2K Beats

Long before there was The Warped Tour, 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, six albums and 32 million records sold, those two pals, vocalist/guitarist Dexter Holland and bassist Greg K, along with fellow classmate (and school custodian) guitarist Noodles, are still delivering with a Greatest Hits compilation due out in 2008 on Columbia. 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.

“We‘re just happy to be at the party,“ says Dexter, who continues to follow his original principle of empowering another generation of young people trying to find their identity in a conformist world. “I know younger kids relate to what we‘re doing. We‘re pretty much the same as we ever were. When I was young, I couldn‘t imagine myself working at a desk 9 to 5 with a suit and tie. I knew there was something better, something that would make me happy and this is better than even I could‘ve imagined.“