In 1995 Aukerman expressed a desire to return to recording and performing, so the band members decided to work with him as the Descendents while continuing to work with Price as All, in order to "make room for Milo without pushing Chad out. [30], In May 2015 it was announced by Stevenson that the band had been working on some demo songs for a new album, which could possibly be released mid-2016. He is also the driving drummer force in … [18], The Descendents supported Everything Sucks with a series of tours from September 1996 to August 1997 covering the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe, touring with Swingin' Utters, The Bouncing Souls, The Suicide Machines, Shades Apart, Guttermouth, Less Than Jake, Handsome, Electric Frankenstein, Social Distortion, Pennywise, H2O, and others. [1][2][3][4] Lombardo sang "It's a Hectic World" while Navetta sang "Ride the Wild". After the album, singer Milo Aukerman went to college, the band played rarely, so Stevenson joined Black Flag. [4][9][10] In 1987 New Alliance was sold to SST Records, who re-released Enjoy! I got in over my head. [35], Over the years the Descendents style of music has changed from short under a minute hardcore style songs to average length 2-3 minute punk rock songs. "[1] Lombardo also wrote and played on "Gotta", which was left off of the album but released as a B-side on the "When I Get Old" single. "[2], With Aukerman in college and Stevenson in Black Flag, the Descendents went on hiatus from 1983 to 1985. "[1] For the cover of the Descendents' first album, Milo Goes to College (1982), Stevenson asked friend Jeff "Rat" Atkinson to draw his own interpretation of Deuerlein's Milo character: "I go 'Roger does the drawing'", recalled Atkinson, "He goes 'No, you gotta do it.' American punk rock band originally from Los Angeles, currently based in Fort Collins, Colorado, formed by Descendents members Bill Stevenson, Karl Alvarez, and Stephen Egerton. [14] The band supported the album with a 60-day Spring 1987 tour, followed by the 50-day Summer "FinALL" tour, so-called due to Aukerman's decision to leave the band to pursue a career in biochemistry. At the time we were leaving Interscope. He went on to record with Black Flag on several of their albums until 1985. In late December 1981, he played a few concerts with the hardcore punk band Black Flag because their drummer ROBO was detained in England after a tour there. So, we decided that we could be Descendents with Milo, and All with Chad. "Silly Girl" features heavy distorted guitars and a lengthy/poppy sound which would be featured on majority of the rest of, "Days Are Blood" shows an example of the darker, experimental, and almost. All went on to have two more singers, Scott Reynolds (1989–1993) and Chad Price (1993–present). [1][2] Nolte sang with the group at several of their early performances, but by the Spring of 1979 The Last were becoming more active and he left the Descendents. Bill Stevenson opened the original Stone Balloon on Main Street when he was in his early twenties. [7] Stevenson commented that "If you've got the owner of the label saying he wants to put out a record by what is probably his favorite band of all time, that's rad. Add in Aukerman's in-your-face hilarity and fuck-off stance, and it's punk rock that wears both its adolescence and brains on its sleeve. He describes his father as a cold man but present for him. The Descendents put out a single called "Ride the Wild / It's a Hectic World" in 1979. The film was released on June 15, 2013. It was rumored that Epitaph would not sign All without getting the Descendents as well,[19] but Stevenson explained that the arrangement was made because Epitaph head Brett Gurewitz would allow both bands to make albums at their discretion: When we signed with Epitaph it was for both bands. [58], This article is about the California punk rock group. Around the age of fourteen or fifteen, Stevenson started working for Keith Morris' father as a fisherman. He is the drummer, main songwriter, and the only constant member of the California punk rock group Descendents since its inception. [1] They initially called themselves The Itch, until Navetta came up with the name Descendents. Stevenson grew up mostly with his father, Steve Stevenson. At that time, Joe was a council member campaigning for the US Senate, and was married to his first wife, Neilia. It's kind of like, 'Let the Descendents be my and Milo's sacred thing,' or whatever. He is also an in-demand punk rock producer and co-owner of The Blasting Room, a studio located in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 1977, friends Frank Navetta and David Nolte began writing songs on acoustic guitars with the intention of forming a band. First was the crew neck T-shirt, then I drew the polo shirt Milo, then I drew the Milo with a tie, because he goes to college. When I joined Flag I had every intention of doing both bands but it was physically impossible. He classified these as "one-off shows", usually occurring when he is able to take advantage of vacation breaks as working as a biologist to perform with the