Transplants formed in 1999 when Tim Armstrong of the band Rancid played Rob Aston some beats he had made using Pro Tools, asking Rob if he would consider contributing lyrics. Travis Barker from blink-182 was asked to join in 2002.
Tim first became inspired to work with loops and samples after being introduced to London's speed/garage scene by Kerrang! magazine writer Morat in the mid-'90s.
The singles "Diamonds and Guns" and "D.J. D.J." quickly became MTV favorites and earned the band critical and commercial success. "Diamonds and Guns" and its unmistakable piano hook and "Woo Hoo" chorus was heard constantly on U.S. TV in a commercial for Garnier Fructis shampoo, although the lyrics about smoking heroin were NOT in the commercial. The band followed up the record's success by touring with the Foo Fighters.
In 2004, during an extensive Rancid hiatus, the Transplants recorded the album Haunted Cities. It was released in June 2005, just four months after Barker's former band blink-182 announced their hiatus.
After playing the 2005 Warped Tour, the Transplants started to plan a large North American tour with Pennywise. However, these plans were cut short due to Armstrong reportedly suffering from exhaustion. Break-up rumors began to swirl.
Soon after the tour cancellation, two band members announced several more side projects that they would be embarking on during the Transplants break. Travis revealed that he would be starting a tour with DJ AM and also a new band with Rob and DJ Paul Wall which would become Expensive Taste. Rob Aston revealed that he was working on a solo album. In a January 2006 interview, Aston stated, "The Warped Tour had just ended and Transplants had just broken up."
-- Wikipedia
There has been some confusion over whether the band has officially broken up. Despite the "broken up" statement made by Aston, frontman Tim Armstrong condradicted this in a MySpace bulletin. He posted "In the upcoming years, I hope to make another Transplants album. I love recording with those guys."