History
On September 10, 2008, Off With Their Heads self-released a music video for "Fuck This, I'm Out" [4]
In late 2009, the band was chosen as one of Beyond Race Magazine's "50 Emerging Artists," resulting in a spot in the publication's No. 11 issue (with Bodega Girls and J. Cole on the cover), as well as an exclusive Q&A for the magazine's site. [5]
In February 2010, it was announced that Off With Their Heads signed to Epitaph Records, with a new record due for June 1 of that year. [6]
After Ryan Young suffered a nervous breakdown, the band dropped off of a Canadian Tour with The Flatliners in late 2013. The band took extended time from touring and only played sporadic shows over the course of 2014, later returning to the road in 2015.
According to the No Idea website, the band had planned to release The '69 Sound, a second singles collection of more recent split 7-inch material. [7] However, this has since been refuted by No Idea, who commented saying "This thing will never happen." [8]
In 2016 Ryan Young and Polydoros embarked on an acoustic tour in support of their acoustic album "Won't Be Missed"
In August 2019 the band released their fourth full-length album "Be Good" and a nationwide tour followed, many dates which were canceled due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The band announced in May 2020 that due to the COVID-19 pandemic they would not be playing anymore live shows in 2020. In May 2020 the band put out their second acoustic album "Character" which features old and new Off With Their Heads songs as well as covers performed by a once again changed OWTH lineup.
In 2023 the band toured with Canadian band Single Mothers.
Line-up
While the line-up has never been stable, in addition to Ryan Young, the band also included Justin Francis for most of its history. Though Francis eventually stopped touring with OWTH, he continued to write and record songs as the band's drummer and had played on every Off With Their Heads album through 2013's “Home.” Similarly, Zack Gontard (who joined in 2006) no longer toured with the band, he remained their guitarist (and backing vocalist) for the purpose of recording through 2013. 2019's “Be Good” is the first album to not feature the pair.
Anxious and Angry
In March 2014 Ryan Young launched a podcast and online retail store titled Anxious and Angry. The podcast previously consisted of interviews with musicians, writers, comedians, and others as well as answering fan submitted questions usually relating to mental health. Though the overall theme of the podcast is mental health though the interviews did often provide stories and other information about the guest. As of 2019 the podcast went away from the guest format and went forward with OWTH drummer Kyle Manning serving as a permanent co-host. The Anxious and Angry online retail store carries music, apparel, art, and other items from Off With Their Heads, as well as several other artists. It also serves as the exclusive distributor of the Anxious and Angry "flexi singles". The site takes its name from a lyric from the Off With Their Heads song "Nightlife". [9]
2019 Vancouver tour accident
At about 12:30 am on October 12, 2019, in the Downtown Eastside neighborhood of Vancouver, a member of the band had gone to retrieve the vehicle after the show. At some point returning to the venue, victim Desiree Evancio was dragged under the trailer being towed by the vehicle. Initial reports have stated that the driver was given a breathalyzer test, detained, interviewed, and released shortly afterward. Upon further investigation, a Vancouver Police spokesperson stated that "We can confirm that new evidence indicates the victim walked between the van and cargo trailer as it was stopped in traffic," [10] further adding "the driver would not have known that this was occurring as they were driving." A police spokesperson added there was "a degree of alcohol impairment" but did not speak to whether the driver had exceeded the legal limit. Investigators were still working to determine "what role, if any, that alcohol impairment had" in the incident, but did not clarify whether they were referring to the driver, the victim, or both.
Evancio suffered extensive life-altering injuries and has undergone numerous surgeries. Doctors prognosticate that she will remain in hospital for six months to one year; a GoFundMe account is seeking to raise $1 million for associated costs.
