Operation Ivy
Operation Ivy performing at the legendary Gilman
Background information
Origin	Berkeley, California, USA
Genre(s)	Ska punk
Years active	1987–1989
Label(s)	Lookout! Records, Hellcat Records
Associated acts	Rancid Transplants Downfall Big Rig Common Rider Isocracy Green Day Dance Hall Crashers Basic Radio Shaken 69
Former members
Jesse Michaels Tim Armstrong Matt Freeman Dave Mello Pat Mello (unofficial 5th member)]

Operation Ivy was an influential ska punk band formed in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The band consisted of frontman Jesse Michaels (vocals), Tim Armstrong (credited as "Lint") (vocals/guitar), Matt Freeman (credited as Matt McCall) (bass/backing vocals), and Dave Mello (Drums/backing vocals). The band's name, previously abandoned by another Gilman group, Isocracy, was derived from the Operation Ivy series of nuclear tests. ^[1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California, in the United States. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the year 1987. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Lookout! Records is an independent record label based in Berkeley, California. ... Hellcat Records is a vanity record label based in Los Angeles, California. ... Rancid is a punk band, formed in 1991 in Albany, California, by Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong. ... Downfall was a ska/punk band from the Bay Area formed by Tim Armstrong, Matt Freeman, and Dave Mello following the break-up of Operation Ivy in 1989 and pre-dating Armstrongs and Freemans wider recognition in Rancid. ... semi-trailer truck with sleeper behind the cab. ... Common Rider was a rock band, formed in 1999 by Jesse Michaels (guitar, vocals), Mass Giorgini (bass) and Dan Lumley (drums). ... Isocracy was a punk rock band from the United States Berkeley-area, formed in 1986. ... This article is about the band Green Day. ... Dance Hall Crashers is a ska punk band from Berkeley, California, that formed in 1988. ... Basic Radio was ska band, formed in 1985 in berkeley, CA mainly from members of Urban Noise, and played shows in the San Francisco Bay area with other East Bay bands such as The Uptones, Freaky Executives and Primus. ... Shaken 69 was a ska side-project for musicians including Rancids Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen, The Uptones Paul Jackson and Eric Dinn, Skankin Pickles Lars Nylander and Mike Park and former Operation Ivy drummer Dave Mello. ... Jesse Michaels (born 1969) is a songwriter, guitarist and artist from Berkeley, Californias East Bay. ... Timothy Lockwood Armstrong (born November 25, 1966) is a American musician and songwriter best known for his work with punk rock bands Rancid, Operation Ivy, and Transplants, and the Dance Hall Crashers. ... Matthew McCall Freeman (born Roger Matthew Freeman June 14, 1966 in Albany, California, USA) is an American musician. ... Dave Mello was the drummer of the punk/ska band Operation Ivy. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A satellite image of the East Bay The East Bay is a subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States and is comprised of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. ... Bay Area redirects here. ... Frontman (also front man) is a term referring to the lead singer or band leader of a music group. ... Jesse Michaels (born 1969) is a songwriter, guitarist and artist from Berkeley, Californias East Bay. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... Timothy Lockwood Armstrong (born November 25, 1966) is a American musician and songwriter best known for his work with punk rock bands Rancid, Operation Ivy, and Transplants, and the Dance Hall Crashers. ... In general, the term credit in the artistic or intellectual sense refers to an acknowledgement of those who contributed to a work, whether through ideas or in a more direct sense. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... Matthew McCall Freeman (born Roger Matthew Freeman June 14, 1966 in Albany, California, USA) is an American musician. ... A sunburst-colored Fender Precision Bass The electric bass guitar (or electric bass[1][2]; pronounced , as in base) is a bass stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers (either by plucking, slapping, popping, or tapping) or using a pick. ... A backup vocalist is a vocalist who sings in harmony with the lead vocalist, other backup vocalists, or alone but in the background of a song. ... Dave Mello was the drummer of the punk/ska band Operation Ivy. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... A backup vocalist is a vocalist who sings in harmony with the lead vocalist, other backup vocalists, or alone but in the background of a song. ... Isocracy was a punk rock band from the United States Berkeley-area, formed in 1986. ... This article is about the nuclear test. ... A nuclear test explosion is an experiment involving the detonation of a nuclear weapon. ...

