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Descendents

Profile:Descendents were formed in 1978 by Frank Navetta, Tony Lombardo and Bill Stevenson. Their first release (with only the 3 original members in the lineup) was the Ride The Wild / It's A Hectic World 7" in the style of melodic garage pop.
In 1980 they enlisted Stevenson's old schoolfriend Milo Aukerman as a singer, and reappeared as a 'proper' punk band, becoming a major player in the hardcore scene developing in Los Angeles at the time.
Their debut album the following year, Milo Goes To College, introduced an element of melody and sensitivity that set them apart from most other hardcore bands and Stevenson's songs in particular were to greatly influence the melodic punk-pop bands of the 1990s with themes of love and loss and alienation (themes far less common in the punk scene at the time).
The band temporarily split when Milo actually went to college, to embark on an education that would take him as far as a doctorate in biochemistry. In this time Bill Stevenson became the drummer with fellow hardcore punks Black Flag. The band did not record again until 1985 with the album I Don't Want To Grow Up. This was much more sensitive than Milo..., despite silly songs such as "Pervert" and "No F.B".
The band's lineup changed during the recording of I Don't Want to Grow Up. Navetta left the band during the recording to become a fisherman in Oregon, and Lombardo left after the recording as touring was incompatible with his career as a postal carrier. Ray Cooper replaced Navetta on guitar and Doug Carrion replaced Lombardo on bass.
Their next album, Enjoy! (released in 1986) was not well received by critics, but fans liked it. It was a mix of more 'silly' songs (The last track on the album involving band members farting into microphones and laughing).
After the Enjoy! tour, Ray Cooper got a job working in the emerging software scene and Doug Carrion left for other projects, eventually ending up in Dag Nasty. Stevenson invited Stephen Egerton and Karl Alvarez of Salt Lake City's Massacre Guys to replace them, and the now permanent lineup of the Descendents was in place.
The group released the album All in 1987, which, despite "Van", "ALL-O-Gistics" and the one-second "ALL", was the Descendents most mature 1980s album, and featured emotional songs such as "Coolidge", "Cameage" and "Clean Sheets".
With the release of ALL, the Descendents introduced to the world the driving concept behind their career's work, from which the album derives its title, the philosophy of ALL which they define quite conventionally as "the total extent." The idea of ALL as a concept beyond this conventional definition is one of endless self improvement. "The total extent" is an all-encompassing greatness, the pursuit of which is endless and impossible, but which is also the source of all real happiness.
Milo left again in 1987 and the remaining Descendents reformed with singer Dave Smalley and reformed under the name All and continued the legacy until 1996, when the Descendents reformed again with Milo Aukerman, now a full-time research biochemist, to record and tour in support of the album Everything Sucks.
In 2004 the band released the 'Merican EP and their newest full length Cool To Be You, which is among their more emotional releases to date.
The future of the Descendents is uncertain, as the members now are scattered all across the U.S. Stevenson currently runs The Blasting Room recording studio in Fort Collins while Egerton hones his recording chops at Armstrong Recording Studio in Tulsa. Meanwhile, All remains dormant with two albums left on the back burners as works in progress. Bill Stevenson is drumming for his new band, Only Crime as well as an outing with bassist Alvarez in Evan Dando's Lemonheads. Both Karl Alvarez and Bill Stevenson, along with Evan Dando, are currently recording and touring as The Lemonheads.
