Good Riddance (sometimes abbreviated GR) is an American punk rock band from Santa Cruz,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. They released seven full-length studio albums on

Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is a San Francisco, California-based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) in 1990. The label has released mater ...

, then disbanded after releasing a live recording of their farewell concert in 2007. They reformed in 2012 and released an eighth studio album, '' Peace in Our Time'', in 2015. The band released Thoughts and Prayers, their eighth full length album, on July 19, 2019. Led by vocalist

Russ Rankin Russ Rankin (born May 25, 1968) is an American musician, best known as the singer for the punk rock bands Good Riddance and Only Crime. Career Rankin is the lead vocalist for melodic hardcore band Only Crime, Creep Division, and punk rock ...

, the band's longtime lineup includes guitarist Luke Pabich, bassist Chuck Platt, and drummer Sean "SC" Sellers. Their sound is influenced by the hardcore punk scene and the band was known for their combination of fast

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

with catchy melodies. Lyrical themes vary from political protests and critical analyses of American society to personal struggles and alienation.

History

State of Grace

Prior to Good Riddance, in the early 1990s Russ Rankin and Luke Pabich were members of Santa Cruz hardcore band State of Grace. State of Grace released one demo cassette, approximately 31 minutes long, in 1992; the nine tracks were recorded at "Lumberjack Studios" in "Haward" (presumably

Hayward, California Hayward () is a city located in Alameda County, California in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda Coun ...

). They subsequently played dates on two short tours.

Good Riddance

Good Riddance was founded in 1986 by singer

, but did not coalesce into a functioning band until the addition of guitarist Luke Pabich several years later. With bassist Devin Quinn and drummer Rich McDermott the band released its debut EP, ''

Gidget Gidget () is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner (based on his teenaged daughter, Kathy) in his 1957 novel, ''Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas''. The novel follows the adventures of a teenaged girl and her surfing fri ...

'', in 1993 through

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

record label Little Deputy Records. Devin Quinn left and was temporarily replaced by Tom Kennedy before Chuck Platt joined as the band's permanent bassist. Good Riddance signed to

, releasing their debut album '' For God and Country'' and the ''

Decoy A decoy (derived from the Dutch ''de'' ''kooi'', literally "the cage" or possibly ''ende kooi'', " duck cage") is usually a person, device, or event which resembles what an individual or a group might be looking for, but it is only meant to lu ...

'' EP in 1995. Rich McDermott left and was replaced by Sean Sellers for 1996's ''

A Comprehensive Guide to Moderne Rebellion ''A Comprehensive Guide to Moderne Rebellion'' is the second album by the Santa Cruz, California-based hardcore punk band Good Riddance, released June 4, 1996, through Fat Wreck Chords. It was the band's first album with drummer Sean Sellers, rep ...

''. Sellers would continue to drum for Good Riddance until December 1999, a few month before the 2000 E.P. ''

The Phenomenon of Craving ''The Phenomenon of Craving'' is an EP by the Santa Cruz, California-based hardcore punk band Good Riddance, released May 23, 2000 through Fat Wreck Chords. A portion of the proceeds from this album benefit the Homeless Garden Project in Santa C ...

'', which was recorded with Dave Raun from

Lagwagon Lagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, California, just outside Santa Barbara. They formed in 1989, went on hiatus in 2000, and reunited several times over the years. Their name comes from the band's tour van, which can ...

RKL Rich Kids on LSD (RKL) was a Californian hardcore punk band formed in 1982 in Montecito, California, a suburb of Santa Barbara. They were associated with the " Nardcore" scene that evolved out of nearby Oxnard. Their music expanded over the ye ...

. Dave Wagenschutz, best known as the drummer for

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

melodic hardcore band Lifetime, then joined the band and recorded the next two albums and toured with Good Riddance. Sellers would later rejoin the band to play on their seventh studio record, "

My Republic ''My Republic'' is the seventh studio album by the Santa Cruz, California-based hardcore punk band Good Riddance, released June 27, 2006 through Fat Wreck Chords. It marked the band's return from an almost three-year period of inactivity, durin ...

