The Offspring
The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band’s current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan “Dexter” Holland, lead guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman, bassist Todd Morse and drummer Brandon Pertzborn. Over the course of their 39-year career, the Offspring has released ten studio albums and have also experienced a number of lineup changes, most notably with their drummer. Their longest-serving drummer was Ron Welty, who replaced original drummer James Lilja in 1987 and stayed with the Offspring for 16 years. Welty was replaced by Atom Willard in 2003, who was replaced four years later by Pete Parada, who remained as the drummer for the Offspring until he was fired from the band in 2021 for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and got officially replaced two years later by their current drummer Brandon Pertzborn. Gregory “Greg K.” Kriesel was their bassist until 2018, when he was fired from the band due to business disputes, thus leaving Holland as the sole remaining original member. Kriesel was replaced by Todd Morse of H2O, who had been the Offspring’s touring guitarist since 2009.The Offspring is often credited—alongside fellow California punk bands Green Day, NOFX, Bad Religion and Rancid—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the 1990s. They have sold over 40 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling punk rock bands in history.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”, propelled punk rock into the mainstream and holds the distinction as one of the best-selling albums released on an independent record label, selling over 11 million copies worldwide. 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’s fifth album Americana regained their previous level of popularity, obtaining support from MTV and radio and selling over five million units in the US. The Offspring has since released five more albums: Conspiracy of One ; Splinter ; Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace ; Days Go By ; and Let the Bad Times Roll .
