Rancid guitarist Tim Armstrong and Slackers

keyboardist Vic Ruggiero have recorded several songs under the

name the Silencers and hope to have an album of traditional ska

songs out by the end of the year, according to Cris "the Wix" Qualiana, publicist

for Armstrong's Hellcat Records label. "They write a lot of songs that

they can't use for their bands, but they want to use them somewhere,"

Qualiana said. Rounding out the Silencers will be a revolving cast of

additional musicians whose chops Armstrong and Ruggiero admire.