Descendents. On December 16, 1987, during the recording of the first All album Allroy Sez, Pat McCuistion died when his fishing boat sank during a storm. [8], Bill Stevenson has never tried recreational drugs in his life other than alcohol, which he did not drink until later in life. [6][12] Drummer Bill Stevenson acted as producer of the album, working with recording engineers Richard Andrews and Ethan James. Spin has listed it several times, ranking it No. [15] In a June 1987 interview with Music magazine, Stevenson elaborated on the "All" concept: I'm really into "ALL"' and I've waited a long time to unleash the whole concept on people. [1] By the end of the year they had failed to attract any more band members, so Nolte instead joined The Last with his brothers. In addition to appearing on much of the Descendents' merchandise and promotional materials, the Milo character has been reinterpreted by other artists for all of the band's releases since 1996: The Descendents have been cited as hugely influential to a large number of modern-day pop punk and skate punk bands such as Blink 182, NOFX, Green Day, Pennywise, Propagandhi, Rise Against, The All-American Rejects, The Bouncing Souls, The Offspring, and The Ataris. In 2010, the Descendents reformed again. [6][12], The lyrics of "Hürtin' Crüe" derived from a high school classmate of singer Milo Aukerman who had earned a score of 1420 on the SAT, gaining him entry into the United States Military Academy. Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach, California, United States, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson. '[53][54] In 2006 Kerrang! Drummer, songwriter, and producer. Raised in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, Bill was just coming of age during the first wave of late 70’s L.A. punk. [6][15] Dez Cadena sang backing vocals, while Stevenson created the album's cover graphics and Alvarez provided illustrations for the sleeve and liner notes.[1][15]. All had previously been signed to major label Interscope Records for 1995's Pummel, but were dissatisfied with the experience. Stevenson. Flag had all this stuff in progress, so I put Descendents on hold. [55] The German edition of the Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time ranked it at 349. He made the music for it. The documentary film has more than 40 interviews with band members past and present and keynote commentary by associated musicians such as Keith Morris of Black Flag, Mike Watt of the Minutemen, Kira Roessler of Black Flag, Ian MacKaye of Fugazi, and many more. Currently, Stevenson is involved in Russ Rankin's side project Only Crime with former members of GWAR and Converge. It was such a rewarding experience and you know what? "[2] Ned Raggett of AllMusic describes it as surf-inspired power pop with a New Wave edge: "Not quite Devo if they grew up on the coast, but there's something to that comparison. Bill Stevenson is best known for work behind the drum kit for the Descendents and Black Flag. In 1982 they put out their first album Milo Goes to College. In 1979, they enlisted Stevenson's school friend Milo Aukerman as a singer, and reappeared as a punk rock band, becoming a major player in the hardcore punk scene developing in Los Angeles at the time. Between us I think we have like 20 songs written and Bill (Stevenson) and Karl (Alvarez) have been writing songs as well. So we sat down and told them we wanted to make both All and Descendents records whenever we want, at our choosing. John William Stevenson (born September 10, 1963) is an American musician and record producer. The songs on Everything Sucks and Cool to Be You address topics including love and relationships, sociopolitical commentary, the death of parents, nerdiness, and flatulence. The character was created by Rodger Deuerlein, a classmate of Aukerman and drummer Bill Stevenson's at Mira Costa High School who taunted Aukerman by drawing comic strips and posters depicting him as the class nerd. After a six-month trial with a female singer (Cecilia Loera), they recruited Milo Aukerman as their new vocalist. There are plenty of Christian music bands out there, spanning across nearly every musical genre. We spent a good part of my adult life being somewhat estranged from each other. [11] When the band's name was changed to All upon Aukerman's departure in 1987, bassist Karl Alvarez created the character Allroy to serve an equivalent function for the new band.