contributions strengthened the band, and many devotees regard the seven Philadelphia years as among Irwin and Vee's strongest.
While based in Philadelphia, Rancid Vat issued three independent CDs: Radio Rampage '96, 31 Flavors of Hostility, and The Darkest Souls in Rock and Roll. In 2000 the risk-taking Bay Area ensemble Hammerlock, which merges alternative metal with country-inflected Southern rock and punk, honored Irwin with the humorous track "Whiskey Rebel," recorded first on Anthems for Outlaws and again on Barefoot and Pregnant the following year. During summer 2001 Perfect departed for Limecell and was succeeded by Dick Flawless.
Rancid Vat's Philadelphia tenure concluded in late 2001 when Irwin and Vee elected to relocate once more, this time to San Marcos, Texas. The move required parting ways with Cosmo, Satan, and Flawless, all of whom remained in Philadelphia, and assembling another fresh lineup. In San Marcos the pair enlisted D. Mise on rhythm guitar and Bobo on drums. Steel Cage Records, based in Philadelphia, released The Cheesesteak Years in 2002, a compilation drawn from material recorded during the Philadelphia era.
Vee and Irwin had prior experience together in another Portland punk outfit, the Spaztics, which also featured bassist Brad Davidson in 1980; that short-lived unit lacked the endurance later shown by Rancid Vat. The original incarnation had existed only briefly when members of Smegma, an ensemble originally from Los Angeles that maintained a basement studio in Portland, offered the chance to record. This opportunity yielded the 1981 debut EP Stampeding Cattle, issued on the small Pig Face label operated by Smegma. Eric Larsen joined on rhythm guitar in 1982, and the band began tracking the album Burger Belsen in 1984, though its release occurred only in 1986.
Rancid Vat remained based in Portland through its first four years. The group relocated to Seattle in 1985, stayed a year, then shifted to Los Angeles in 1986, where Ace Farron Ford—recognized for his vocals with the Child Molesters—joined on bass. After one year in Los Angeles the band returned to Portland in 1987, at which point Ford departed and stayed in Southern California. Seven additional years passed in Portland before Irwin and Vee abandoned the West Coast entirely in 1994, relocating across the country to Philadelphia; Wilson chose to remain on the West Coast and exited the group. The move necessitated new recruits, among them Cosmic Commander of Wrestling, or Cosmo, on lead vocals, Jimmy Satan on guitar, and Eric Perfect on drums. Eight years earlier Cosmo had performed with Fat Howard's Army, and in the interval he had devoted considerable time to managing professional wrestlers. Cosmo's vocal contributions strengthened the band, and many devotees regard the seven Philadelphia years as among Irwin and Vee's strongest.
While based in Philadelphia, Rancid Vat issued three independent CDs: Radio Rampage '96, 31 Flavors of Hostility, and The Darkest Souls in Rock and Roll. In 2000 the risk-taking Bay Area ensemble Hammerlock, which merges alternative metal with country-inflected Southern rock and punk, honored Irwin with the humorous track "Whiskey Rebel," recorded first on Anthems for Outlaws and again on Barefoot and Pregnant the following year. During summer 2001 Perfect departed for Limecell and was succeeded by Dick Flawless.
Rancid Vat's Philadelphia tenure concluded in late 2001 when Irwin and Vee elected to relocate once more, this time to San Marcos, Texas. The move required parting ways with Cosmo, Satan, and Flawless, all of whom remained in Philadelphia, and assembling another fresh lineup. In San Marcos the pair enlisted D. Mise on rhythm guitar and Bobo on drums. Steel Cage Records, based in Philadelphia, released The Cheesesteak Years in 2002, a compilation drawn from material recorded during the Philadelphia era.
Albums
