Hear Rancid Honor Berkeley Activism on Electrifying ‘Telegraph Avenue’
Rancid honor the rebellious spirit of their hometown, Berkeley, California, on their new track, “Telegraph Avenue.” The song will appear on the punk outfit’s upcoming album, Trouble Maker, out June 9th.
Like the video for their first Trouble Maker offering, “Ghost of a Chance,” Rancid tear through “Telegraph Avenue” in a simple basement setting. Singer/guitarist Tim Armstrong opens the song with recollections of his teenage years hanging out and playing music on the titular street, which runs from Downtown Oakland to the edge of the University of California, Berkeley campus. In the second and third verses, Armstrong sings about the Free Speech Movement and anti-Vietnam War protests that gripped the school and city in the Sixties, referencing activist Mario Savio and then-California Governor Ronald Reagan.
“The ones who stand for freedom of speech/ Well this one goes out to you/ Well I can still hear your voice/ On Telegraph Avenue,” Armstrong sings, before the rest of Rancid joins him for one last round of rousing gang vocals.
Trouble Maker marks Rancid’s ninth album and follows their 2014 LP, …Honor Is All We Know. Rancid will embark on a massive tour this summer with the Dropkick Murphys starting July 27th in Bangor, Maine.