The Offspring
The Offspring is an American rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Initially formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Todd Morse, multi-instrumentalist Jonah Nimoy, and drummer Brandon Pertzborn. The Offspring is often credited for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock during the mid-1990s. During their -year career, the Offspring has released eleven studio albums and sold more than 45 million records, making them one of the best-selling punk rock bands.
The Offspring's longest-serving drummer was Ron Welty, who replaced original drummer James Lilja in 1987. He was replaced by Adam "Atom" Willard in 2003, who was replaced four years later by Pete Parada. Parada parted ways with the band in 2021 after he refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and was replaced two years later by Pertzborn. Greg "K." Kriesel was the band's bassist until he was fired in 2018. Kriesel was replaced by Todd Morse, who had been the Offspring's touring guitarist since 2009. Morse's position as touring musician was filled by Nimoy, who later became an official member in 2023.
After achieving a local following with their early releases, including their 1989 album The Offspring and the seven-inch EP Baghdad, the Offspring signed with independent label Epitaph Records and released two albums: Ignition and Smash. Smash, which contained the band's first major hit "Come Out and Play", is one of the best-selling albums released on an independent record label, selling over 11 million copies worldwide and helping to propel punk rock into the mainstream. The success of Smash attracted attention from major labels including Columbia Records, with whom the Offspring signed in 1996; their first album for the label, Ixnay on the Hombre, did not match its predecessor's success, but received favorable reviews and gold and platinum RIAA certifications. The band reached further success with its fifth album Americana, from which three of the singles − "Pretty Fly ", "Why Don't You Get a Job?" and "The Kids Aren't Alright" − became mainstream radio and MTV staples, while the album went on to sell over five million units in the US and achieved the Offspring's highest chart position on the Billboard 200, peaking at number two. Though their next two albums, Conspiracy of One and Splinter, were not as successful as those from the previous decade, they were both critically acclaimed, with the former going platinum and the latter being certified gold. The Offspring's eighth studio album, Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, cemented their comeback on the strength of its second single "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid", which topped the Billboard rock charts for eleven weeks and has since obtained platinum status. The band released no new studio albums between Days Go By and Let the Bad Times Roll, but continued touring and released a series of one-off songs in the interim. Their latest studio album, Supercharged, was released on October 11, 2024.
History
Early years (1984–1993)
The foundations for the Offspring began with guitarist/vocalist Bryan "Dexter" Holland and bassist Greg "K." Kriesel playing music together in a garage in Cypress, California, in 1983. After hearing the T.S.O.L. album Change Today? at a party, and following a riot at a 1984 Social Distortion show, they decided to form a band called Manic Subsidal, with Holland changing his role from drums to vocals and guitar. Holland recruited drummer James Lilja, on an agreement that Lilja would play in Manic Subsidal, if Holland joined Lilja's band Clowns of Death. After Holland played with Clowns of Death, he asked the band's guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman to join their band. This lineup started to practice in Kriesel's parents' house and played the band's first show, taking a road trip to Santa Cruz to open for White Flag and Scared Straight, then playing a matinee the next day at Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco.In 1986, Maniac Subsidal changed their name to the Offspring. The band released their first single; the 7-inch "I'll Be Waiting". They released the single on their self-made Black Label record company, named after the brand of beer. An earlier version of "I'll Be Waiting" appeared on the long-out of print Subject to Blackout compilation tape released the same year. The Offspring also recorded a demo tape in 1986, which received a positive review in Maximum Rocknroll magazine. Lilja left the Offspring in 1987 to pursue a medical career in oncology and was replaced by Ron Welty, who was 16 years old at the time.
After recording another demo in 1988, the Offspring signed a record deal with small-time label Nemesis Records. In March 1989, the band teamed up with producer Thom Wilson to record their first album, titled The Offspring. Nemesis released the album in limited numbers and only on the 12-inch vinyl and cassette formats; the album was not released on CD until 1995. A six-week national tour followed. Noodles was stabbed during a performance at a Hollywood anti-nuclear benefit.
In 1991, the Offspring teamed up with Wilson again to produce the Baghdad 7-inch EP and a third demo tape. This EP and demo were instrumental to the band's signing with Epitaph Records. In 1992, Thom Wilson and the Offspring returned to the studio to record their second album Ignition, which was released in October of that year. The band went on U.S. tours with Pennywise and Lunachicks, and a European tour with NOFX.
