Formed circa 1978, The Offs were a

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

/ ska band from San Francisco, started by guitarist Billy Hawk and singer Don Vinil, and later joined by former Hot Tuna drummer Bob Steeler and a rotation of horn players including Bob Roberts, Richard Edson and Roland Young. The Offs were active in the early days of the San Francisco

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

scene.

History

In 1978, The Offs self-released their first record - a 7" single featuring a cover of the Slickers' ''Johnny Too Bad'', which was championed in Europe by Emperor Rosko on Radio Luxembourg. The B-side was the Billy Hawk-penned ''624803''. A subsequent release in the same year was ''Everyone's a Bigot'', with ''Zero Degrees'' on the B-side, which was the first-ever release on San Francisco's

415 Records 415 Records was a San Francisco record label created in 1978. The label focused its efforts on local punk rock and new wave music acts of the late 1970s through the late 1980s, including The Offs, The Nuns, The Units, Romeo Void, and Wire Tra ...

. That song later appeared on the

Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 by Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra and guitarist East Bay Ray in San Francisco, California, with the intention to release the Dead Kennedys' self-produced single " C ...

hardcore/ art punk compilation '' Let Them Eat Jellybeans!''. Another early release was "You Fascinate Me." Lead singer Don Vinil was known for his outrageous on-stage behavior. Fellow San Francisco punk group,

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...

played their first show with the Offs in 1978. They often played at San Francisco's Mabuhay Gardens. The Offs also went through a number of bassists, including Denny Boredom (Denny DeGorio), Olga de Volga and Fast Floyd. Eric Peterson joined as bassist in 1980, shortly after the group decamped San Francisco for New York where they quickly became a regular fixture at such New York institutions as the Mudd Club,

Danceteria Danceteria was a nightclub that operated in New York City from May 1980 until 1986 and in the Hamptons until 1995. The club operated in various locations over the years, a total of three in New York City and four in the Hamptons. The most famous l ...

and

Max's Kansas City Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South in New York City, which became a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists, and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s. It was opened by Mickey Ruskin (1933–1983) in Dece ...

. The Offs counted among their fans and friends numerous people in the downtown New York art/music scene, including artists

Jean-Michel Basquiat Jean-Michel Basquiat (; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the neo-expressionism movement. Basquiat first achieved notoriety in the late 1970s as part of the graffiti ...

Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the Graffiti in New York City, New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual l ...

, musician and actor Richard Edson, who played trumpet with the band, and Glenn O'Brien, the peripatetic chronicler of the scene for Andy Warhol's ''

Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

'' magazine. In 1984, David Ferguson's label CD Presents released a full-length album for the band called ''The Offs First Record'', with artwork by Basquiat.

Discography

Singles

* 1978 ''Everyone's A Bigot'' / ''0°'' (415 Records) * 1978 ''Johnny Too Bad'' / ''624803'' (Crack In The World) * 1980 ''You Fascinate Me'' / ''My World'' (Max's Kansas City Records) * 1981 ''Zero Vs. The Offs'' / ''Why Boy'' (Epiphany Records)

Albums

* 1984 ''First Record'' (CD Presents, Ltd.) * 2000 ''Live At The Mabuhay Gardens Nov 7 1980'' (Vampir Records)

Compilations

* 1980 ''Can You Hear Me? Music From The Deaf Club'' (Optional Music) * 2000 ''The Offs: California Skapunk Pioneers'' (Lost and Found Records)

Film/Video

* 1979 ''Deaf/punk'' (Canyon Cinema Co-op)

References

American ska musical groups Punk rock groups from California 1978 establishments in California {{US-punk-band-stub