Offspring's Eternal

The Offspring are in the studio this week putting the final touches on Americana, due out November 17. Produced by Dave Jerden, Americana--the band's fifth album overall and second for Columbia Records--is the follow-up to their critically acclaimed, multi-platinum album Ixnay On The Hombre (also produced by Jerden), which was released in early 1997. Of Ixnay, Spin noted, "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..." while the Los Angeles Times raved: "Ixnay On The Hombre succeeds splendidly on musical terms with songs that are almost preternaturally catchy and cannily arranged, while packing plenty of wallop and zoom."

On the live front, The Offspring--Dexter Holland (vocals, guitars), Noodles (guitars, vocals), Greg K. (bass) and Ron Welty (drums)--are planning a U.S. tour in November and December, followed by dates in Australia and Japan in early 1999.

Americana contains 12 tracks including "Pay The Man" and "Pretty Fly For A White Guy," as well as a punk version of Morris Albert's overwrought "Feelings." As Holland recently told Rolling Stone Online and JAMtv, "It just seemed natural to do a punk version of it. It's got that 'whoa, whoa' chorus and a lot of old Orange County punk stuff is like that...kinda." Laughing, he adds, "I had to change some of the words into negative feelings, really hateful feelings to make it work. But we're doing it."

As for lyrical topics of the band's original songs on Americana, Holland admits he's been influenced by America's cultural craziness. "Lately, I've been into this warped sense of Americana," he says. "The whole daytime talk show culture fascinates me. It seems like the stuff that used to be the fringe is more and more the everyday reality. If America was once barbecues, big cars and life in the suburbs in the '50s, it's now totally a freak show. I wanted to show that ordinary, average American life isn't so average or ordinary anymore."

The Offspring will also be seen and heard in Idle Hands, a bizarre horror comedy directed by Rodman Flender ("Party Of Five," The Unborn and Leprechaun II) and stars Devon Sawa (Wild America), Seth Green (Can't Hardly Wait, Austin Powers) and Vivica Fox (Soul Food, Batman & Robin, Independence Day). The Offspring spent three days filming, playing a group performing at a high school dance where, naturally, all hell is about to break loose. "I got to speak one line before I get killed," says Holland of his acting debut. Prior to shooting the movie, the band went into Welty's studio with producer/engineer Jerry Finn and re-recorded "Beheaded," a song from their self-titled debut album, as well as a cover version of the Ramones "I Wanna Be Sedated." Both songs are expected to be included in the film--due out in spring 1999--but not on the soundtrack.

"We love what we do. We want to make the best music we can and try to top what we did before," states Holland.

Stay tuned for tour details...

From Columbia Records Daily Dish Mailing list - September 3, 1998