URLs:http://www.descendentsonline.com
http://www.myspace.com/descendents
Members:Bill Stevenson, Chuck Biscuits, Doug Carrion, Frank Navetta, Karl Alvarez, Milo Aukerman, Ray Cooper (3), Stephen Egerton, Tony Lombardo
Name Variations: All | Descendents | Descendents, The
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Releases:
Ride The Wild / It's A Hectic World (7")   Pinsicato Records 1980
"FAT" E.P. ◄ (2 versions)   New Alliance Records ... 1981
Milo Goes To College (Album) ◄ (3 versions)   New Alliance Records ... 1982
Bonus Fat (Maxi) ◄ (3 versions)   New Alliance Records ... 1985
I Don't Want To Grow Up ◄ (3 versions)   New Alliance Records ... 1985
Enjoy! ◄ (2 versions)   New Alliance Records ... 1986
All (Album) ◄ (3 versions)   SST Records 1987
Clean Sheets / Coolidge (7", Promo)   SST Records 1987
LiveAge! ◄ (2 versions)   SST Records 1987
Two Things At Once (CD, Album)   SST Records 1987
Hallraker (Album) ◄ (3 versions)   SST Records 1988
Somery ◄ (2 versions)   SST Records 1991
Everything Sucks (Album) ◄ (2 versions)   Epitaph Records 1996
Gotta (7", Single)   Sessions Records 1997
I'm The One (7", Blu)   Epitaph Europe 1997
I'm The One (CD, EP)   Epitaph Europe 1997
When I Get Old (Maxi) ◄ (2 versions)   Epitaph Europe 1997
Live Plus One (2xCD, Album)   Epitaph Records 2001
'Merican (7")   Fat Wreck Chords 2004
Cool To Be You (Album) ◄ (2 versions)   Fat Wreck Chords 2004
Appears On:
The Nipples / Bullet Treatment Split (7", Ltd, Red)   Basement Records (5) 2004
Na Rubu Propasti (CD, Album) Nada Studentski Kulturni Centar Novi Sad 2007
Untitled (7", S/Sided, Comp) Marriage Theologian Records  
Tracks Appear On:
Chunks (Album, Comp) ◄ (3 versions) Global Probing SST Records ... 1981
The Future Looks Bright ◄ (2 versions) Hey, Hey, My Dad Sucks... Posh Boy ... 1981
American Youth Report (Comp) ◄ (4 versions) I'm Not A Loser Invasion Records (6) ... 1982
Life Is Ugly So Why Not Kill Yourself (LP, Comp) I Want To Be A Bear New Underground Records 1982
SST Godhead Storedude In-Store Play Device #2 (Cass, Comp, Promo) Clean Sheets, Coolidge... SST Records 1987
Duck And Cover (LP) Wendy SST Records 1990
Punk Anderson's Favourites (2xCD, Comp) Global Probing Starving Missile 1995
Punk-O-Rama Vol. 2 ◄ (2 versions) Coffee Mug Epitaph Records ... 1996
Rock Sound Volume 2 (CD, Smplr) I'm The One Rock Sound 1996
Godmoney (Soundtrack) (CD, Album) Lucky V2 Records, Inc. 1997
Piranha - Music That Bites! Vol.2 (2xCD) I'm The One Virgin Schallplatten GmbH 1997
Vivamania Volume 1 (2xCD, Comp) I'm The One Sony Music Entertainment (Germany) 1997
Short Music For Short People (Album, Comp) ◄ (2 versions) I Like Food Fat Wreck Chords 1999
Punk O Rama 2001 Vol.6 (CD, Comp) Original Me Epitaph Europe 2001
Left Of The Dial: Dispatches From The 80s Underground (4xCD, RM + Box, Comp) Suburban Home Rhino Entertainment Company 2004
Plastic Bomb #46 (CD, Comp, Promo) Nothing With You Plastic Bomb Records 2004
Red Hot Chili Peppers Jukebox (CD) Myage Mojo Magazine 2004
Rock Against Bush, Vol 1 (CD, Comp + DVD-V, Comp) Sad State Of Affairs Fat Wreck Chords 2004
Warped Tour 2004 Compilation (2xCD, Comp, Album) 'Merican Side One Dummy Records 2004
Rare Trax Vol. 51 - Darkness On The Edge Of Town - Alternative Hardcore From The 80's (CD, Comp, Car) Blast Off Rolling Stone (Germany) 2007
Introducing Vol.6 (CD) Everything Sux Indigo (2)  
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