The Offspring - Happy Hour! [2010]

01 - Come Out And Play (Live)
02 - All I Want (Live)
03 - Gone Away (Live)
04 - Staring At The Sun (Live)
05 - Hit! That (Live)
06 - Gotta Get Away (Live)
07 - Dammit, I Changed Again (Live)
08 - D.U.I.
09 - Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) (Live)
10 - Beheaded
11 - Sin City
12 - I Got a Right
13 - Hey Joe
14 - 80 Times
15 - Autonomy
16 - Want You Bad (Blag Dahlia Remix)
17 - Why Don’t You Get A Job (Baka Boyz Remix)
18 - Million Miles Away (Apollo 440 Remix)
19 - Pretty Fly (The Baka Boyz Low Rider Remix)

Band members
    * Dexter Holland – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano
    * Noodles – lead guitar, backing vocals
    * Greg K. – bass, backing vocals
    * Ron Welty – drums, percussion (all tracks except "Hit That")
    * Josh Freese – drums, percussion ("Hit That")

"We want to offer something new with every album," says Dexter Holland, frontman of THE OFFSPRING.

After nine records, that's certainly not an easy task for any band. However, THE OFFSPRING have more than a few surprises up their sleeves, and their ninth studio album, DAYS GO BY, is staggering proof. Produced by Bob Rock (Metallica, Mötley Crüe, The Cult), the record sees the group embracing every side of their sound, while simultaneously blazing new trails.

The Huntington Beach, CA quartet—Dexter Holland (vocals, guitar), Noodles (guitar), Greg Kriesel (bass) and Pete Parada (drums)—once again break all the rules in true punk fashion. The title track and first single glides on an irresistible riff and arena-sized hook. Meanwhile, "OC Guns" swings from swaggering SoCal reggae into a mariachi breakdown, and "Cruising California (Bumpin' in My Trunk)" hilariously recounts an afternoon rolling around the beach with nothing but time to kill and scantily girls to flirt with. Then, there's the final speed punk death march of dual salvo "Dividing by Zero" and "Slim Pickens Does The Right Thing And Rides The Bomb To Hell." It's unique, unpredictable, and undeniably THE OFFSPRING.

The band's last album, 2008's Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace, featured the alternative and rock radio staples “Hammerhead” and “You're Gonna Go Far, Kid.” Also among their best-known hits are the rock anthems “Self Esteem,” “Come Out And Play (Keep ‘Em Separated)” and “The Kids Aren't Alright." They've performed over 1100 shows across the globe and sold more than 36 million albums worldwide. Their 1994 release Smash remains the highest-selling album of all-time on an independent label.

In 2010 after a successful touring cycle behind Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, the four musicians regrouped in their Orange County studio to begin carving out ideas for their next offering. Holland took a trip to visit Rock in Hawaii. After collaborating with the producer on the previous record, it was like they'd simply picked up where they left off.

"The last album turned out really great, so we wanted to work with Bob again," Holland explains. "When you go with a producer for the second time, it can go one of two ways. Either, since you've gotten to know each other, everything gets a lot better. Or, sometimes, you've gotten too comfortable with each other, and it stops being professional. The producer becomes too much like a buddy. Luckily, it didn't go that way. Bob encouraged us to throw all of our ideas out there."

The title track actually ignited the entire process. They began working on that song first, revisiting it throughout the entire process, and actually finishing it in the last batch. For Holland, the song remains emblematic of a pervasive overarching theme.

"It tied everything together and was the most representative of what I was trying to get at," he reveals. "Time marches on. We have to get through life and pull ourselves up by our boot straps. No one is going to do it for you. At the same time, there's a message of hope, and I wanted that to come across. The last few years have been really tough on a lot of people. You can see it on TV or in the news. The song doesn't simply say, 'Let's revolt.' It's about the spirit that things can get better."

"It's about hanging in there," concurs Noodles. "Without hope, there's not much reason to go on. The song's got that big mid-tempo chant and a real unifying feeling." There's a unity in the musical diversity of DAYS GO BY as well. Whether it’s a humorous story of starting an alternate family with a stripper on "I Wanna Secret Family (With You)" or the anti-authoritarian old school fire of "Secrets from the Underground" and "Turning Into You," THE OFFSPRING don't hold anything back. Holland made a point of challenging himself while writing. He even made a writer's retreat up to Vancouver with Rock's encouragement, and he penned "All I Have Left Is You" quickly in the hotel room.

"I really tried to write the best lyrics possible here," the singer goes on. "I want to tell a story, but allow people to make it their own. We like to make music that's diverse. There's a lot of punk rock, but there's a little reggae and pop. It's easy to start rehashing after nine albums. You have to push yourself to dig deeper." In terms of digging deeper, the band was able to craft songs that were both infectious and inspiring. Noodles affirms, "There are songs with meaning, and I hope those resonate with people. At the same time, I hope they smile and laugh during the fun songs. If they like it all, that's even better." "We make these records for ourselves," says Holland. "We come out of it feeling good, and it's great if that translates. The angry tracks aren't just pure anger. They're hopefully cathartic."

There's nothing quite as cathartic as seeing the band live though, and that's where the material on DAYS GO BY will burn the brightest. It's because even after all this time, the group's reason for being on stage hasn't changed. It's as pure as it's ever been. "We share a love of this music that we got into at such a young age," declares Noodles. "It meant the same thing or a very similar thing to all of us back then as it does now. We love recording. We love hanging out backstage. We love giving each other shit and taking the piss out of each other. We love playing."

It's no surprise Holland feels the same. "We still do it because it's what we love. We feel inspired to make the best music we can and try to make the world a bit better in the process. When the audience sings back to you, there's nothing like it." There will be a lot more of that to come with DAYS GO BY. —amazon.com, May 2012

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