| Dexter Holland | |
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Dexter Holland in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2008 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bryan Keith Holland |
| Also known as | Dexter Holland |
| Born | December 29, 1965 Garden Grove, California United States |
| Genres | Punk rock, alternative rock, skate punk, pop punk, ska punk |
| Occupations | Musician, singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | guitar, vocals, drums, piano, keyboards, rapping, percussion, bass |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Nitro, Epitaph, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Columbia |
| Associated acts | The Offspring |
Bryan Keith "Dexter" Holland (born December 29, 1965[1] in Garden Grove, California) is the singer, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter for the California punk rock band The Offspring. Prior to that, he was a singer from a karaoke bar[2] and the drummer for Manic Subsidal (which also featured another Offspring member, Greg K).
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After Holland met friend and fellow cross-country teammate Greg Kriesel, they started a local punk band called Manic Subsidal in 1984, where he played the drums. It formed after the duo failed to get into a Social Distortion concert in 1984. (There has been a rumor that Dexter and Greg were involved in a band before Manic Subsidal called Clowns of Death.) After James Lilja was hired as their drummer and Holland switched to both vocals and guitars. They never released any albums but some demos have existed online. After some line-up changes, Manic Subsidal changed their name to The Offspring in 1986. After recording a demo in 1988,[3] The Offspring signed a deal with a small-time label, Nemesis Records, for whom they recorded their first full length album, The Offspring, in March 1989.[3] This album would eventually be re-issued on November 21, 1995 by Holland's own record label, Nitro Records.
In 1991, The Offspring signed with Epitaph Records (home of Bad Religion, L7, NOFX, Pennywise and other similar bands). Their first release on the label was Ignition, which was released in 1992. Their last album for that label was 1994's Smash, which still holds the world record for most sales of an album on an independent label.[4] The band then signed with Columbia Records in 1996 (although Dexter claims that Brett Gurewitz, owner of Epitaph and guitarist for Bad Religion, sold the contract to Columbia[5]) for whom they have released their next five albums, Ixnay on the Hombre (1997), Americana (1998), Conspiracy of One (2000), Splinter (2003) and Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (2008). The Offspring is currently working on a ninth studio album, which is likely due for release sometime in 2012.[6]
Dexter often communicates with fans of The Offspring by way of the band's internet journal.
Holland was recently ranked 73rd in the March 2007 Edition of Kerrang! 100 Stars Who Rock Your World List.
Holland was the class valedictorian at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove, California and was a Ph.D. candidate[7] in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California; however, he abandoned his Ph.D. in favor of focusing on The Offspring. He has a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Master's degree in Molecular Biology, both from the University of Southern California.[8]
Dexter's interests include surfing, snowboarding and aviation. According to an interview he gave Adam Carolla, he owns an Aero L-39 Albatross Trainer. He also owns a Cessna 525A CitationJet 2, tail number N7715X, with the anarchy symbol on the tail.[9]
Dexter Holland is also the nephew of cult horror director Tom Holland.[10]
Holland married hairstylist Kristine Luna, who co-wrote the Offspring song "Session", on August 12, 1995.[11]
Holland is also a licensed Airline Transport Pilot and as of April 2009, a Certified Flight Instructor[12] who has made a solo trip around the world in ten days.[13]
He also participated in the 2006 Los Angeles Marathon; his charity of choice was the Innocence Project, a non-profit legal clinic that handles legal cases where post-conviction DNA testing of evidence can yield conclusive proof of innocence.[14]
Holland has his own brand of hot sauce, Gringo Bandito. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Hot Sauce is bottled in a Newport Beach facility that distributes 500 gallons a month.[15] Holland says that Albertsons has started carrying his hot sauce, which he reports is "huge for us".[16]
All of Holland's Ibanez RG bodies are made out of mahogany and fitted with DiMarzio Super Distortion bridge pickups.[17][18] During their latest recordings, Holland used a vintage Gibson.[19]
Holland appears on all eight of The Offspring's albums. For a more comprehensive list, see The Offspring discography.
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