Tim Armstrong and Jesse Michaels of legendary American ska-punk band Operation Ivy are back with a new band, Bad Optix.
It’s their first venture together since Op Ivy’s short-but-sweet run from 1987-89, and they’re joined by drummer Joey Castillo (Circle Jerks, The Bronx) and bassist Spencer Pollard (Trash Talk).
Their debut single is Raid, which kicks off the Hellcat Singles Club: a collection of new releases by a variety of bands curated by Rancid frontman Armstrong and the Hellcat Records team.
Armstrong started Hellcat in 1997 as a sub-label of Epitaph, owned by his friend, Bad Religion’s Brett Gurewitz. He acts as a talent scout for the label, and has final say concerning what groups are signed to the label.
Raid is a slice of breezy, classic Jamaican-influenced ska which Michaels explains “is about every person’s spiritual autonomy from the powers that be, regardless of who they are or what their particular struggle is.”
“Like many of the tracks we have worked on, I heard the music and wrote the lyrics very quickly, almost on the spot. This was only the second song we did, but it felt hot immediately and just flowed, so we thought it would be a good way to introduce the new band to the world.”
Despite the 34-year gap between Op Ivy and Bad Optix, Michaels says: “Our creative connection seems to be stronger than ever and all the music we loved back then, we still love.”
The idea to form a band came organically one day when Michaels and Armstrong met up purely with the intent to reconnect. The topic of music came up and when Armstrong started to play some of his new tracks, Michaels was immediately inspired and sparking ideas for vocals.
He explains: “As soon as we started writing together, we found that we had the same collaborative energy that we had in the past, so it was natural and fun just to keep going.”
Bad Optix are not just an iteration of their previous band, and Armstrong promises tons more songs to come.
He says: “I always felt a little sadness that Jesse and I stopped making music together. But we never lost touch. And then it happened. A few years ago we started writing songs again.
“A couple of the songs ended up on Grade 2’s record. Jesse and I just started writing again, a lot. It came back. Just like that. Like when we were kids. There is a special chemistry between us and I don’t take it for granted.”
