The Offspring Hit That 'Splinter' album

Long before there was The OC, The Warped Tour or even X Games, there was The Offspring, formed by a pair of Orange County high school buddies back in '84 following a show in Irvine by local legends Social Distortion. Almost two decades later, with six albums recorded and 32 million records sold around the world, those two pals, vocalist/guitarist Dexter Holland and bassist Greg K, along with fellow classmate (and school custodian) guitarist Noodles, are still delivering on their seventh and latest effort, Splinter.

The album was recorded in L.A. and Atlanta, produced once again by Brendan O'Brien (who was behind the boards for 2001's Conspiracy Of One), with The Vandals' Josh Freese sitting in after the departure of drummer Ron Welty, who'd been with the band since 1986. Completing the old-school punk reunion are Pennywise's Jim Lindberg and former California gubernatorial candidate Jack Grisham of TSOL (who are signed to Dexter's Nitro Records) doing backing vocals on "The Noose" and "Da Hui."

"After seven albums, it takes some effort not to just rest on your laurels," says Dexter about making the new record, whose genesis can be traced back to demos recorded in the band's D-13 studios in his hometown of Huntington Beach, CA. "I listened to some of our older stuff, and tried to pick out what the charm of it was, without repeating myself. I feel good about this record. We've mixed things up a bit."

Marking out that new turf are songs like the first single, "Hit That," with its Funkadelic-meets-DEVO keyboard riff from old band pal Ronnie King (Tupac Shakur, NOFX, Snoop Dogg, Pennywise). The track effortlessly updates the band's characteristic feel for potent hook-filled melodies and anthem-like choruses, recounting the tale of a family broken up by sexual infidelity and gamesmanship.

Other stylistic departures include the jaunty, horn-laced rude boy reggae/ska and DJ scratching of the self-explanatory "The Worst Hangover Ever" ("It hurts so bad that I'm never gonna drink again? At least not 'til next weekend") and the '30s-style Eddie Cantor/Al Jolson falsetto croon of Dexter on the album-closing anomaly, "When You're In Prison," which suggest not turning your back or bending over for a bar of soap.

"The great thing about being in a band is you're always learning something new," says Dexter. "This was our second time recording with Brendan, and it was that much better because we knew what to expect from him and he knew what he was going to get out of us."

"We're a lot more comfortable in the studio," echoes Noodles. "The people we've worked with, from Thom Wilson and Dave Jerden to Brendan, have taught us so much. And we've tried to absorb as much of that as our tiny brains could hold. The more we do this, the more we realize, this isn't rocket science, brain surgery or U.N. negotiations?although sometimes it may feel like it when we argue. But it was no problem getting the right energy level. We tried to make it sound even better."

"We always try to throw in some new sounds or mix things up a little bit," said Greg K. "And then there are the more straightforward, traditional rock and punk songs."

Splinter--a name the band chose only after rejecting first choice Chinese Democracy, the ill-fated title Guns N Roses' Axl Rose wanted for his yet-to-be-completed new album--stresses the different directions individual members of the band has set out to achieve. Still, the disc boasts some of the group's signature high energy rock on the apocalyptic, doomsday-laden "The Noose," the rush of "Long Way Home," the introspective dirge of "Race Against Myself" and the pure punk thrash of "Da Hui," the group's tribute to the original native Hawaiian surf brotherhood on the North Shore of Oahu. Dexter and Noodles, surfers themselves, went to the Island to shoot a video riding the waves with Da Hui, which will be included on Splinter's enhanced-CD.

"A friend of mine played it for those guys, and they liked it," says Holland, "Because it basically says they're tough. And you don't mess with 'em."

Dexter's lyrics are at once dark-laced and bitterly humorous. He contemplates imminent doom and self-destruction ("The Noose," "Lighting Rod"), commitment ("Long Way Home"), paranoia ("Race Against Myself"), alienation ("(Can't Get My) Head Around You"), empowerment ("Never Gonna Find Me") and even sexual humiliation (in the Buddy Holly acoustic rave-up "Spare Me the Details").

"There's a kind of black humor, but some it is tongue-in-cheek and lighthearted, too," he laughs. "You need balance in a record. You don't want to be too depressing."

As for his politics, Holland insists: "It's very easy to be right and left at the same time. It's not a spectrum, it's rather a circle. On the one hand, we're saying ultimate freedom; on the other, ultimate responsibility. But they kinda go hand-in-hand."