History

The band existed between May of 1987 and May of 1989, as was chronicled in the lyrics of the Rancid song "Journey to the End of East Bay", which appeared on Rancid's ...And Out Come the Wolves: See also: Musical groups established in 1987 Record labels established in 1987 // January 3 - Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ... See also: 1989 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1989 Record labels established in 1989 // January 7 - Genesis 88 and Sunrise/Back to the Future stage large-scale illegal Acid House party in London January 14 - Paul McCartney releases Снова в СССР exclusively in Russia. ... Rancid is a punk band, formed in 1991 in Albany, California, by Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong. ... ...And Out Come the Wolves is an album by the punk rock band Rancid, released in August of 1995 (see 1995 in music). ...

Started in '87, Ended in '89, You got a garage, or an amp we'll play anytime. It was just the four of us, Yeah man, the core of us, Too much attention unavoidably destroyed us.^[2]

Their first show was performed on May 16, 1987 in Dave Mello's garage. The next day began a tradition of performances at the Berkeley ska/punk collective center 924 Gilman Street. They began playing a lot of gigs which led to their almost immediate cult-following. Later in 1987 they made their debut on a Maximum Rock'n'Roll compilation called Turn it Around. In January 1988, they signed to Lookout! Records, and released Hectic, their first E.P., which became one of Lookout!'s strongest sellers. By this time, Operation Ivy (along with Crimpshrine and The Mr. T Experience) was one of the most popular Gilman/Berkeley Punk bands. They began getting many gigs and set out on a tour across the United States. By mid-1988, they began selling out larger venues and the pressure to sign to major labels began to rise. is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 1987. ... Look up Berkeley in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the genre. ... Look up punk in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The 924 Gilman Street project, aka the Alternative Music Foundation, is the Berkeley, California street address, and the official business name, of the all-ages, non-profit, collectively organized music club usually referred to by its fans simply as Gilman. ... See also: Musical groups established in 1988 Record labels established in 1988 // Peter Ruzicka becomes director of the Hamburg State Opera and State Philharmonic Orchestra. ... Lookout! Records is an independent record label based in Berkeley, California. ... Hectic was the debut EP by the seminal Ska/Punk band Operation Ivy. ... A vinyl EP from Crop Circles. ... Crimpshrine was a punk rock band from Berkeley, California, United States, formed by seminal punk rock zine Cometbus founder, Aaron Cometbus and Jeff Ott. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

They released the album Energy on Lookout! Records in May 1989. The band broke up the same month, and their last official show was on May 28, 1989. It was also Green Day's first show with the name "Green Day" at Gilman, at what was supposed to have been their release party. They played one more show the following day, mainly for friends and family, in Robert Eggplant's backyard in Pinole, California. In two years, the band had performed 185 shows and recorded a total of 32 songs (28 released officially, 4 on the bootlegged Plea For Peace EP), as well as songs which were recorded only as demos, such as "Hedgecore" (about a favorite pastime of the band which involved artfully jumping over manicured bushes), "Hangin' Out", "Sarcastic" and "Left Behind". Recordings from their aborted attempt to record the Energy LP live at Gilman also exist, and include some early versions of songs which appeared later on the final studio version of Energy, such as "6 to 10" which evolved into "Vulnerability", and an early version of "Unity" with horn accompaniment and a different chorus. All of their known demos and unreleased recordings are available on bootlegs. Lookout! Records is an independent record label based in Berkeley, California. ... is the 148th day of the year (149th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the band Green Day. ... Robert Eggplant is a writer, publisher, musician and activist from California. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

The lyrics and tone of Operation Ivy's music portray a vociferous desire for social justice and a strong distrust of mainstream conformist culture. Social justice refers to the concept of an unjust society that refers to more than just the administration of laws. ... Look up mainstream in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In English history, Conformists were those whose religious practices conformed with the requirements of the Act of Uniformity and so were in concert with the Established Church, the Church of England, as opposed to those of Nonconformists whose practices were not acceptable to the Church of England. ...

