Lars Frederiksen And The Bastards

Lars Erik Frederiksen, born Lars Erik Dapello on August 30, 1971, is an American musician and record producer best known as a guitarist and vocalist in Rancid, while also leading Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and The Old Firm Casuals alongside a long list of other projects.

Roots and family background

Frederiksen was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was raised by his mother, Minna Dapello (née Frederiksen), after his father, John, left when he was three. The bio describes Minna as a Danish immigrant and says she was the only member of her family to survive the Nazi occupation of Denmark during World War II.

Frederiksen’s brother, Robert “Rob” Dapello, was a writer for Zero Magazine and a fellow musician. He died in February 2001 from a brain aneurysm. The song “Otherside” from Rancid’s 2003 album Indestructible is dedicated to Rob’s memory. The bio also states that Frederiksen and his brother were raised in Campbell, California.

Relationships and children

Frederiksen married his girlfriend Megan in 1998. They later divorced. He then married San Francisco yoga instructor Stephanie Snyder, and the couple had two sons. In May 2020, Snyder divorced Frederiksen. In 2023, he married publicist and writer Joanna Riedl, who took his last name.

On an October 15, 2019 episode of the podcast That One Time on Tour, Frederiksen said he liked the idea of having a big family, planned to have more kids at some point, and was open to adoption.

Joining Rancid and the bands around it

Frederiksen joined Rancid in 1993 after the band looked for a second guitar player, and he appears on their second album, Let’s Go. He is also the frontman of Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and The Old Firm Casuals. The bio adds that he currently plays guitar in Oxley’s Midnight Runners, Stomper 98, and The Last Resort, and that he was briefly a member of UK Subs in 1991.

Studio work, production, and mixing credits

As a producer, Frederiksen has worked with a wide range of punk and hardcore bands. The bio lists credits including Dropkick Murphys, Agnostic Front, The Business, Swingin’ Utters, Marky Ramone and the Intruders, Anti-Heros, Pressure Point, The Forgotten, and more. It also states that he mixed GBH’s 2010 album Perfume and Piss and Cock Sparrer’s 2007 album Here We Stand, both alongside Michael Rosen.

Views on major labels

The bio notes that Frederiksen has expressed a personal dislike for signing to major record labels and has spoken about how meaningful it is when younger bands tell him they want to stay independent.

On screen and in documentaries

Frederiksen appears in several episodes of Tim Armstrong’s Tim Timebomb’s Rock n Roll Theater as Dante. He is also seen in the documentary film The Other F Word. The bio says he is a longtime professional wrestling fan, is friends with wrestler CM Punk, and appeared in the WWE documentary CM Punk: Best in the World.

During an appearance on the Wrestling Perspective Podcast, Frederiksen suggested to Ruby Riott that she should use the ring name Ruby Soho, and said he could help clear the song for her entrance theme. The bio states the name change was later confirmed via a post on Prange’s Instagram account.

Football support and local sports ties

Frederiksen supports Millwall Football Club and often has the Millwall lion on his guitar. The bio also says he is a San Jose Earthquakes season ticket holder. In January 2014, Lars and The Old Firm Casuals wrote a new team anthem for the Earthquakes titled “Never Say Die,” and Frederiksen described the club as the “punkest” team in MLS.

The bio adds that Frederiksen is also a fan of the Las Vegas Raiders and the Oakland Athletics.

Project Homeless Connect partnership

Frederiksen was involved with San Francisco’s Project Homeless Connect and partnered with Tony Hawk to donate skateboards to teenagers in a family shelter. In the bio, he said the effort reminded him of his mother’s experience as a single parent, and he emphasized that teenagers often get left out when toys are donated.

Selected discography

Rancid releases listed in the bio

Radio Radio Radio (1993)
Let’s Go (1994)
…And Out Come the Wolves (1995)
Life Won’t Wait (1998)
Rancid (2000)
BYO Split Series Volume III (2002)
Indestructible (2003)
B Sides and C Sides (2008)
Let the Dominoes Fall (2009)
Honor Is All We Know (2014)
Trouble Maker (2017)
Tomorrow Never Comes (2023)