THE OFFSPRING singer Bryan "Dexter" Holland and guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman spoke to Matt Pinfield of KLOS's "New & Approved" series about the band's upcoming tenth studio album, "Let The Bad Times Roll", which will arrive on April 16 via Concord Records. The follow-up to 2012's "Days Go By" was produced by Bob Rock, who also worked on the band's last two LPs.
Asked what it's like working with Rock again, Noodles said: "Bob's the best. He's like a member of the family now. This is studio where we recorded the record. Bob will fly out from wherever he's at in the world and spend a few weeks with us here. We show up in the morning, have some coffee, talk about, 'Hey, how's your family? Can you believe what's going on in the world?' We do that for 15, 20 minutes, and then we get in here and we start tracking, start going over whatever we're going over that day. It's just a blast working with him. He pushes us, but he does it in a way that doesn't feel like he's mad at us or anything, or dissing us. He pushes us in ways that are just absolutely positive."
According to Dexter, working with a producer who is also a musician and knows the craft is an invaluable asset when making an album. "For sure, because sometimes you have to get into the nuts and bolts of why doesn't this work," he explained. "Is it because the guitar sounds different? Or you need a different kind of strings on a guitar, or a different model of guitar — something like that. And [Bob] really speaks that language. He knows more about guitars and guitar sounds than anybody I know — way more than us. So it's really great to be able to work with him as a musician. And also, you just feel a different kind of kinship like that, because you know that he's been where you are — he's been the guy in the band, and he wants it to succeed in the way that you do."
Holland, Wasserman, drummer Pete Parada and new bassist Todd Morse wrote and recorded "Let The Bad Times Roll" in the last few years at various locations, including the band's studio in Huntington Beach, California.
In December, THE OFFSPRING released the official music video for its Rock-produced cover version of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", a rock song originally sung by Darlene Love and included on the 1963 seasonal compilation album "A Christmas Gift For You" from Phil Spector.
Last April, THE OFFSPRING jumped on the "Tiger King" bandwagon by recording a cover version of THE CLINTON JOHNSON BAND's "Here Kitty Kitty", a song made popular by Joe Schreibvogel — better known as Joe Exotic, the "Tiger King" — through the Netflix docuseries.
Two years ago, bassist Gregory "Greg K." Kriesel, who hasn't performed with THE OFFSPRING since 2018, filed a federal lawsuit against Noodles and Dexter alleging trademark infringement and breach of partnership agreement over the rights to THE OFFSPRING name. In response, Holland and Wasserman filed a cross-complaint, denying basically everything Kriesel alleged and asking the court to appoint "three disinterested appraisers to appraise the fair value" of Kriesel's shares of THE OFFSPRING.
THE OFFSPRING has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, won countless awards, and has toured consistently, playing more than 500 shows in the last decade alone. Their music has had a lasting impact across film, television, and video games.
Photo credit:: Daveed Benito