Having sold more than 32 million albums worldwide, one would wonder what continues to drive The Offspring...

After two decades as a punk-rock band that has done things its way, even as it was among the first indie groups to graduate to a major label, Dexter still has the desire to pass the torch to the next generation of fans, just as he grabbed the torch from idols like TSOL, the Adolescents, Social Distortion, Bad Religion.

Overall you can conclude that The Offspring has done it again. Their single "Hit That" is reaching the top of the charts. Their fans will also be happy with Splinter which has all the ingredients crammed into its brief half-hour run time.

MEMBERS

Dexter Holland: vocals, guitar
Noodles: guitar
Greg K: bass
Atom Willard: drums

DISCOGRAPHY

The Offspring (Nemesis/Cargo 1989 reissued on Nitro 1995)
Ignition (Epitaph 1992)
Smash (Epitaph 1994)
Ixnay on the Hombre (Columbia, 1997)
Americana (Columbia, 1998)
Conspiracy of One (Columbia, 2000)
Splinter (Columbia, 2003)

HISTORY

1984: Orange County high school classmates Dexter Holland and Greg Kriesel are inspired to form a band after an Irvine concert by local punk-rock heroes Social Distortion. With Holland the vocalist, Kriesel takes to the bass.

1985: School custodian Noodles joins up, allegedly for his ability to legally procure alcohol for the underage trio. The threesome practice in Kriesel's parents' house and play their first shows in Santa Cruz and San Francisco.

1986: The band, originally called Manic Subsidal, changes its name to The Offpsring. They press up 1,000 copies of the debut vinyl single, "I'll Be Waiting" b/w "Blackball," on their own Black Label. The band pioneers its DIY method by glueing the sleeves together at Kriesel's house.

Sixteen-year-old Ron Welty becomes the fourth member of The Offspring after the original drummer leaves to devote more time to school.

1989: Band signs to independent label Nemesis/Cargo. With punk producer Thom Wilson (T.S.O.L., The Vandals and Dead Kennedys), they release The Offspring, their debut album, which sells 3,000 vinyl copies.

1991: The band put out a 7" EP, Baghdad (Nemesis/Cargo) and records "Take It Like a Man" for a Flipside magazine compilation, The Big One, produced by Epitaph Records owner (and Bad Religion guitarist) Brett Gurewitz.

1992: The band signs to Epitaph and record their second album, Ignition. After a record release party in Fullerton, CA draws 25 diehard fans, the album goes on to sell more than 1 million albums worldwide.

1993-'94: The band tours the U.S. once with Lunachicks and next with Pennywise. They also do a European jaunt supporting NOFX.

1994: Smash, their second album for Epitaph, is released. Featuring the mega-hits "Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated)," "Self Esteem' and "Gotta Get Away," the album is a phenomenon. The disc sells more than 11 million copies worldwide, the most ever for a band on an indie label, after "Come Out and Play" becomes a gigantic MTV hit. The album peaks at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart.

1995: Dexter and Greg start Nitro Records. The Huntington Beach-based label forms a roster that includes such California stalwartsas the Vandals, AFI, Guttermouth and others. Nitro also reissues the band's self-titled debut on CD for the first time. The Offspring's cover of the Damned's "Smash It Up" is featured on the best-selling Batman Forever soundtrack.

1997: The Offspring sign with Columbia Records, and release the Dave Jerden-produced Ixnay on the Hombre in February. The album sells more than 3 million worldwide and peaks at #9 on the Billboard 200, with singles "All I Want," "Gone Away," and "I Choose" all hitting the Modern Rock charts. Spin raved: "Punk-rock zealots can take their rage to the grave, but what this band cares about beyond everything else is what zealots can abide least: songs." The L.A. Times praised the album as "richly varied and thoroughly smart.. a mature, sometimes daring and always enticing effort by a band that constantly offers far more than meets the ear." Jello Biafra makes a cameo appearance on Ixnay and joins the band on-stage to perform version of Dead Kennedy classics "Chemical Warfare" and "Holiday in Cambodia."

1998: An MP3 file of "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)," from the band's yet-to-be-released Americana album is downloaded a record 22 million times over a 10-week period, landing it the #1 spot on Rolling Stone's Top Pirated Internet Songs chart. When Americana is released in November, worldwide sales climb past the 10 million mark, thanks to the catchy single and MTV video. Other singles include "Why Don't You Get a Job?," "The Kids Aren't Alright" and "She's Got Issues." The band's touring schedule takes them to Woodstock '99 for an acclaimed performance captured on film and the 1999 Reading/Leads Festivals in the U.K. "We love what we do," says Holland. "We want to make the best music we can and try to top what we did before."

