On March 31st hardcore punk super group Off! will be bringing their ‘dark party’ to Cleveland’s Grog Shop as part of the group’s first U.S. tour.  Woven from roots that intersect many of the most pivotal and important bands of hardcore and punk music history, Off! is a provocative and hardcore group from the West Coast composed of four men who are each in their own right punk royalty. With Keith Morris of Black Flag and the Circle Jerks on vocals, Dimitri Coats from Burning Brides playing the guitar, Red Kross’  Steven  McDonald on bass  and Rocket From the Crypt’s Mario Rubalcaba drumming, this band is an explosive mix of non-conformist trend setting artists who know how to put on  a show and create great, authentic hardcore punk music. Born of a botched Circle Jerk’s album that was to be produced by Dimiti Coats, Off! was formed during breaks in the studio as Keith Morris and Dimitri Coats formed a strong musical collaboration. As Coats puts it “Keith brought something out of me, I pulled something out in him, (it’s) a collaboration that seems to work not trying to replicate anything.”  Best friends, Keith and Dimitri find it very comfortable collaborating and creating music together. Dimitri describes the writing process saying that the two of them will “write some songs, go get some food, come back, listen to some more records, write some more songs, grab a Sharpie and write some more lyrics.” Although the writing process comes naturally to the two artists, Dimitri points out that it is not without its own challenges. “…we work under pressure- there are deadlines. (We) recorded four EPs in two sessions over two days.”  (Those four EPs have just been released as OFF!’s first full length album, cryptically named “First Four EPs”.) While creating music and touring the nation at the same ferocious pace as the songs they perform, the question remains: Will Off! be a full time project for the four? Dimitri answers “I think we stand to make a solid living doing Off!, but it has to remain a bit of a part-time gig. “ Some of the reasons that Dimitri cites for this part-time status are Keith’s health concerns and the fact that three of the members are dads; in fact Dimitri himself has a newborn son. As a hardcore band that plays sixty-one second songs, the average Off! set clocks in at around twenty adrenaline filled minutes, or maybe thirty as “Keith likes to talk.” To fill in the rest of the time Off! will be co-headlining with fellow hardcore rockers Trash Talk, and offer an overflowing merchandise table reminiscent of the ones that were found at shows during the early days of hardcore punk.  Available on these tables is a limited tour only edition 7” recorded for Southern Lord records. The term ‘dark party’ is something Dimitri likes to refer to when talking about the energy behind Off!’s songs, describing it as the muscle behind the music. An aspect of Off! that allows the energy of the ‘dark party ‘ to come through is the group’s do-it-yourself approach. Dimitri produces and the band creates and controls their image in house. According to Dimitri the group has “found success by taking the reins ourselves.” Another integral aspect of the band’s image is the art of Raymond Pettibon, the invisible fifth member of Off!. Best known for his black and white drawings, the American artist worked with Black Flag in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s as well as creating Sonic Youth’s iconic “Goo” album cover. As an honorary member of the group, Pettibon also designed all the sleeve art for Off!’s box set as well as the limited edition poster for the first EP. In addition to his work with Burning Brides and Off!, Dimitri can also claim lead actor in a horror film among his accomplishments.  In 2009 Dimitri played the lead villain in the rock and roll vampire comedy “Suck” alongside Malcolm McDowell, Henry Rollins, Moby, Iggy Pop and Alice Cooper. When asked about this role and his previous role in the film Passenger Side, Dimitri stated that “It happened by accident…directors who are fans of the bands that I’ve been in and know that I have an acting background” approached him about the roles. Asked about the group’s upcoming gig at the Grog Shop, Dimitri seemed excited to be coming back to Cleveland and paid a compliment to the dedication of the area’s punk and hardcore fans in spite of the sometimes arctic weather conditions that are a part of life in Northeast Ohio. “I’m looking forward to playing the Grog Shop, I’ve been there many times. Some nights it’s tough to play Cleveland (but) fans of hardcore punk are very loyal and I’m sure even if they have to make snow shoes out of cardboard boxes they’ll get to the show.”