Operation Ivy was an American ska punk band, formed in Berkeley, California in 1987. The group is often credited with spurring the 1990s punk revival in California. They are well known as one of the first bands to "mix" hardcore punk with elements of ska, known as "ska-core". The band consisted of Jesse Michaels (lead vocals), Tim Armstrong (credited as "Lint") (guitar, vocals), Matt Freeman (credited as "Matt McCall") (bass, vocals), and Dave Mello (drums). Although Operation Ivy had little mainstream success during its career, the band had a large underground following and influenced bands such as Sublime and Green Day. Its only studio album, Energy, has been cited as one of the greatest punk rock albums of all time. The band's name, previously used by contemporary Berkeley punk band Isocracy, was derived from the Operation Ivy series of nuclear tests.
Note on the band's name derision: Operation Ivy was the eighth series of American nuclear tests, coming after Tumbler-Snapper and before Upshot-Knothole. Its purpose was to help upgrade the U.S. arsenal of nuclear weapons in response to the Soviet nuclear weapons program. The two explosions were staged in late 1952 at Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Proving Ground in the Marshall Islands.
Operation Ivy's music was often socially conscious and speaking out against war initiatives, was one of many social and political topics covered in their songs.