" in 2006, and on their farewell live record, ''

Remain In Memory - The Final Show ''Remain in Memory: The Final Show'' is a live album by the hardcore punk band Good Riddance, recorded at their final performance May 27, 2007 in their hometown of Santa Cruz, California and released March 18, 2008 through Fat Wreck Chords. Re ...

'' in 2007. Every member of the band supports

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

and is either

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...

. The band is a vocal supporter of

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; , stylized as PeTA) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. PETA reports that PETA entities have ...

and the United States

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

. All of the members have played in other projects: Pabich and Sellers i
Outlie
Platt in "I Want Out" and Rankin in

Only Crime Only Crime is an American melodic hardcore group formed by Good Riddance singer Russ Rankin and Bane guitarist Aaron Dalbec in 2003. The band plays melodic but hard-hitting punk rock that borrows heavily from early-1980s hardcore bands such as ...

. Sellers also plays drums in Celtic punk band,

The Real McKenzies The Real McKenzies is a Canadian Celtic punk band founded in 1992 and based in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are one of the founders of the Celtic punk movement, albeit 10 years after The Pogues. In addition to writing and performing origin ...

. The band have been influential with their combination of Skate Punk and 80s

Hardcore Punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

, influencing bands such as

Phinius Gage Phinius Gage were an English underground skate punk/melodic hardcore band who started up in 2001 and were active until 2008. They reformed in 2015 and played a reunion tour. History The band is named after Phineas Gage, an 1840s railway for ...

and

No Trigger No Trigger is an American melodic hardcore band from Massachusetts, United States. History The band formed in 2001, with a sound which takes cues from like-minded outfits such as Strike Anywhere and None More Black. The band self-released two d ...

. On April 3, 2007, the band announced their break-up, and played their final show on May 27, 2007 in their hometown of

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a pop ...

at The Catalyst. This show was recorded and released as ''

Remain in Memory - The Final Show ''Remain in Memory: The Final Show'' is a live album by the hardcore punk band Good Riddance, recorded at their final performance May 27, 2007 in their hometown of Santa Cruz, California and released March 18, 2008 through Fat Wreck Chords. Re ...

''.

2012 Reunion

On February 16, 2012, Good Riddance announced on their website that they had reunited, with their usual lineup (Rankin, Pabich, Platt and Sellers). '' Peace in Our Time'', the eighth studio album and first since their 2007 breakup and 2012 reunion was released April 21, 2015 through

. On July 19, 2019, Good Riddance released their ninth studio album ''

Thoughts and Prayers The phrase "thoughts and prayers" is often used by officials and celebrities in the United States as a condolence after a tragic event, such as a deadly natural disaster or mass shooting. The phrase has received criticism for its repeated usag ...

'' through Fat Wreck Chords.

Band members

Current members

- vocals (1986-2007, 2012–present) *Luke Pabich - guitar (1990-2007, 2012–present) *Chuck Platt - bass guitar (1994-2007, 2012–present) *Sean Sellers - drums (1996-1999, 2006-2007, 2012-present)

Former members

*Rob Land – Guitar (1986–1990) *John Burnett – Bass (1986–1991) *Devin Quinn – Bass (1991–1993) *Tom Kennedy – Bass (1993–1994) *Rich McDermott – Drums (1986–1989, 1993–1995) *Andrew Jackson – Drums (1990–1991) *Jade Dylan – Drums (1991–1993) *Dave Raun – Drums (1999–2000) *David Wagenschutz – Drums (2000–2005)

Timeline

Discography

;Studio albums *'' For God and Country'' (1995) *''

'' (1996) *'' Ballads from the Revolution'' (1998) *'' Operation Phoenix'' (1999) *'' Symptoms of a Leveling Spirit'' (2001) *'' Bound by Ties of Blood and Affection'' (2003) *''

'' (2006) *'' Peace in Our Time'' (2015) *''

'' (2019)

Videography

* ''Exposed! 1994-1999'' VHS (

, July 31, 2001)

References

External links

Official Site

Fat Wreck Chords Profile
*
Good Riddance on Punknews.org

{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1986 Musical groups disestablished in 2007 Hardcore punk groups from California Fat Wreck Chords artists 1986 establishments in California Skate punk groups Melodic hardcore musical groups from California