[43]. During the band's first reformation, the songs got longer, darker, and experimental. Steven Blush, author of American Hardcore: A Tribal History, remarked that their "cheeky love songs disguised as hardcore blasts became the most aped formula in rock. [13], The band supported Enjoy! [2], For the recording of their first album in June 1982, the band worked at Total Access Recording in Redondo Beach, California with Spot, who had also engineered and produced the Fat EP. –Bill Stevenson on forming All and not replacing Milo Aukerman of the Descendents. [3][4] Following the tour both Carrion and Cooper left the band, and were replaced by Karl Alvarez and Stephen Egerton, respectively, from the Utah band Massacre Guys. Just to get that out of me and not holding it inside anymore, is a huge relief for me [...] Every single time I hear that song, it just freaks me out. The Descendents are a punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach, California by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson. The more they got into it the more it turned into their own religion; it's partly humor, but it's also an outlook on how to conduct your life: to not settle for some, to always go for All. [8] In 2016, Stevenson revealed he had open heart surgery. Stevenson left the band in 1968, after the release of their first album. With Bill Stevenson's hands (of the Descendents) at the dials, the Good Riddance sound has a less jagged edge. [7][9][10] At the same time, drummer Bill Stevenson had also joined Black Flag, intending to be in both bands at once but soon finding it too difficult due to Black Flag's touring and recording schedule:[4]"The band had time off so I spent like two years with Black Flag. The idea that all Christian music can be categorized as either Gospel or Christian rock is a myth. His goal was to create a place in Newark where people could go to hear great live music—which, at the time, was only available at the oft-crowded Deer Park Tavern. He became ill and I took care of him for a little while. The band gigged in L.A. for a bit, released a single, then temporarily disappeared. "[2][4] McCuistion also shared writing credit on "All-O-Gistics", a musical set of commandments for achieving All, including lyrics such as "Thou shalt not commit adulthood", "Thou shalt not partake of decaf", and "Thou shalt not suppress flatulence". [1] The singerless "power trio" lineup of Navetta, Lombardo, and Stevenson recorded the band's debut single at Media Art studios and released it on their own label, Orca Records, named after Stevenson's fishing boat. Our fans deserve better. I remember him making one that said 'Don't be a nerd like Milo, vote for Billy!' Producers Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore incorporated soft tones into many of the songs to elicit a darker feel to the music. in March and April 1986 at Radio Tokyo studios in Venice, California. [7][39] "'Merican", their first overtly political song, addresses positive and negative aspects of American history, celebrating cultural figures such as Otis Redding, Duke Ellington, and Walt Whitman while condemning slavery, Joseph McCarthy, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Vietnam War. The band continued performing for a time with Ray Cooper on vocals, who then switched to rhythm guitar, and occasionally with Aukerman when he would make return visits to Los Angeles. Former Descendents members Bill Stevenson (drums), Stephen Egerton (guitar), and Karl Alvarez (bass) were all in attendance, as former Dag Nasty frontman Dave Smalley assumed vocal duties. [2] The addition of Aukerman and the consumption of large amounts of coffee led the band to write shorter, faster, and more aggressive songs in a hardcore punk style. So I draw him a Milo. [6] While still short and fast, the songs on Milo Goes to College were also melodic. The Descendents became All in 1988 after Aukerman left once again. Following Aukerman's departure the band added singer Dave Smalley of Dag Nasty and rechristened themselves All, a change Stevenson claimed he had wanted to make for eight years. The tumor caused Stevenson to lose motivation and eventually made him gain weight, had a blood clot, diabetes and sleep apnea. In August 1979, Bill Stevenson met Jill and the pair married six months later when Jill was 18 years old. [47][48] "Everything about how I sing and play guitar came from this band [...] Blink is absolutely a product of The Descendents," said Blink-182 vocalist/guitarist Tom DeLonge in 2011,[49] while vocalist/bassist Mark Hoppus called "Silly Girl" from I Don't Want to Grow Up (1985) "the first song that really altered my life. [52][53][54] In these lists, critic Simon Reynolds described the album as "Fifteen Cali-core paroxysms that anatomize dork-dude pangs with haiku brevity", while Andrew Beaujon called it "Super clean, super tight, super poppy hardcore about hating your parents, riding bikes, and not wanting to 'smell your muff. By the 1960s, Mr. Stevenson was working for the Near and Far East News Group, a propaganda arm of the British government, and becoming increasingly connected in … This recording is a “live off the floor” approach and captures a very powerful trio digging hard into the very roots of jazz and blues. Descendents in 2014. As the founder and main songwriter of the legendary pop-punk godfathers Descendents, and drummer of the seminal punk band, Black Flag, Bill Stevenson’s songwriting, drumming, and producing career spans twenty-eight years. John William Stevenson (born September 10, 1963) is an American musician and record producer. Biography American star Bill Stevenson is the most outstanding musician in music history, and that success has made the superstar a wealthy musician. All formed in suburban Los