Operation Ivy was a ska punk band who originated from the East Bay of San Francisco. Two of their members, Tim Armstrong ("Lint") and Matt Freeman (credited as Matt McCall), went on to form the band Rancid. There was a great deal of speculation regarding the fate of frontman Jesse Michaels, with many fans believing that he had moved to South America or become a Buddhist Monk. Michaels eventually resurfaced into the music world with his project, Common Rider.

The band existed between May of 1987 and May of 1989. They released an EP (Hectic, January 1988) and a 12 inch record titled Energy on Lookout! Records in March 1989 shortly before they disbanded.

The lyrics and tone of music by Operation Ivy reflect social justice issues and resistance to mainstream or conformist culture.

Operation Ivy derived their name from the Operation Ivy series of nuclear tests.

Members

• Jesse Michaels, vocals
• Tim Armstrong (Lint), guitar and vocals
• Matt Freeman, bass and vocals
• Dave Mello, drums and vocals

Samples

• Download sample of "Bad Town" from Energy

External link

• Fan Site (http://www.operationivy.com/)
• Fan Site dealing with the members' other bands as well (http://www.operationivy.org/)