Biography
Keith Morris, a foundational figure in the Los Angeles hardcore punk movement through his tenure as the first frontman of Black Flag and his role establishing the Circle Jerks, reconnected with aggressive, high-velocity, and combative sounds—and staged a surprising return—via the band OFF!. Teaming with fellow punk veterans, Morris channeled the raw fury, rapid tempos, and sharp-edged attitude of his formative years into the frantic sixty-second explosions comprising OFF!’s 2012 self-titled debut album. Wasted Years followed a comparable path of hardcore-driven outbursts in 2014, while Free LSD, issued in 2022, shifted the band’s approach with more intricate arrangements, extended psychedelic improvisations, and a duration exceeding thirty minutes.
The group originated when Morris and guitarist Greg Hetson began outlining a fresh Circle Jerks record and enlisted Dimitri Coats of the Burning Brides as producer. Dissatisfied with the songs under consideration, Morris and Coats instead composed an entirely new set of material. When Hetson parted ways with Coats over production choices, the pair repurposed their compositions for a separate endeavor, launching OFF! to house the work. Completing the roster were bassist Steven McDonald of Redd Kross and drummer Mario Rubalcaba, formerly of Hot Snakes and Rocket from the Crypt. OFF! first performed publicly at the 2010 South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, drawing strong notices for their urgent, high-energy tracks that several observers likened to the earliest Black Flag recordings.
The band’s recorded output commenced in 2010 with a four-track 7-inch EP. Three additional EPs soon appeared and were later compiled by Vice Records into the box set The First Four EPs, which the label also issued on CD in 2011. The group quickly reconvened to track a full-length self-titled album that surfaced in May 2012. While maintaining an active live schedule—pausing at intervals so Morris could perform with FLAG, a project uniting several former Black Flag members—the musicians started preparing their follow-up in 2013. Captured on an eight-track analog reel-to-reel machine inside their rehearsal room, Wasted Years reached stores in April 2014.
Roughly five years afterward, OFF! revealed plans for a documentary-style film and companion album, both bearing the title Watermelon. Framed by the band as a “sci-fi punk rockumentary,” the project depicted the group fracturing amid a turbulent 2016 tour before navigating unforeseen developments. OFF! turned to online crowdfunding to finance the shoot, with both the film and album initially slated for 2020.
Delays stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and a Circle Jerks reunion tour undertaken by Morris and Greg Hetson pushed the timeline back. When OFF! resurfaced in 2021, the band contributed a cover of Metallica’s “Holier Than Thou” to the expansive tribute collection The Metallica Blacklist. That recording also unveiled a revised lineup after Steven McDonald and Mario Rubalcaba departed, with Autry Fulbright II of You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead assuming bass duties and Justin Brown, who has performed with Terence Blanchard, Esperanza Spalding, and Thundercat, taking the drum chair. In September 2022, while Watermelon remained unreleased, Fat Possum Records issued the group’s third album, Free LSD, and simultaneously reissued the earlier catalog. Incorporating several abstract electronic interludes, saxophone contributions from Jon Wahl, and ten of its sixteen tracks running longer than two minutes, the set stood as OFF!’s most expansive statement to that point; the band backed the release with a twenty-six-date U.S. tour.
The group originated when Morris and guitarist Greg Hetson began outlining a fresh Circle Jerks record and enlisted Dimitri Coats of the Burning Brides as producer. Dissatisfied with the songs under consideration, Morris and Coats instead composed an entirely new set of material. When Hetson parted ways with Coats over production choices, the pair repurposed their compositions for a separate endeavor, launching OFF! to house the work. Completing the roster were bassist Steven McDonald of Redd Kross and drummer Mario Rubalcaba, formerly of Hot Snakes and Rocket from the Crypt. OFF! first performed publicly at the 2010 South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, drawing strong notices for their urgent, high-energy tracks that several observers likened to the earliest Black Flag recordings.
The band’s recorded output commenced in 2010 with a four-track 7-inch EP. Three additional EPs soon appeared and were later compiled by Vice Records into the box set The First Four EPs, which the label also issued on CD in 2011. The group quickly reconvened to track a full-length self-titled album that surfaced in May 2012. While maintaining an active live schedule—pausing at intervals so Morris could perform with FLAG, a project uniting several former Black Flag members—the musicians started preparing their follow-up in 2013. Captured on an eight-track analog reel-to-reel machine inside their rehearsal room, Wasted Years reached stores in April 2014.
Roughly five years afterward, OFF! revealed plans for a documentary-style film and companion album, both bearing the title Watermelon. Framed by the band as a “sci-fi punk rockumentary,” the project depicted the group fracturing amid a turbulent 2016 tour before navigating unforeseen developments. OFF! turned to online crowdfunding to finance the shoot, with both the film and album initially slated for 2020.
Delays stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and a Circle Jerks reunion tour undertaken by Morris and Greg Hetson pushed the timeline back. When OFF! resurfaced in 2021, the band contributed a cover of Metallica’s “Holier Than Thou” to the expansive tribute collection The Metallica Blacklist. That recording also unveiled a revised lineup after Steven McDonald and Mario Rubalcaba departed, with Autry Fulbright II of You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead assuming bass duties and Justin Brown, who has performed with Terence Blanchard, Esperanza Spalding, and Thundercat, taking the drum chair. In September 2022, while Watermelon remained unreleased, Fat Possum Records issued the group’s third album, Free LSD, and simultaneously reissued the earlier catalog. Incorporating several abstract electronic interludes, saxophone contributions from Jon Wahl, and ten of its sixteen tracks running longer than two minutes, the set stood as OFF!’s most expansive statement to that point; the band backed the release with a twenty-six-date U.S. tour.
Albums
Singles
