Bryan “Dexter” Holland doesn’t talk nostalgically about growing up in 1980s OC. “Everyone was kind of bored. The houses and yards were all the same. There was a sense of oppression, a creepy side to Orange County,” the Offspring front man says. At the time, local hardcore punk bands such as Social Distortion and TSOL were trailblazers, unleashing feelings of frustration, boredom and ennui in the form of three-chord songs belted at high volume. For high-school kids Holland and Greg “Greg K.” Kriesel and school janitor Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman, these bands were an inspiration. They formed the Offspring 25 years ago, and that sense of alienation has fueled their music ever since. “It’s like looking in a rearview... More >>>