1999: The group follows its tour of the U.S. with shows in Australia and Japan. The Offspring makes a cameo appearance in the cult horror/comedy Idle Hands, playing a cover of the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "Beheaded" from their self-titled debut before Dexter is killed after speaking his one line.

2000: The group is hit with a cease-and-desist order from file-sharing service Napster after offering T-shirts sporting the company's famed logo for sale on the band's website. The band defends its actions, claiming they were simply "sharing" the logo with fans.

The band spawns more controversy when they decide to offer their new album Conspiracy Of One free of charge via the Internet prior to its initial November release date. Fans downloading the record were automatically registered in a contest to be awarded $1,000,000 directly from the band (live on MTV) on the day of the album's release. Fans who go on to buy the record are awarded membership in the Offspring Nation digital fan club, receiving exclusive downloads of unreleased material, advance ticket sales, guarded chats with the band and more. Sony Music doesn't agree and threatens a lawsuit. The band avoids the lawsuit by making individual singles available on their official website and MTV Online. "The reality is this album will end up on the Internet whether we want it to or not," Holland tells the L.A. Times. "So we thought, 'Why don't we just do it ourselves?' We're not afraid of the Internet. We think it's a very cool way to reach our fans."

2001: The Offspring headline KROQ's Inland Invasion at Blockbuster Pavilion in Devore with Incubus, Long Beach Dub Allstars, Pennywise, Social Distortion, Weezer, Mike D and Mixmaster Mike on July 18. In December, the band record "Defy You" with Brendan O'Brien for the soundtrack to Orange County, starring Colin Hanks and Jack Black. Dave Meyers directs the video.

2002: In March, The Offspring play the Las Vegas premiere of Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam, with an array of action sports champions like Hawk, Bob Burnquist, Dave Mirra, Mat Hoffman and Carey Hart, then go on for four more dates that fall. In July, they play a benefit concert with T.S.O.L. at the Anaheim House of Blues for They Will Surf Again and Life Rolls On, not-for-profit organizations formed by professional surfers dedicated to finding a cure for spinal cord injuries. In September, they open the Kerrang! Awards in London before being presented with the Classic Songwriter award by Garbage's Shirley Manson. Said the venerable metal mag: "They have influenced and continue to influence new generations of K!-heads. Tonight's award nails not only The Offspring's glorious past, but their ongoing relevance."

2003: The Offspring cover the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated," which they first did for the film Idle Hands, on the tribute album We're a Happy Family (Columbia), joining Metallica, Eddie Vedder, Marilyn Manson and KISS and among others.

The band lay down demos for the new album at Holland's D-13 studios in his native Huntington Beach, then continue recording with producer Brendan O'Brien in Atlanta at Southern Tracks Recording and Henson Recording Studios in L.A. Drummer Ron Welty leaves the band. Former Vandals and A Perfect Circle drummer Josh Freese takes over duties for the recording process. The group is also joined in the studio by two old-school SoCal punk pals, Pennywise's Jack Lindberg and T.S.O.L.'s Jack Grisham, who takes time off from his campaign for Governor of California to lay down some background vocals.

Holland announces the record will be called Chinese Democracy as an obvious tweak to Axl Rose, who had previously announced that was the title to the new Guns N Roses album he's been working on for much of the past decade. "It was so damn funny," says Dexter. "We felt like we had to do it. The idea of stealing the title of an album someone else has been working on for so long was very funny to us. You snooze, you lose. Axl ripped off my braids, so I ripped off his album title." But ultimately, the band announced on their website that the decision to title the album Chinese Democracy had somehow caused production to come to a halt. "That album title jinxed us," said Dexter.

The band visit Hawaii, where they film a surfing video with Da Hui, a notorious gang of native Islanders who welcome them to their North Shore turf. The footage will appear as extra footage on their upcoming CD.

The group decide to name the album, Splinter, which is now scheduled to come out Dec. 9 and choose the first single, "Hit That." In October, they bring in drummer Atom Willard, who was in Rocket From the Crypt for 10 years as well as playing with Moth and the Alkaline Trio.

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The Offspring Hit That - Splinter