Angeles in 1987 when Milo Aukerman, the lead singer of the Descendents, left to pursue a graduate degree in biochemistry, forcing the band into a hiatus. [1], In October 2008, founding member Frank Navetta died after "becoming ill over the course of a few days". He was born on […] "[42] For the band's 1985 album I Don't Want to Grow Up, the character was reinterpreted as a baby. It is named after a track from their latest album. We started writing almost immediately after that record was done. [7] "Well, basically, I've been wanting to work with David for a long time; but at the same time, Milo has stuck with me for almost nine years now, so I wouldn't exactly feel right about just continuing to call us the Descendents. I got in over my head. After Milo's departure, Bill and the other members of Descendents, Karl Alvarez and Stephen Egerton, recruited singer Dave Smalley of Dag Nasty and formed All. [27], A documentary called Filmage documenting the story behind the Descendents and All[28] premiered at Bloor Hot Docs cinema in Toronto on June, 15th 2013 as part of the NXNE Music and Film festival. Joe was my friend. "[4] Steven Blush, author of American Hardcore: A Tribal History, describes the single as "a blend of Devo-style new wave and Dick Dale-like surf. "[4] With Smalley and later singers Scott Reynolds and Chad Price, All released eight albums between 1988 and 1995, with Aukerman contributing occasional songwriting and backing vocals. In 2010, he had a successful surgery to remove it which helped him to gain his health back. [2] They later released the Fat EP in 1982. According to Aukerman: "'Eunuch Boy' is the first song I ever wrote, really. All was released in LP, cassette, and CD formats, the latter two containing the additional tracks "Jealous of the World" and "Uranus". Tom Easley (bass), Bill Stevenson (piano, vocals) and Geoff Arsenault (drums) are three of Atlantic Canada’s most in-demand and original artists. (1987) and Hallraker: Live! I've never, ever written a song that's freaked me out that much. He left Black Flag in 1985 to reform the Descendents. It's not really a reunion, we've been together the whole time. Bill Stevenson is a celebrated American rock star with a huge fan base. [56], In 2016, a Descendents branded IPA entitled "Feel This Coffee" was released by the San Diego branch of Mikkeller Brewery. On June 7, the debut single from Hypercaffium Spazzinate "Victim of Me" was released on all streaming services. [4][9][10] Recordings from these tours were used for the live albums Liveage! Enjoy! Bill goes 'Oh, that’s it', and it becomes the cover of the first record. Like, "What else would you expect him to do but to go off and be a geek?" It also displayed a darker, more heavy metal-influenced sound in songs like "Hürtin' Crüe", "Days Are Blood", and "Orgo 51", with other songs recalling the pop-influenced punk of the band's previous efforts. 74 in a 1995 list of the best alternative albums and No. After this he focused his attention on Descendents and played with the band until lead singer Milo Aukerman left in 1987. "[34], In 2020, they released a single to streaming services, entitled "Suffrage" and including two songs, "On You" and "Hindsight 2020". Who is Bill Stevenson? The songs were only seconds long, but that was all the time we needed to make the point. [8] Aukerman later recalled that the band took his departure in stride: When I decided to go to university, the guys in the band were pretty hip on it because they knew how big of a nerd I was. "[2] Stevenson described the concept of "All" as "the total extent", and he and McCuistion had quickly written several short songs that would later be recorded by the Descendents, including "All" and "No, All! [25] The band recorded the music for the songs live in the studio with minimal overdubbing, and Aukerman's vocals were recorded over the instrumental tracks. That song is just about his and my relationship. [1][42] "He usually used me to make campaigns for people running for class office", said Aukerman." It's kind of like, "Let the Descendents be my and Milo's sacred thing," or whatever. Armstrong is a trio of rockers that offers one of the more bizarre team-ups in music. I have been writing and Stephen (Egerton) has really picked up the mantle, too. He says, “The main band I went to see—my sister was dating [band member] David Clayton Thomas—was Blood, Sweat & Tears. Well, basically, I've been wanting to work with David for a long time; but at the same time, Milo has stuck with me for almost nine years now, so I wouldn't exactly feel right about just continuing to call us the Descendents. with a tour through the Summer of 1986. These 6 geek-rock bands … [3][4][5] In August 2007, he revealed plans to produce and play drums on an album by The Lemonheads. Stevenson went to Woodstock to see Blood, Sweat & Tears. "[38], Bill Stevenson attributed the change of their sound to the band's invention of the "Bonus Cup": "We took ⅓ of a cup of instant coffee grounds, added some hot water, threw in about 5 spoonfuls of sugar, and proceeded to play 10 second songs. on cassette and