Off By One
I had the opportunity to interview Off By One after their show at the Cobalt Café in Canoga Park. Trevor, the drummer, Jordan, the bassist, and Marc, the singer, took some time out to share their thoughts with me.
LAPunk: To start off, why the heck don't you play that many shows in Los Angeles?
Trevor: There's two things. It's kind of like a big competition. A lot of bands look at it as who's on top and who's doing what. It's the same thing with San Diego, where we grew up. People are too worried about what's cool and not what they really like, I think. It's really hard.
Marc: Do we have to say our name after every word we say? We did an interview one time where we had to do that. We said, "Marc. I said this! Marc."
LAPunk: Nope!
Trevor: It was so hard… To be honest, though, it's not like we say, "No, let's not play LA." It just ends up happening that we don't play here very much.
Jordan: See, Orange County, we like. We like playing Chain Reaction.
All: Yea! Chain Reaction!
Trevor: That's the closest to LA we like to play. I enjoy playing the venues, but the scene I don't really like.
Marc: We'll play LA way more if all you kids start coming out. It's just that it's so big and there are so many bands. There are a shitload of bands in San Diego, but you come to Los Angeles and there's twice as many.
Jordan: And there are three times as many venues!
Marc: So shows are every night and they don't really matter. Who cares about just another band that is trying to make it?
LAPunk: How's the current tour going?
Trevor: We've been everywhere. We've been in every state except South Dakota and Maine. And we've even been to Canada!
Marc: Since when is Canada a state?
Trevor: No, I'm just saying.. For anyone that wants to go to Canada, it's like the United States but ten times better.
Jordan: Times a million! The scene there is so absurd.
LAPunk: Where would you say has the best scene?
Trevor: Canada, that we've been to. And Florida. Florida's awesome. It's how San Diego used to be, it's just awesome. But Canada, we had never played Canada and we went there on the Warped Tour and there were 2,000 kids just going ape-shit. And no one knew who we were, our CD had just come out. They were going nuts for anything - punk, pop-punk - just everything.
LAPunk: Is what they say about the Jersey scene true?
Jordan: Ya, Jersey went pretty bonkers. Asbury Park is awesome.
Trevor: That's a good Drive-Thru place. We were on the Drive-Thru stage and it was pretty cool doing that.
LAPunk: So what are you guys up to now? Just living a dream?
Trevor: To tell you the truth, I never envisioned myself going to college. I'm an okay school guy, and Jordan is amazing in school, the top of his class, but we signed a contract in high school and two days after we graduated we left for the Warped Tour. It was never like, "Hmm, what college should I go to? Maybe I'll go to college and maybe I'll tour." It was like, "Okay, you're going to tour after you graduate. You're going to go out on the road and do what you like to do." As long as we can do it, we'll keep doing it. As long as I don't have to go to school, fuck yea. For so long Jordan is like, "I want to be a lawyer." Even when we were recording our album, he was like, "I want to be a lawyer." And we were like, "No, you're a bass player."
LAPunk: So where are all the lawyer songs?
Jordan: "This is law school!"
LAPunk: Okay, so I saw Dave Chapelle today [Half-Baked, Undercover Brother, Chapelle's Show]. If you could ask him one question, what would you ask?
Tevor: How long is his dick? Definitely.
Jordan: Is it really weed he was smoking in Half-Baked?
LAPunk: Someone asked! The answer is no, by the way. He smoked alfalfa on camera, which looks and smells like weed, but doesn't get you high.
Jordan: Alfalfa? Wow… So he smoked weed off camera, and then came on and smoked weed? That's okay, I smoke cigarettes after I smoke weed…
Trevor: Don't put that in. He smokes cigarettes after he eats pizza, he said.
Jordan: And after I have sex.
LAPunk: So what's the deal with the shirt about the Irish?
Trevor: Okay, here's the story. I'm driving down Melrose and I'm just like… we're totally Irish. Jon [guitarist] and I are totally from the same place. We actually found out that we came from the same village with like 100 people. It's totally freaky. Anyway, so we're really big green Irish fans. I'm driving down Melrose and I see some green shirt in some thrift store. It said, "There are only two races: The Irish and the Kentucky Derby." I pulled over and I'm like, "I have to buy it." It was forty bucks, it was ridiculous, but I bought it anyway. When I put it on it was like a rash guard, it was so tight. So I gave it to Jon and he wore it in all of the pictures. That shirt was awesome, but it's missing in action. John lost it. He loses everything… but that was the greatest shirt I ever saw. I was so stoked when I saw it. It was green AND about the Irish!
LAPunk: So where are your Irish lawyer songs?
Jordan: Naww, that's Flogging Molly you're talking about.
LAPunk: I actually noticed some new material in there.
Trevor: Ya, one. We actually wrote a new song yesterday, it's just starting to come out.
Jordan: Next week we're heading back into the studio to record three or four new songs. This isn't really a serious thing, we just want to record some newer stuff and put out a 7". We're big vinyl fans, we'll probably just put it out ourselves and sell it at shows or on our website.
Trevor: It's just kind of to keep people rejuvenated and it's for ourselves, too.
LAPunk: So what's the path of the new Off By One?
Trevor: It's going to be really different. A lot of our stuff is more rock. Way more rock. We recorded our album almost two years ago now, and we were in high school and wrote all those songs, and we're so different then we were back then. That was just what we made up in my garage and put on a CD, pretty much. But we're proud of it! When we wrote most of those songs, I was like 16 or 17, and we were still in high school, except for Marc.
LAPunk: How did you guys hook up with Marc [who is 22]?
