THE OFFSPRING: A TIMELINE
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)
Greatest Hits (Columbia, 2005)
Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace (Columbia, 2009)
Days Go By (Columbia, 2012)
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 as
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, change its name to The Offspring. 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 pioneer its DIY method by gluing 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: The band sign 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 record “Take It Like a Man” for
The Big One, a Flipside magazine compilation produced by Epitaph Records owner (and Bad
Religion guitarist) Brett Gurewitz.
1992: The band sign 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.
1993-1994: The band tour 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 stalwarts as 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 to 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 follow its tour of the U.S. with shows in Australia and Japan. The Offspring
make 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
defend their actions, claiming they were simply “sharing” the logo with fans.
The band spawn 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 with the plan and threatens a lawsuit. The band avoid 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 perform at 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.” The band ultimately announce 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.
In October, they bring in drummer Atom Willard, who was in Rocket From the Crypt for 10
years and had also played with Moth and the Alkaline Trio. The group decide to name the new
album Splinter and the first single “Hit That" debuts at radio. Combining live action with
computer-generated images (and no band members), the unique video for “Hit That" directed by
John Williams and David Lea soon premieres.
The band fly to Europe for secret club shows in London, Berlin and Paris and return to the US
for more shows before Splinter's release on December 9.
2004: The Offspring begin the year with performances on Top Of The Pops in the UK and then
at ESPN's Winter X-Games in Aspen, Colorado. A video is shot for the single “(Can't Get My)
Head Around You” using 125+ cameras from just as many angles to create “the ultimate
performance video.”
In February, the Splinter World Tour kicks off in full force in Europe followed by 2 legs of dates
in the US, then Australia, Japan & Asia, back to Europe, South Africa (for the first time ever),
South America and finally the band wrap up the tour headlining the Holiday Havoc festival in
Anaheim, California on November 14. 97 shows, 22 countries, 161,682 miles and many an
empty beer bottle.
In May, The Rock Against Bush compilation featuring The Offspring's “Baghdad” is released.
A longtime dream of his as a pilot, Dexter celebrates the end of the tour with a 9-day solo flight
around the entire globe.
2005: The Offspring begin the year working on new songs, old songs and covers with producer
Jerry Finn, including “Can’t Repeat” a new track and single for the soon upcoming Greatest Hits
album.
Los Angeles radio station KROQ offers a flight on Dexter’s jet as part of their South Asian
Tsunami benefit auction. In March, Dexter takes the winners on a flight over Las Vegas, the
Grand Canyon before buzzing their house.
In April, the band head to Alcatraz Island in San Francisco for a photo shoot in advance of the
Greatest Hits release. Soon after, they visit a Los Angeles soundstage to shoot the video for
“Can’t Repeat.”
On June 7, Epitaph releases Punk-O-Rama Vol. 10 which includes The Offspring’s “Mission
From God.”
The Offspring headline the Dew Action Sports Tour stop on June 11 in Louisville, Kentucky
before heading out on their first summer aboard the Vans Warped Tour.
The Greatest Hits collection hits stores in North America on June 21. The collection features all
of the band’s major hits plus “Can’t Repeat.” Greatest Hits is released in both DualDisc and
standard CD configurations. The DualDisc version featured the entire album on the audio-only
side while the DVD side includes the full album in 5.1 stereo; a chat with Dexter and Noodles
about the band’s history and the stories behind the songs; and an exclusive in-the-studio acoustic
performance of “Dirty Magic.“
A few weeks later, The Offspring’s Complete Music Video Collection is released on DVD. The
2–1/2 hour DVD showcases all of the band’s videos including the band-produced video rarities
“Da Hui” and “Cool To Hate” Further bonus features on the DVD include 5.1 surround sound;
audio commentary on the videos from Dexter Holland and Noodles; a selection of live television
performances; and “Guy Cohen: Where Is He Now?” Dexter’s penetrating interview with the
actor from “Pretty Fly (For A White Guy).”
Capping off 46 Warped Tour dates, The Offspring play a benefit show at the famed New York
City club C.B.G.B.’s to aid in the club’s efforts to resolve their lease issues and remain in their
historic location. The show rocks, C.B.s gets kicked out anyway.
In September, the band head to Europe for a string of dates followed by a quick tour of Japan in
October. The band return to the U.S. to find radio stations playing their cover of “Next To You,”
originally by The Police and an unlisted final track on the US version of Greatest Hits album.
The stations picked up on the song from Offspring fans calling and requesting it.
The Offspring headline the closing-night concert at the BlizzCon computer/video game festival
in Anaheim, CA.