Green Day did a cover of the Operation Ivy song "Knowledge" on the 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours compilation and have continued to play the song live. Several other artists have covered Operation Ivy songs, many of which are included on Glue Factory Records' 1997 Operation Ivy tribute album, titled Take Warning: The Songs of Operation Ivy. The most notable bands on this tribute are: Reel Big Fish covering "Unity" (track 2), Blue Meanies covering "Yellin' In My Ear" (track 5), Cherry Poppin' Daddies covering "Sound System" (track 6), The Hippos covering "Freeze Up" (track 10) and The Aquabats with a campfire-style cover of "Knowledge" (track 13). Other bands to cover Operation Ivy songs include a rendition of "Healthy Body" by Area-7, "Sound System" by Big D and the Kids Table, "Caution" by No Trigger and more covers of "Knowledge" by both Millencolin and Evergreen Terrace (band). Many local bands from around the country are keeping the spirit of 87' alive, covering Operation Ivy songs. Additionally, it is not uncommon for Rancid to play a few Operation Ivy songs at their shows. This article is about the band Green Day. ... 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours is a collection of early recordings by Green Day. ... Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit Sell Out. ... Blue Meanies are a ska-core band founded in 1989. ... Cherry Poppin Daddies Cherry Poppin Daddies is an American band formed in 1989 in Eugene, Oregon. ... The Hippos was a third wave ska-punk band from Southern California. ... The Aquabats (often written as The Aquabats!) are an American rock band formed in 1994 in Huntington Beach, California and currently recording for Nitro Records. ... Area-7 (a. ... Big D and the Kids Table is a third wave ska band formed in October 1995 in Allston, Massachusetts on the Fork In Hand Records label. ... Biography No Trigger is a melodic punk/hardcore band from Central Massachusetts, United States. ... Millencolin is a punk rock band that was formed in October of 1992 by Erik Ohlsson, Mathias Färm and Nikola Sarcevic in Örebro, Sweden. ... For the fictional street from The Simpsons, see Evergreen Terrace (The Simpsons). ... Rancid is a punk band, formed in 1991 in Albany, California, by Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong. ...

In 1991, two years after their breakup, Lookout! put together a compilation consisting of the Energy album, the Hectic EP, and songs from compilations. It was released as a complete discography (sometimes referred to as a re-release of the Energy album). It contains 27 songs, following the band's recorded history. Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar. ... Lookout! Records is a record company based in Berkeley, California. ... Hectic was the debut EP by the seminal Ska/Punk band Operation Ivy. ...

Post-Operation Ivy careers

Two of the band's members, Armstrong and Freeman, also perform(ed) with the bands Rancid (their current and biggest project), Dance Hall Crashers, Basic Radio, Downfall, Devil's Brigade, Shaken 69 and Transplants. Additionally, Freeman has performed with Auntie Christ, Generator, MDC and Social Distortion. Rancid is a punk band, formed in 1991 in Albany, California, by Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong. ... Dance Hall Crashers is a ska punk band from Berkeley, California, that formed in 1988. ... Basic Radio was ska band, formed in 1985 in berkeley, CA mainly from members of Urban Noise, and played shows in the San Francisco Bay area with other East Bay bands such as The Uptones, Freaky Executives and Primus. ... Downfall was a ska/punk band from the Bay Area formed by Tim Armstrong, Matt Freeman, and Dave Mello following the break-up of Operation Ivy in 1989 and pre-dating Armstrongs and Freemans wider recognition in Rancid. ... Devils Brigade is a psychobilly band and side project formed by Matt Freeman of Rancid fame. ... Shaken 69 was a ska side-project for musicians including Rancids Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen, The Uptones Paul Jackson and Eric Dinn, Skankin Pickles Lars Nylander and Mike Park and former Operation Ivy drummer Dave Mello. ... Auntie Christ is a late-1990s punk rock band, containing Exene Cervenka (of the seminal band X) and Matt Freeman of the band Rancid. ... MDC is a punk band formed in Austin, Texas in 1979. ... Social Distortion (sometimes referred to simply as Social D) is a seminal punk rock band formed in 1978 in Orange County, California. ...