Marc: I'm the grandpa! No, actually I was friends with Jon's older brother and I had written some stuff in college and when I came back my friend was like, "Hey, you should hook up with my younger brother." I met Jon and he was like, "I've been playing drums with some other dude." And we just kind of formed and did some shit…
Trevor: It's actually pretty funny, I actually fought Jon to buy a drum set from his twin brother. It's a crazy loop. I fought Jon and we got in arguments after school to buy his drum set, we were trying to outbid each other.
Marc: And Jon is the most uncoordinated motherfucker. Just look at the way he's standing. Look at that armpit sweat, it's uncoordinated. One's bigger than the other! And where do you get that back sweat from, what the fuck? Jon, did you go for a marathon run or something?!
Jon: Shut the fuck up!
Trevor: Anyway, I ended up buying the drum set and the next day we were like, "Uh, let's play together!" We pretty much all molded together because so new at our instruments when we started playing. For Jordan, the day he joined the band was the day he picked up a bass guitar. And it was pretty much the same thing for me! The day I started playing drums, we started this band. That's why this new album will be a little different. We've actually molded and have had time to get used to how each other play.
LAPunk: Who would you say influenced the old Off By One, and what are the influences that are taking you in this new direction?
Trevor: Older stuff is like MXPX big time…
Marc: Every single band that was out there and ever made a record… I would have to say that Unwritten Law was a big influence to us. Blue Room.
Trevor: Ya, Unwritten Law was probably the biggest one. That's what I learned to play my drums to…
Marc: If they were musicians anytime between 1900 to 2000, that was our influence.
Trevor: I don't know if it's normal, but if you were to pattern what we listen to in the car and in the RV, it's strange. It's GlassJaw, then the Police Greatest Hits, then The Exit, and then Taking Back Sunday, then Pat Benetar and Cheap Trick and Journey…
Marc: And Brand New, Hot Rod Circuit, Alkaline Trio, The Used…
Trevor: Old school jazz. We listen to classical all the time. We all definitely don't listen to the same stuff. I'm definitely on the poppier side of everything and I like a lot of the popular stuff and like…
Marc: [pretending to cough] Country!
Trevor: And country music. And Marc listens to a lot of rap and Jordan listens to a lot of the indie rock and Jon played Pat Benetar and heavy guitar stuff.
Marc: Dude, I hate rap. I like hip hop!
Trevor: Hip hop, sorry.. so that's why we started rubbing off on each other and listening to absolutely everything.
Marc: Trevor, you can rub on me anytime you want.
Trevor: I'll rub off on you!
LAPunk: Oooh, maybe I should leave you two alone. So what are you guys traveling in now?
Marc: We have an RV, it's pretty much the size of a tour bus. It's thirty and a half feet long… we take that everywhere except LA, because it's hard to navigate and we just came up from San Diego. And someone will probably jack it.
LAPunk: And you'll have to pay $80 for parking!
Marc: At least it's not $150 like New York. Last time we were in New York we parked illegally for five days in the same spot and got one ticket worth $35 and it would have cost us like $200 to park it. So fuck it, just get a ticket.
LAPunk: Marc, since you didn't answer the question before, what are your thoughts on LA?
Marc: I like the city part, I like the pace of it, but if you're really looking for a big city I dig New York. LA is cool, I just can't live here. After going all over, if you've lived in San Diego your whole life, it's the same for anyone who lives anywhere for their whole life except in shitholes, but in San Diego it's like nothing beats it. It's a really relaxed way of living and it's still a big city. LA's just a little too… like… people are too… just… shallow here.
Trevor: I don't even think you have to say it! I think people on the other end will be like, "Ya, we get it."
Marc: But LA… I don't know, it's not that bad.
LAPunk: So you guys are still going to come back?
Marc: Playing somewhere is playing somewhere. Wherever you play is fine. It doesn't matter. You're playing music, right?
LAPunk: Exactly, it's all about the music. So any last words of advice for our readers?
Marc: My nipples are hard.
Trevor: Oh, I have a word of advice. Go listen to The Exit! Everyone!
Marc: The Exit… The Exit.
Jordan: The Exit!
Marc: The Exit, The Exit, The Exit, The Exit, The Exit…
Trevor: And go to a GlassJaw show! SnoCore Tour… go to that.
LAPunk: Actually, one more question. Who is your favorite band you've played with before, and who do you want to play with?
Trevor: Unwritten Law, we played with them. This one show… Sevendust, Unwritten Law, The Used, Audiovent, and us.
Marc: And Off By One!
Trevor: In Jacksonville, Florida. 10,000 people were there. It was absurd!
Marc: We're actually on the radio there, it's pretty cool. And there were 10,000 people there like WOO! and we're just like, "Wait, we're just Off By One." It was weird.
Trevor: And The Used come out there screaming and we're just these little kids up there on stage. We're like, "Hiiiii……"
Marc: We actually became pretty good friends with those guys on Warped Tour.
LAPunk: Are you guys doing that again this year?
Trevor: We're going to try, I think so. We'll see. And we had another awesome tour with RX Bandits, Reunion Show, and Dynamite Boy. The best tour ever! That was freakin' awesome.
Marc: All three of those bands are really cool guys.
LAPunk: And who do you want to play with?
All: Green Day! Elvis! Hot Rod Circuit!
Marc: I idolize Billy Joe as a lead singer. The way he just rocks the crowd and commands is awesome. Billy Joe to me is just amazing. I want to play with Green Day.
Trevor: Dude, The Police would be pretty cool.
Marc: The Police would be, too bad they're not around anymore.
Trevor: The Exit's the next best thing, though. Actually, I think they're better than Police.
Marc: Ahh, take it back right now, man. You guys are assholes. There's no one better than The Police, man. The Police ruuuule…
LAPunk: All right, thanks guys!!
-Interview by Jason Kaminsky