Formation and first recordings: 1980 Prior to forming the Adolescents, the early band members were part of various formative punk rock groups in
Fullerton, California during their teenage years in the late 1970s: Guitarist
Rikk Agnew and drummer
Casey Royer had played in the Detours and with Agnew's younger brother
Frank in the early lineup of
Social Distortion, while bassist
Steve Soto was a founding member of
Agent Orange. Soto met
Tony Brandenburg at an Agent Orange show in November 1979, and the two, both aged 16, formed a bond, as Soto recalled: "I struck up a conversation with Tony. He was out of control and we became fast friends". "We would talk about music and the problems we were having in
high school and about our weight problems", Brandenburg later recalled; "We found that we had a lot in common weight-wise—we were polar opposites [Soto was overweight while Brandenburg was tall and thin]—but neither of us could change it. All of our problems on the high school scene were caused by our musical taste and our weight. We were the object of constant ridicule, but what was worse was we couldn't get girls". Soto thought Brandenburg would make a good singer, and suggested this to Rikk Agnew, who at the time used the
stage name General Hospital (after
the television show). Soto said: "The General was going to start a new band and I suggested Tony as the singer. He was into the idea but for some reason he ended up reuniting with his old band the Detours instead." Soto invited Rikk Agnew to join them in the group; he declined but suggested his younger brother Frank. "The band made life liveable", recalled Brandenburg; "High school was still hell, and when a couple of people found out I was in a punk band the ridicule escalated". O'Donovan and Williams both left the band in June 1980. "With the addition of Rikk and Casey, we'd moved to the next level", recalled Frank Agnew, "They were older and more experienced, so we improved quickly". The Adolescents also opened for the Germs at the Germs' final show, on December 3, 1980 at the Starwood. Released the following month, it was one of the first
hardcore punk records to be widely distributed throughout the United States, and became one of the best-selling California hardcore albums behind the
Dead Kennedys'
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980), selling over 10,000 copies. He was replaced in the Adolescents by
Pat Smear, formerly of the Germs. After touring through much of the second half of 1986, Alfie Agnew left the band at the end of the year to attend college and was replaced by
Dan Colburn. By the end of 1987, however, Brandenburg and Colburn both left the band. with the same line-up as
Balboa Fun*Zone, but eventually broke up in April 1989 before it could be completed. The
Blue Album lineup reunited for a show in December 1989 at the
Reseda Country Club, which was recorded and released eight years later as the live album
Return to the Black Hole (Amsterdamned Records, 1997).
Post-Adolescents projects: 1990–2000 Following the Adolescents' breakup, most of the members remained active in other projects. Soto formed the parody group
Manic Hispanic in 1992 with Gabby Gaborno and other
Chicano punk musicians, issuing their first album,
The Menudo Incident, that year. He, Hanson, and Frank Agnew simultaneously started a band called Joyride, but Frank soon left to focus on his family life. 22 Jacks continued until 2001, issuing two more albums:
Overserved (1998) and
Going North (1999). His third solo album,
Turtle, was released in 1992. Following the Flower Leperds, Tony Brandenburg started a new group, Sister Goddamn, who issued two albums,
Portrait in Crayon (1992) and
Folksongs of the Spanish Inquisition (1995). Brandenburg (now using the stage name Tony Reflex), Royer, and Rikk Agnew also formed ADZ; the group's name was a shortened form of Adolescents. Royer and Agnew both left ADZ after the band's first album,
Where Were You? (1992); both had
substance abuse issues. Royer was addicted to
heroin, while Agnew abused a variety of drugs and drank alcohol excessively throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, becoming
obese in the process. Brandenburg continued ADZ with other members, issuing two more albums during the 1990s: 1995's
Piper at the Gates of Downey (with Frank Agnew playing lead guitar on five tracks) and 1998's
Transmissions from Planet Speedball.
Reunion and OC Confidential: 2001–2005 The
Blue Album lineup of Reflex, Soto, Royer, and Rikk and Frank Agnew reunited again in 2001 to play a birthday party for Reflex's wife. Rikk Agnew, however, continued to drink excessively and was not invested in the reunion. He left the band by the end of 2003, halfway through the recording process for a new album.
OC Confidential followed that July through Finger Records. For touring in support of the album, the band was joined by Frank Agnew's son, Frank Agnew, Jr., on second guitar. Dan Root took Harrison's guitar position in 2010, and the Adolescents released the
American Dogs in Europe EP in conjunction with a European tour. This was followed by the band's sixth studio album,
Presumed Insolent (2013). Del Rio was replaced by Mike Cambra, and McKnight by Leroy Merlin, for 2014's
La Vendetta..., which was given a North American release the following year by Frontier Records.
Hot War, a split EP with Russian band Svetlanas, followed in 2015, containing one song from
Presumed Insolent and one from
La Vendetta... The Adolescents' released
Manifest Density, was released July 8, 2016 by Concrete Jungle, with
Ian Taylor taking Merlin's place as rhythm guitarist. On June 27, 2018, bassist and founding member Steve Soto died at the age of 54, days after completing an East coast tour with the band. Cause of death is unknown. Tony Reflex released a statement saying "With heavy heart I share the passing of Steve Soto, my friend and bandmate since 1979. I don't know what to do. Or to say. Goodbye my brother." The band released
Cropduster, their ninth album and final album with Soto, on July 20, 2018. On July 16, 2018,
Leftöver Crack's
Brad Logan joined band following Soto's passing. The band released
Russian Spider Dump, their tenth album and first without Soto and first with Logan, on October 23, 2020. On July 14, 2023, the band released their eleventh studio album,
Caesar Salad Days. ==Band members==