Mello went on to perform with Schlong, and currently The Bowel-Tones and Jewdriver.

There was a great deal of speculation regarding the fate of Michaels. He revealed in an interview that he became a Buddhist monk for about 6 months in 1992 [1]. Legend had it that he had moved to Nicaragua. Michaels eventually resurfaced into the music world with a project band, Big Rig who only released a 4 song EP titled Expansive Heart, and later with a more active band, Common Rider, which included bassist Mass Giorgini (producer and bassist for Squirtgun and occasionally Screeching Weasel) and drummer Dan Lumley (of Squirtgun and Screeching Weasel). Common Rider released a 7" EP and two full-length albums and did some nationwide touring in the United States before eventually disbanding. There were slight plans for a third album, but it never came to fruition. B-sides from their second album This Is Unity Music were used in a split EP with the Florida Skacore band Against All Authority. A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... For other uses, see Monk (disambiguation). ... semi-trailer truck with sleeper behind the cab. ... Common Rider was a rock band, formed in 1999 by Jesse Michaels (guitar, vocals), Mass Giorgini (bass) and Dan Lumley (drums). ... Mass Giorgini is an American musician. ... Squirtgun in 1993 ((left to right)Mass Giorgini, Matt Hart, Dan Lumley, Flav Giorgini) Squirtgun was formed by producer Mass Giorgini in 1994, and was made up of former members of his recently disbanded Rattail Grenadier. ... Screeching Weasel was an American punk band from Chicago, Illinois. ... Dan Lumley has been a drummer for many bands, including Rattail Grenadier, Squirtgun, The Riverdales, The Methadones, Even in Blackouts, The Mopes, Common Rider and Screeching Weasel. ... Against All Authority (often abbreviated -AAA-) is a DIY ska punk band. ...

During Rancid's 2006 US tour, Operation Ivy alumni Armstrong and Freeman were playing a select few tracks from their previous bands catalog. At a stop in San Francisco on December 17th, Jesse Michaels reunited with his two former bandmates to perform the track "Unity." It was his first time on stage with the two in over 15 years.^[3]

Leaving Lookout!

On 4 May 2006, it was announced that Energy had officially been removed from Lookout! Records' catalog. The album had been, after Green Day's first two albums, the label's biggest-selling album. Following such bands as Green Day, Screeching Weasel, The Queers and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Operation Ivy is the latest in a series of bands who have left Lookout! in recent years and taken back the rights to their back catalog due to unpaid royalties [2]. is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lookout! Records is an independent record label based in Berkeley, California. ... This article is about the band Green Day. ... This article is about the band Green Day. ... Screeching Weasel was an American punk band from Chicago, Illinois. ... The Queers are an American pop punk band formed in 1982 by Portsmouth, New Hampshire native Joe King (A.K.A. Joe Queer). ... Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (sometimes written Ted Leo/Pharmacists, Ted Leo + Pharmacists, or TL/Rx) are an American rock band formed in 1999 in Washington, D.C. and currently recording for Touch and Go Records. ...

Energy was later reissued on November 6, 2007 by Epitaph Records subsidiary Hellcat Records as a self-titled compilation album. Hellcat Records is former band member Tim Armstrong's label. While the Epitaph reissue's tracklist is identical to the 1991 Lookout! release, the 2007 re-release features remastered audio and new Digipak packaging. is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. ... Hellcat Records is a vanity record label based in Los Angeles, California. ... Hellcat Records is a vanity record label based in Los Angeles, California. ... Timothy Lockwood Armstrong (born November 25, 1966) is a American musician and songwriter best known for his work with punk rock bands Rancid, Operation Ivy, and Transplants, and the Dance Hall Crashers. ... A compact disc in Digipak-style packaging; seen here: Boards of Canadas 1998 release Music Has the Right to Children Digipak is a patented style of compact disc or DVD packaging, and is a registered trademark of MeadWestvaco, Inc. ...

