The Offenders were a top local draw in central Virginia in the early 1980s.
Terry Garland, Chris Link and Richard Cowles were members of the rock band "Bull" in the late seventies. They met songwriter/singer Bruce Olsen in Richmond during 1978. They became friends right from the start and felt that one day they might work together.
In August of 1980, Bruce contacted Chris and Richard who were both currently out of the band scene. They began rehearsing some of Bruces' original tunes. The drinking age was 18, Watch Out..."10 songs and we play in a week!" Instant gradification. Immediate Relief! Knocked Off Of My Feet! Lovin the Time Away! They played a few times and the kids were lovin' it. "Life is good, we're sellin' it!"
In October, Terry joined them on guitar and Dr. Payne became their manager and sound man. The Offenders were born. "Pulsate", a song from their 1st studio demo, appeared on XL-102's Statutory Rock album in early 1981. Offenders got a good push from regular radio air play and an increase in their audience was immediately seen. "Going Bananas"and "Hard Times" became regular show spots for The Offenders that summer. They recorded a 12 song album in Philadelphia during the Fall. They built an admirable following in the Richmond and Charlottesville areas during 1981. The Offenders saw a lot of audience excitement as their LP, "The Offenders Record"was issued in the Winter of 1982. They enjoyed large turnouts at their many Virginia College concerts that year and appeared on a Cox Cablevision video production recorded at The Kings Head Inn in Norfolk Virginia. 1982 was a great year for The Offenders and their popularity continued into 1983. Bruce opened a recording studio at The Floodzone in early 1983. Offenders played dates for the remainder of the year and paused after a final show at the Cellar Door in December. Bruce spent most of 1984 working in his studio. At the end of 1984 The Offenders got together and recorded fifteen new originals at Floodzone with the idea of releasing a second LP. The decision was made to play some more dates for the love of it. A second Offenders LP was never released but still the group played a dozen or more shows during the Spring and Summer of '85. They also made a trip to Hollywood in September and appeared on the TV show "Star Search". This marked the end of an era for The Offenders. In 1987, The Offenders played a reunion show at The Floodzone. After that, there was a 19 year absence by this band. In 2006, Bruce, Terry, Chris and Richard got together again after almost 20 years and discussed a renewed Offenders project. Offenders did a 20 year reunion set of their old songs at Alley Katz in Richmond in February of 2007, then another at Canal Club in January of 2008. A full length Offenders' show happened at Canal Club on May 16, 2008. Offenders live on!
We are going to everyone of our friends and personally asking them for their help in the making of our next record!
What can you do to help you ask? Well, buy our record. That is what we need you to do most, and of course tell your friends that don't know about us, yet!
On our page, we have some sneak peeks of our upcoming album titled "Distance". Weekly we will also be posting new songs and videos so keep checking back!
We also have extensive touring plans on this record, so drop by and sign up for our mailing list so you can “be in the know” when we’re coming to your town.
Thursday February 7th @ Toad's Place - 140 Virginia St Richmond VA 23219
Cracker Hackensaw Boys Americana Club
A Benefit For Bryan Hoffa
Sound of Music Engineer, Producer, and Musician Bryan Hoffa was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a serious but curable disease in which the immune system attacks the myelin sheath surrounding the spinal cord. As a result, the nervous system is short-circuited and varying levels of paralysis effect the body. Thankfully Bryan is now in recovery but it involves months of physical therapy and a long time away from work.
Some of Richmond's finest musicians have donated their time and talents to help the Hoffa family during this difficult time. All proceeds from this show will go to their daily living expenses.
Between all the Stroking and Offending, I guess we've left our marks on this town.. ;) Honored to be in your top friends- we have happily returned the favour.
Love yous guys xo
Good luck with the reunion ... keep us posted. Thanks for dropping by with the request to be friends; Bobby & I are happy to accept. Caroline Boyce, Tommy's widow