Mainstream success with ''Smash'' (1994–1995)
When the Offspring entered the studio in January 1994 to record their third album, the band's relations with producer Thom Wilson had begun to strain. Three months later, the Offspring released what would become their biggest-selling album, titled Smash. The album was initially released to little mainstream attention until its lead single "Come Out and Play" received airplay from the Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM, helping to raise the band's profile and eventually hitting number one on the Billboard rock charts for two weeks in the summer of 1994.The success of "Come Out and Play" not only propelled Smash to peak at number four on the Billboard 200 and receive simultaneous gold and platinum certification four months after its release, but it also helped bring punk rock into the mainstream and is often considered a breakthrough album for the then-underground pop-punk and skate punk scenes. The album's next two singles, "Self Esteem" and "Gotta Get Away", had similar success to "Come Out and Play" in both chart performance and radio airplay. Smash has continued to sell consistently well in the years since its release, setting an all-time record for most units sold by an independent label band at over 11 million records and having sold over six million copies in the U.S. by 2000. The album also sold very well outside of the U.S., particularly in Australia, where it debuted No. 1 on the ARIA Charts, and remained in that position for three weeks in 1995.
The Offspring toured extensively throughout 1994 and 1995 in support of Smash. In addition to opening for bands like Pennywise, Bad Religion, and SNFU, the band had already graduated to headliner status by the summer of 1994, when they toured North America with Guttermouth and Big Drill Car. They toured Europe with Desaster Area, and then the US in the fall with Rancid.
Touring for Smash continued throughout the first half of 1995, playing their first shows in Japan and Australia and headlining tour dates with bands like Weezer, Quicksand, No Use for a Name, The Vandals, and Lunachicks. By the end of the album's supporting tour, the Offspring had started playing at larger venues such as theaters and arenas as opposed to the clubs and smaller venues they were previously accustomed to.
Also in 1995, the band bought out the rights to their first album. Holland and Kriesel had created their own record label Nitro Records and started signing bands. One of their first releases was a re-release of the band's 1989 debut album, The Offspring. The label also signed a number of punk bands including The Vandals, Guttermouth, Jughead's Revenge, and AFI. Soon after, Nitro Records became solely Holland's responsibility.
''Ixnay on the Hombre'', ''Americana'', and ''Conspiracy of One'' (1996–2002)
In 1996, after the success of Smash, the Offspring left Epitaph and signed with Columbia Records. Epitaph retained its rights to release the next album in Europe, while Columbia had it for all other territories. The band's attorney Peter Paterno had issued a letter to Epitaph stating that the band had "substantial and fundamental reasons" for wanting to leave the label and that Epitaph had "breached its contract".The band began writing and recording their fourth album, Ixnay on the Hombre, in 1996. The album was released on February 4, 1997, which was also Noodles' 34th birthday. This album was not as successful as Smash, although it did sell four million units and spawned five singles. The album saw the band move away from the political-punk themes common to many Epitaph bands and more into mainstream rock with songs like "Gone Away" and "I Choose"; the video for the latter was directed by Holland himself. Dexter commented that Ixnay was probably not as well received as Smash because it was such a departure, and that many fans probably were expecting Smash Part Two.
In 1998, the Offspring released Americana. Three of the album's singles – "Pretty Fly ", "Why Don't You Get a Job?" and "The Kids Aren't Alright" – became the band's biggest hits and made the album the peak of the Offspring's mainstream popularity. The former song topped the charts in nine countries including Australia, Japan, Norway, and the United Kingdom. "She's Got Issues" was also released as a single and was a minor hit.
In 1999, the band appeared as themselves in the film Idle Hands. They played a cover version of "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "Beheaded" at a school dance before Holland's character is killed. They also appeared at the infamous Woodstock '99, where their performance was broadcast live on pay-per-view television.
2000 saw the Offspring release their sixth album, Conspiracy of One. The band intended to release the entire album online through their website to show their support for downloading music on the internet. However, under threat of legal action by Columbia through their parent company Sony, only the first single "Original Prankster" was released on their website. The band also sold T-shirts on their website with the Napster logo on it and donated money to Napster creator Shawn Fanning with the profits.
The band also released a single "Defy You" exclusively for the film Orange County.