A reunion of the band is not planned for anytime in the future. Michaels addressed reunion issues in a Myspace blog^[4] citing the legal and logistic difficulties in getting the 4 members together for a reunion, as well as the fact that the band "never belonged in a big rock club in a one to two thousand seat joint." He concluded the post with the following:

Discography

LPs and EPs

Hectic was the debut EP by the seminal Ska/Punk band Operation Ivy. ... Lookout! Records is an independent record label based in Berkeley, California. ... Lookout! Records is an independent record label based in Berkeley, California. ... Lookout! Records is an independent record label based in Berkeley, California. ... Plea for Peace is the final, posthumous 7 EP from the ska punk band Operation Ivy. ... Hellcat Records is a vanity record label based in Los Angeles, California. ...

Compilations

Note: these are compilation albums featuring multiple artists. Most of them contain only one or two Operation Ivy songs.

Maximum Rocknroll Issue #1 Maximum Rocknroll (also known as MRR) is a widely distributed, monthly punkzine based in San Francisco, USA. It features interviews, columns, and reviews from international contributors. ... A compilation album is an album (music or spoken-word) featuring tracks from one or multiple recording artists, often culled from a variety of sources (such as studio albums, live albums, singles, demos and outtakes. ... Lookout! Records is an independent record label based in Berkeley, California. ... A compilation album is an album (music or spoken-word) featuring tracks from one or multiple recording artists, often culled from a variety of sources (such as studio albums, live albums, singles, demos and outtakes. ... A compilation album is an album (music or spoken-word) featuring tracks from one or multiple recording artists, often culled from a variety of sources (such as studio albums, live albums, singles, demos and outtakes. ... Rock Against Bush, Vol. ... Fat Wreck Chords is a San Francisco, California based independent record label, focused on punk rock, which was started by Fat Mike (lead singer and bassist of the punk rock band NOFX) and his wife Erin, in 1990. ... A compilation album is an album (music or spoken-word) featuring tracks from one or multiple recording artists, often culled from a variety of sources (such as studio albums, live albums, singles, demos and outtakes. ...

Live/Rare Recordings

Red Robin Records was one of the early record labels set up by Bobby Robinson before he set up Fury Records in 1957. ... This article is about the band. ... Foghorn Leghorn is the name of a character appearing in numerous Warner Brothers animated cartoons, especially Looney Tunes. ... In an Isocracy all citizens have equal political power. ... Seedy is an album by the punk-ska group Operation Ivy. ...

Members

• Jesse Michaels vocals
• Tim Armstrong (Lint), guitar, lyrics and vocals
• Matt Freeman (Matt McCall), bass and vocals
• Dave Mello drums and vocals
• Pat Mello (unofficial 5th member) saxophone and roadie

Jesse Michaels (born 1969) is a songwriter, guitarist and artist from Berkeley, Californias East Bay. ... Timothy Lockwood Armstrong (born November 25, 1966) is a American musician and songwriter best known for his work with punk rock bands Rancid, Operation Ivy, and Transplants, and the Dance Hall Crashers. ... Matthew McCall Freeman (born Roger Matthew Freeman June 14, 1966 in Albany, California, USA) is an American musician. ... Dave Mello was the drummer of the punk/ska band Operation Ivy. ...

Samples

• Download sample of "Bad Town" from Energy

See also

• Take Warning: The Songs of Operation Ivy tribute album

References

1. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ivy
2. ^ Rancid. "Journey to the End of East Bay." ...And Out Come the Wolves. Epitaph, 1995.
3. ^ http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/16268081.htm
4. ^ "Jesse Michaels addresses Common Rider and Operation Ivy reunion questions." Punknews.org. February 17, 2007.

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

External links

• Operation Ivy discography at MusicBrainz
• Fan Site
• Flipside Interview - Operation Ivy interview from 1988
• Maximumrocknroll Interview - Operation Ivy interview from 1988