2006: The band take a year off from touring for the first time ever. Demo work on new material
begins casually.
2007: The Offspring start recording a new album with producer Bob Rock. In August, the band
return to Japan for a handful of dates including the Summersonic Festival where they debut the
new song “Hammerhead.”
2008: Principal recording of a new album wraps at the beginning of the year and the band depart
for Australia to headline the Soundwave Festival in February and March.
After mixing the new album, the band head out on a European press junket in April. The first
single, “Hammerhead,” then debuts May 5 as a free download on Offspring.com. That same
day, the band appear on KROQ’s Cinco de Mayo morning show broadcast in Los Angeles.
“Hammerhead” goes on to be a top 10 hit at Alternative and Active Rock radio stations, holding
the #2 spot on the Alternative radio chart for 6 weeks – reigning 14 weeks total in the top 10.
After a surprise early release of the digital album, Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace is released
worldwide in mid-June on CD and gatefold vinyl. The album debuts in the top 10 on the US and
UK sales charts, #1 in Japan and #3 in Australia.
The initial tour in support of the album includes festival stops across the US and Europe
including headlining slots at the KROQ Weenie Roast (Los Angeles), Download Festival (UK),
Bumbershoot (Seattle), Rock Am Ring/Rock Im Park (Germany) and the Virgin Mobile Festival
(Baltimore/DC).
The band also work in a tiny all ages club date at Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA as a MySpace
Secret Show.
By the end of fall, the second single off Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace, “You’re Gonna Go Far,
Kid,” out paces the success of “Hammerhead” as it climbs up the Alternative and Active Rock
charts. The song spends 11 straight weeks at #1 on the Alternative chart.
Tours of Japan, South America and Eastern Europe follow to finish out the year which is capped
off by a headlining spot at KROQ’s Acoustic Xmas Show at Gibson Amphitheater in Los
Angeles.
2009: “Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?” the 3rd single from Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace,
starts 2009 as the #9 song at Alternative radio and climbs the Top 40 charts.
In March, The Offspring announce a full scale North American tour. The announcement comes
via the band’s “Shit Is Fucked Up Tour” widget featuring a mock “presidential address” by
Dexter Holland. Alkaline Trio, Pennywise, Dropkick Murphys, Sum 41 and Shiny Toy Guys
support on select legs of the spring/summer tour. A self-produced uncensored video for “Shit Is
Fucked Up” is released online as well.
The “Shit Is Fucked Up Tour” continues on to Europe in August and September for festival and
headline dates before the band return home and begin work on their next release.
2010: The band return to their Huntington Beach, CA studio to work on new songs with
producer Bob Rock.
In summer, The Offspring and 311 tour together for the first time ever - co-headlining the Unity
Tour 2010; an 18 date run of US amphitheaters.
July 24, @Offspring's first tweet.
The Offspring then head to Japan to play the Summer Sonic Festival alongside Jay-Z, Pixies and
Smashing Pumpkins. To coincide, the band release the Japan exclusive compilation Happy
Hour!, marking the 15th anniversary of The Offspring's first ever visit to Japan. This special
addition includes live recordings, cover songs and remixes previously available only as B-sides.
It also features a fun package illustrated by Fantasista Utamaro. After Japan, the band return to
writing new music for the rest of the year.
2011: The Offspring spend much of the winter and spring recording with Bob Rock in their
Huntington Beach, CA studio. In August, the band begin a one month tour of Europe including
stops at the Reading and Leeds Festivals with My Chemical Romance, Thirty Seconds To Mars,
Deftones and Rise Against. Following the tour, recording continues.
2012: The year begins with recording at Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, BC before returning to
Southern California and the start of mixing. On March 24, Dexter tweets “Leaving the studio in
Hollywood now. The record is finished.”
March 31 and April 1, The Offspring headline the Punkspring festival in Japan, premiering a
new song: “The Future Is Now.”
April 27, Dexter & Noodles visit KROQ's Kevin & Bean morning show to premiere “Days Go
By” the first single off their upcoming new album.
May 3, the band play a special club show at Alex's Bar in Long Beach to honor the Ignition
album's 20th Anniversary. The place is packed with a couple hundred fans of all kinds and also
close friends and family of the band, making this a unique experience for anyone who was lucky
enough to be at the sold out show. Possibly the longest Offspring show ever!
May 5, The Offspring play the 20th Annual KROQ Weenie Roast & Fiesta alongside Coldplay,
Incubus, Silversun Pickups, Pennywise and others.
June 26, The Offspring release Days Go By worldwide, their 9th studio album.