The Transplants are an American punk rock and rap rock supergroup. They formed in 1999 when Tim Armstrong played his friend and roadie Rob Aston some beats he had made using Pro Tools and asked Aston if he would consider contributing lyrics. Initially, Armstrong played all the instruments himself, but as the project grew, he invited musician friends such as Matt Freeman, Lars Frederiksen (Rancid), and Vic Ruggiero to add to the sound. Before long, Armstrong and Aston decided to officially form a band, but to make things complete, they wanted a drummer, so Travis Barker from Blink-182 was asked to join in 2002. DJ Odie and DJ Pone were instrumental in the album Haunted Cities.