About The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm 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 in the 1990s. During their 40-year career, the Offspring has eleven studio albums and sold more than 40 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 was fired in 2021 after he refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and was replaced two years later by Pertzborn. Gregory "Greg K." Kriesel was the band's bassist until he was fired in 2018; this left Holland as the sole remaining original member. Kriesel was replaced by Todd Morse, who had been the Offspring's touring guitarist since 2009. Morse's position as touring member was filled by Jonah Nimoy, who became an official member in 2023.
After achieving a local following with their early releases, including their 1989 self-titled debut album and the vinyl-only 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 furthest success with its fifth album Americana , to which three of its 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 managed to sell over five million units in the US. 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 reached number one on 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.
The foundations for the Offspring began with guitarist/vocalist Bryan "Dexter" Holland and bassist Gregory "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 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, after changing 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.
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