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 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 ...

Career

Rankin is the lead vocalist for

melodic hardcore Melodic hardcore is a broadly defined subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on melody in its guitar work. It generally incorporates fast rhythms, melodic and often distorted guitar riffs, and vocal styles tending towards shouting and ...

band

, Creep Division, and punk rock band Good Riddance. Both bands were signed to

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 ...

until Good Riddance announced their breakup on April 3, 2007. However, as of February 2012, Good Riddance has reformed. Rankin was also a member of Fury 66 and State of Grace. He has also lent his voice to songs by Rise Against, Ensign, Comeback Kid. Additionally, Rankin spends time producing bands. Most recently, he performed a cover of the Johnny Cash song "

Walk the Line ''Walk the Line'' is a 2005 American biographical musical romantic drama film directed by James Mangold. The screenplay, written by Mangold and Gill Dennis, is based on two autobiographies authored by singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, 1975's '' M ...

" for a punk rock tribute album entitled '' All Aboard: A Tribute to Johnny Cash''. Rankin appeared in the independent documentary, ''Meditate and Destroy'', that focuses on ''Dharma Punx'' author Noah Levine. Along with his band Good Riddance, they can be seen in the film performing at the Catalyst club in Santa Cruz, California. In 2012, Rankin released his debut solo album ''Farewell Catalonia'' on Paper + Plastik Records.

Personal life and activism

Russ Rankin has been outspoken about his political stances and done many charity actions. Particularly with Good Riddance, he has participated in benefit concerts, donated a portion of their records sales and distributed

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

literature at their live shows. He became a

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. Vegetariani ...

in the early 1990s and has been a

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. ...

since 1993. Rankin has been straight edge since 1987. According to Buddhist teacher and author

Noah Levine Noah Levine (born 1971) is an American Buddhist teacher and author, son of American Buddhist teacher and poet Stephen Levine. As a counselor known for his philosophical alignment with Buddhism and punk ideology, he identifies his Buddhist belie ...

, Rankin "spends most of his time these days touring internationally and spreading political and spiritual awareness through his lyrics." In addition to music, Rankin is a hockey scout. Currently, he is the California/Western United States Regional scout for the Tri City Americans, a hockey team that competes in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

. Rankin held the same position with the

Kootenay Ice The Kootenay Ice (officially stylized as ICE) were a major junior ice hockey team based in Cranbrook, British Columbia, and competed in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team played its home games at Western Financial Place. The franchise w ...

from 2007 to 2012, and was on staff when Kootenay won the WHL Championship in 2011. He has contributed writing to magazines such as ''AMP'', ''New Noise'', ''

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

'', ''

Razorcake Razorcake is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that publishes the Razorcake fanzine, a DIY punk rock fanzine published bi-monthly out of Los Angeles, California. It was co-founded by Todd Taylor (former Flipside managing editor) and Sean Ca ...

'', and ''

The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughou ...

''.

Discography

Solo albums

* ''Farewell Catalonia'' (2012)

Compilation appearances

* '' All Aboard: A Tribute to Johnny Cash'' (2008) **Includes "I Walk the Line" * ''Untitled 21: A Juvenile Tribute To Swingin' Utters'' (2010) **Includes "Beached Sailor" * ''Respect Your Roots Worldwide'' (2013) **Includes "I Am On Fire" * '' The Songs of Tony Sly: A Tribute'' (2013) **Digital version includes "Via Munich"

With State of Grace

* ''Demo'' (1992)

With Good Riddance

With Fury 66

* ''Demo'' (1994) * ''American Clown'' EP (1994)

With Creep Division

* ''Creep Division'' (2000)

With Only Crime

* '' To the Nines'' (2004) * ''

Virulence Virulence is a pathogen's or microorganism's ability to cause damage to a host. In most, especially in animal systems, virulence refers to the degree of damage caused by a microbe to its host. The pathogenicity of an organism—its ability to ...

'' (2007) * '' Only Crime and Outbreak'' EP (2007) * '' Pursuance'' (2014)

Guest appearances

* Rise Against – '' The Unraveling'' (2001) ** Backing vocals on "Weight of Time" *

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

– '' The Price of Progression'' (2001) ** Vocals on "Foot in Mouth as an Artform" * Comeback Kid – ''

Wake the Dead ''Wake the Dead'' is the second studio album by Canadian hardcore punk band Comeback Kid. The album was released on February 22, 2005. Bill Stevenson recorded it over 13 days at the Blasting Room in Ft. Collins, Colorado. The album's main hit ...

'' (2005) ** Additional vocals on "Our Distance" * Bullet Treatment – ''Designated Vol. 1'' (2009) ** Vocals on "Win the Day" * Give You Nothing – ''Give You Nothing'' (2019) ** Additional vocals on "Clean Slate"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, Russ American punk rock singers Living people 1968 births Only Crime members Good Riddance (band) members