Rocktober '90s Song #2: "Roots Radicals" by Rancid (1995)

In addition to the grunge and alt-rock that dominated rock in the '90s, there was also a bit of a punk revival.  One of the leaders of that revival was the Bay Area's Rancid, who was formed in 1991 by several former members of Operation Ivy.

In 1995, Rancid released their third studio album, . . . And Then Came The Wolves.  The title was a nod to the fact that the band had been the target of a major label bidding war.  They ended up staying with their label (Epitaph), and this album was the band's most successful to date, reaching #45 on the Billboard album chart and eventually becoming the band's only platinum album in the U.S.

From that album came one of the band's signature songs, "Roots Radicals," which reached #27 on the Billboard Modern Rock tracks chart.  The song itself is a tribute to the politically conscious reggae subgenre known as Roots reggae.  It is also the namesake of two stages at one of my two favorite music festivals, Riot Fest -- the Roots Stage and the Radicals Stage.