Offthawall ~ 1999-2003

Shane Wayne ~ Vocals
Doug "The Dawg" Smith ~ Drums
David Simmons ~ Bass & Vocals
Timmy Wonder ~ Guitars
Kevin Miller ~ Guitars
Matt Million ~ Bass

The rock band "Offthawall" from Kansas City, MO was originally formed sometime during the early to mid 90's by and was the first real band of which both Timmy Wonder and Shane Wayne were members. It was with Offthawall that Tim was given his name "Timmy Wonder" by OTW front man Shane Wayne. The crowd pleasing rock band played many live shows and recorded a 10 track disc titled "Man In The Bottle" during it's 4-year bustle.

The original OTW foundation included vocalist and bass player David Simmons & drummer Doug "Tha Dawg" Smith. The pair added guitarist Kevin Miller (Kev Million) and was soon pouring out new original music fueled by the creative genius of Dave's longtime friend Jeffrey Moorefield who also is credited with the founding of the original band.

Did the band really need a second guitarist? Well, drummer Doug "Tha Dawg" Smith thought so, He convinced the members who were then rehearsing in Dave's spare basement room to allow Tim to sit in for a session. It turned out that it would not be Tim's only visit. He was soon the next member of OTW. Tha Dawg who had taken the recruitment lead then contacted ex-rapper Shane Hall (Shane Wayne) who was to be the next front man for the band as singer/bassist Dave Simmons removed himself from lead singer duties although he would continue to write and arrange music for the group.

Over the next few years with the help of Jeff & Dan Moorefield the band topped the local music scene. They convinced the once famous KC Rock Club "Neiner's" in Independence, Missouri to let the band grace their small overcrowded stage. And so it began.... Offthawall Heads came to support the band in force. "Tha OTW owned Niener's during that time. Word had spread that this new band called Offthawall delivers an awesome crowd pleasing show with front man Shane Wayne working his magic.

Although the bands strong suit was the live performances they did manage to record a 10-track disc titled "Man In The Bottle" released in 2001. Songs ahead of their time included "Sphere of Deception" and "The Lesson" both written by Jeff Moorefield. The album sold hundreds of copies and is still stocked in brick and mortar music stores. The bands manager "Rick "BigBoy" Fitzwater of "BigBoy Productions had pitched the band to Prentiss. R. Shane of KCSN Media who agreed to help provide Offthawall with the resources to produce the "Man In The Bottle" CD. Along with the recording instruction Rick & Prentiss would also plan and promote the sold out Offthawall CD Release Party also taking place that same year. One of the biggest mentoring lessons Mr. Shane provided however was convincing Offthawall to perform with their shoes on ...seriously!

The band was forced to try out a few bass players during it's run including honorable mention Ray Hansuld but it was Matthew Miller later dubbed "Matt Million" who would permanently fill the spot when Dave Simmons decided to hang up his axe and microphone. Other members to exit early included guitarist Timmy Wonder who would ended up leaving the band in 2002. The OTW Machine would always choose to rock on when it lost a member and continued to book live shows. Band highlights included playing at The Beaumont Club of Kansas City and the befriending of Rick Estes, a local music promoter and owner of Studio City/Kansas City who at one time was providing the band with professional rehearsal space with full gear & sound rig included. The band also built a great working relationship with another talented band named "Pull".

All things must come to an end sadly and so this also became true for Offthawall. The bands wild journey ended sometime during 2003 when the guys decided they had made their mark and that it would be okay to hang their hats. They had rocked long and hard and had some pretty cool experiences along the way. The time spent together was truly a remarkable time in each of the musicians lives. Friendships were forged like steel. The band also touched many people and had truly won the hearts of it's fans who were so supportive all along the journey. As a final farewell the group reunited in 2008 for one last reunion show. It was a classic OTW extravaganza and as an added bonus the band was able to record the live show via Freddie Francis Live Sound LLC.

You can still find pics and videos of Offthawall as well as remixed versions of some of their music on the Official OTW Facebook and ReverbNation pages courtesy of Kevin Miller, former guitarist for Offthawall and current bass player for Facelift.

"Come on over and see what it's like" .....OTW

 

 

 

Offthawall Around The Web

The music was good but the live performance & party is what Offthawall was best known for. The "Man In Tha Bottle" CD sold hundreds of copies and although VERY RARE the disc might still be found on eBay.

Discography

Man In The Bottle ©2000 Legs Up ENTERTAINMENT produced by Offthewall The "Man In The Bottle" CD was the only album Offthewall would ever record. The entire freshman recording process served as a valuable learning process to the band. Eager to share the music the band chose 10 of their best songs and really "just went for it". The disc opens with a track called "Judgment Day" which was an original work of Dave Simmons, Chris Johns & Jeff Moorefield. Other notable tracks include "Sphere of Deception", "Two Into One" & "OffThaWall" which chants the bands slogan "Come on over and see what it's like".

Thanks... ...taken from the Man In The Bottle inside tray card. Redrum: I want to thank God, Momma, my family and all the OFFTHEWALL heads. Kevin: A special thanks to Ang, Bri, Kristen, Tarra, Rhyan for letting me chase my dreams! I would also like to thank all the people who have helped us along the way, the guys in the band, Jeff, Rick, and the "Big P". Thank you for believing in us. To my brother Jeff for the great job he did for us. Without these people this would not be possible!!!!! Doug: The Dawg would like to thank his parents for being real parents, also would like to thank Leslie for realizing how much I wanted this and Kevin, Tim, Shane, Dave and Jeff. These guys are so OFFTHWALL! Tim: Got to give my wife and best friend Gina a giant "thank you"! She has supported me from the very beginning never once complaining about anything. Thank you Baby!.....also cant forget my second family the band, also Jeff, Dan & Bigboy, P.S and everyone else who has supported us past present and future, You know who you are. Last but definitely not last The Man Upstairs..........God.....,please tell my Mother....."this is for her"... Dave: Dave Simmons would like to thank: God, My wife Rachel, without whom I'd be less than nothing: my two beautiful children, Megan and Hannah who are my best reasons for being alive; Gina and Ang for helping us out when scheduling was a problem; Stress and the Radiation Man for helping us wrap up the details; the Temperamental Guitarist, Redrum, Tim a.k.a. Tim and The Dawg for working with me and helping our dreams come true; the Big P and Colonel for driving us with a cattle prod when we wouldn't get motivated for ourselves; and last but certainly not least, all our friends and family and fans supporting us through the battle to finally get started, it's finally time to: "come on over and see what it's like!" Peace.