There's already going to be 101 punk-powered rock groups debuting this year, so why bother making Off By One the 102nd? The whole lot will be slamming out the spirited fast-paced tempos, the huge catchy hooks, and the bursting pop-packed choruses, so how's this San Diego four-piece any different?
Simply put, the exceptional songwriting of vocalist Marc Gould, the type of talent who wrote and composed songs on the piano before he even passed through his first kindergarten door.
"My parents had me playing music by age three," Marc explains. "Of course, with all those music lessons, I don't think starting a rock band is what they had in mind."
With such a gifted frontman, it should be no surprise that Off By One also features three outstanding players in guitarist Jon Bishop, bassist Jordan Brownwood, and drummer Trevor Easter, all of whom are still in their teens.
Together, they funneled their collective talents into a stirring self-titled debut that highlights vibrant and invigorating freshness within the highly energized format of the classic punk-driven rock sound. The 13-songs on Off By One epitomize such artistic ideals as shredding the boundaries, power-stacking the hooks, and the making the words count with transparent honesty and real feelings.
Off By One's rookie bow spans the spectrum of life's daily longings, from the challenges of growing into one's own perspectives to battling the hapless havoc caused by love's whimsical will. The dark and deep rocker "Been Alone," written by the entire band, nails the bitter side of life's unhealthy dependencies, whether that addiction involves a substance, idea, or person. "High School" kicks out pure punk power reflecting on the needless silly mind-sets that make the teen years a lesson in maturity's lowest common denominators. Off By One especially realizes their musical vision with the humorous "On My Way," an attitude-railing address to why high school guidance counselors don't include "rock musician" on Career Day.
"People try hard to instill in us that college is the only way to go," says Marc of the track "On My Way." "The song sarcastically says we must be on our way to nowhere then."
Off By One's debut also includes an amped-up cover of Ednaswap's "Torn," the FM radio hit first made popular by Natalie Imbruglia. Choosing the song as something they could see themselves writing, the band starts the cover with a rhythm-leading drive building towards a wall of guitars igniting the dynamics of the chorus. Off By One perfectly nails the song's prominent pop principles while giving it a 104-octane kick.
Flipping back a pair of yearbooks, Off By One started when Marc and his best friend's brother Jon hooked up to start a band. Trevor, a high school friend of Jon's, soon covered the group's backbeat, but finding a bass player proved problematic.
After practicing with several bassists that Marc describes as "ridiculously horrible," the group finally debuted as a vocal-guitar-drum trio, inspiring the name Off By One.
Sponsored at the time by a local surf stop, the newborn trio quickly found a following in the Volcom-Vans community playing various beach-centered parties and events. The group eventually rounded out their line-up with another school chum, Jordan, who's been plucking the bass strings for the band since spring of 2001.
In short time, a local San Diego group called Convoy invited Off By One to record a demo in their makeshift studio. The resulting tape caught the attention of the Matrix, a L.A.-based production company, and then LMC Records, who signed the band with the Matrix stepping up to produce.
With a ringer of a rookie debut, Off By One stands out from the new punk pack with the songs, style, and presence that perfectly capture the attitude of the post-"American Pie" generation. Off By One clearly resonates with their fans of all ages through punk rock perspectives backed by the writing and musicianship that make them one of the most exciting new bands of 2002.
