The Offspring members Dexter Holland and Noodles recently spoke to Kerrang! magazine about the 25th anniversary of their breakthrough record Smash.

Noodles recalls, “Prior to Smash, we were pretty much a part-time band. Even when we blew up, I didn’t even quit my job [as a janitor at the Earl Warren School in Anaheim] outright – I took a three-year leave of absence. I was still working there when we were blowing up ’cause I’d promised my boss I wouldn’t quit until the end of the school year. There was this one high school girl that I knew [there] and she used to see me in the morning and say to me, ‘Man, what are you doing? I just saw you on MTV!’

There were a lot of things at that time that we didn’t do. We didn’t do any late-night TV shows until Days Go By [in 2012]! On Smash, we turned down Saturday Night Live, simply because we didn’t think we were good enough. Again, I think that has something to do with the fact that we were a part-time band.

We did do the Billboard Awards, which was on TV, but it wasn’t widely viewed. The organisers were pissed off that we played Bad Habit rather than one of the hits, but we thought, ‘We’re punks. We’re not a pop band. Let’s go out and fuck things up a little bit.'”

Dexter added, “We actually considered playing Too Drunk To Fuck [by Dead Kennedys] at the Billboard show. In the end we played Bad Habit. But we played raw, and at the end I dived into the crowd. I remember the looks on the faces of the people at the front as I did this, and thinking, ‘Wow, these aren’t the same people that come to see us when we play [punk venue] Gilman Street!'”

Smash was originally released on April 8th, 1994 via Epitaph, and was the first album released on that label to receive gold and platinum certification thanks to the hits “Come Out and Play”, “Self Esteem”, and “Gotta Get Away”. Along with Green Day‘s Dookie, Smash was responsible for helping bring punk rock into the mainstream, as well as paving the way for the emerging pop punk scene of the 90’s.

New London, Connecticut’s The Hempsteadys have released a video for “Classic Cars” off the critically acclaimed Séance! Séance! This is a slower jam from the ska-punks but it has an infectious groove and delivers on a sense of nostalgia.

Check out the video below.

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OK, now it’s official. The Jera On Air festival is officially complete! The three-day festival in Northern Limburg’s Ysselsteyn will kick off with a free Pre Party on Thursday June 27th and continue on through the 29th. Enter Shikari and Deez Nuts have both been added to an already insanely stacked lineup, including Dying Scene Records’ own Chaser!

Check out the full line up and snag your tickets on the fest’s official website.

Here’s a nice little gem for those of you that grew up on South Bay, Los Angeles punk in the late 90s. LA punk act Failing Up just released their new EP “Sword And The Wall” and it’s 6 songs of angst filled, slightly rough around the edges (in a good way) punk rock. Made me think of earlier Deviates but angrier and with a female singer.

Check out the new EP below.

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If you’re jonesing for another taste of the upcoming Dave Hause album “Kick” then here’s your dose. Stream “Fireflies” below. It’s mellow but solid IMO.

“Kick” is due out through Rise Records on April 12th.

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Las Vegas ska-punks Be Like Max are back with their fourth album Save Us All. Immediately it strikes as a throwback to the Suicide Machines brand of hardcore punk with massively catchy and danceable ska breakdowns. Being Produced by David McWane, of Big D fame, probably has a lot to do with the tight evolution of the ska influence.

This album is chock full of vitriolic hardcore punk with an undercurrent of brass driven ska. Sometimes the syncopated guitars are used to provide a bouncy backdrop, other times the brass is in the breakdown and given room to expand the sound of the song. The opener “Time Flies When You’re Having Work” gives a prime example of both. While “Elitist Punks” and “The Boss is Stealing” are examples of how to use a horn section to give blisteringly fast punk a chance to breathe.

“At least I’m not a Toucher “ holds nothing back in a song that extols the singers faults while simultaneously providing a vicious take down of real life villains like Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein. “I’m not a Role model, but at least I’m not like Cosby. What a piece of f**cking shit”. The chorus delivers over a fantastic change of pace that hammers home the dichotomy of the self-deprecation versus the criticism of people who use their position of power in heinous ways.

Then there’s “F**k the News” a warning to pay attention to the divisive nature of the news cycles, as Fox and CNN are both the same in their goal of making you distrust the other side. This song is then broken up by a ska-interlude that feels more like a punk-goes-swing invasion that would be at home on a Cherry Poppin’ Daddies album. Immediately following that comes “Give it Up” with what feels like an extension of “F**k the News” but with a different ska twist. These two songs seamlessly create a two act play on the theme of distrusting what you are force-fed.

Not all the songs in the album have that in your face punk attitude as “King of the House” and a cover of Mephiskapheles’ “Doomsday” showcase the bands ability to create a skanking beat. However even these songs hold tight to the theme of self-reflection and the idea that the world has gone crazy. In a rare spot of levity, the album ends with “Home Away from Home” which gives us a little bit of the fun good time bouncy ska that most people think of when someone mentions the word ska.

With Save Us All, Be Like Max have crafted a ska album that defines the ska genre in 2019. This album delivers a mix of hardcore punk and energetic ska that is equally self aware and socially conscious. It is an aggressive, in your face attempt to make you dance.

5/5 Stars

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Kentucky hardcore band Knocked Loose have released a new song “Mistakes Like Fractures”, premiering the video via Revolver Magazine. The songs are taken from a forthcoming Pure Noise Records 7″.

The band are about to embark on European shows, including Slam Dunk and Groezrock festivals.

Check out the video with ther tour dates below.

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Nerdlinger (Australia), Bare Teeth (France), Down Memory Lane (Canada) and SHAMES (Japan) are set to release a split named “Bridging Oceans” later this month, with three tracks from each band making the cut of this globe-spanning release.

If you fancy checking out a track from each band now, there’s a handy player below to get stuck in with – you can preorder from Pee Records here too!

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Belgian pop punks For I Am have released a music video for “The Armistace”, the first single taken from a forthcoming album (due later this year).

“The Armistace” tackles mental health issues head on. In the band’s own words:

“As intricate human beings, we at times experience difficulties getting the message across we want to get across. Reactions might differ because of underlying reasons we don’t know about or reasons we do not necessarily understand. Mutual respect for one another is of the utmost importance, but sadly it’s also something we discard way too often. Let us at least try to understand each other and open up our hearts & ears to one another. Let us really listen. Let the armistice be now.”

Check out the video using the player below – the track is also available to stream on Spotify now.

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