compact disc. The album was themed around the concept of "All", which had been invented by Stevenson and friend Pat McCuistion during a fishing trip on Stevenson's boat Orca in 1980. He attended Mira Costa High School where he met his friends and future bandmates of Descendents. A note on the back of the LP read "In dedication to Milo Aukerman from the Descendents", and was signed by the other three members. Bill has 4 jobs listed on their profile. "[2] Ned Raggett of AllMusic in his review of Milo Goes To College called it "an unpretentious, catchy winner. They deserve more than a record every decade or so. Cool to Be You was released in both CD and LP formats, with a cover illustration drawn by Chris Shary depicting the band's Milo caricature drawn on graph paper. "[1] Stevenson explained that the arrangement did not cause any resentment between the two singers: "[I]t's all totally good, it's just that when we are playing, Milo couldn't be All's singer, cause Chad is All's singer. Bill Stevenson had been a founding father and the genius of Descendants and All hint same music minus the iconic Milo. Who knows, at some point later on we might decide that we want to get together and record something. [3][6][11] Lombardo was unable to tour with the band due to his job with the United States Postal Service, and was replaced by Doug Carrion, who performed on their three tours in support of I Don't Want to Grow Up, After three tours in support of I Don't Want to Grow Up, the band recorded Enjoy! Basically just to avoid stagnation... going for "ALL" and never being satisfied and just wallowing in your own sameness.[7]. Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach, California, United States, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson. Aside from the concept of "All", other songs on the album such as "Coolidge", "Pep Talk", and "Clean Sheets" dealt with themes of broken relationships, while "Iceman" was loosely based on the play The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O'Neill. In late December 1981, he played a few concerts with the hardcore punk band Black Flag because their drummer ROBO was detained in England after a tour there. "[1] Aukerman described his decision to rejoin the band as "really just my re-entry into the song writing, I had been away for so long and I just wanted to make music which is what I love to do. In 1979, they enlisted Stevenson's school friend Milo Aukerman as a singer, and reappeared as a punk rock band, becoming a major player in the hardcore punk scene developing in Los Angeles at the time. It's a way that I created in dealing with achievement and satisfaction and how the two relate. Way back in 1979, before everyone and your mother was playing punk rock, before frat boys were getting Black Flag bars tattooed on their forearms, before MTV and before Green Day, the Descendents were formed. was marked by the use of toilet humor, with references to defecation and flatulence in its artwork, the title track, and "Orgofart". Gloating about his accomplishment, he sang a taunt with the lyrics "I am better than you / You are a piece of poo / 1420". or something like that. "[7] The album was preceded by the 'Merican EP in February 2004, followed by the full-length album in March. The recording sessions for Cool to Be You took place with Aukerman in February 2002 at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado, with additional recording done in April at Planet of Sound in Wilmington, Delaware, and were produced by Stevenson. [17] Original Descendents members Tony Lombardo and Frank Navetta made appearances on the album: Navetta wrote the song "Doghouse" and both he and Lombardo played on it, marking the first recording by the original Descendents lineup of Aukerman, Lombardo, Navetta, and Stevenson since Milo Goes to College in 1982. Steve Stevenson worked two jobs and was 22 hours outside of his home and came to give Bill food and put him to bed. Upcoming shows. (1989). According to Milo, the reunion is not an official reformation. The world of music is full of hardships and struggles considering the immense competition, but Bill Stevenson defied all odds to create a name for himself as the drummer and songwriter for the California punk rock group, Descendents. Enter Gwar drummer Brad Roberts (Jiz Mac the Gusher), who offered his rock-solid drumming to deliver their tighter songs. In 2005, he became a member of instrumental group The Mag Seven, and produced the group's album. While still in his teens, he joined the band Earth Opera, originally based in Boston. [9][10], In recent years, Stevenson has had some health issues. [18] Both All and the Descendents signed to Epitaph Records, who released Everything Sucks, the subsequent All albums Mass Nerder (1998) and Problematic (2000), and the All/Descendents double live album Live Plus One (2001). Critics have cited that their earlier music style which reflected hardcore punk being influential to modern day skate punk and pop punk. Find Bill Stevenson bio, music, credits, awards, & streaming links on AllMusic Singer Milo Aukerman later reflected: "It's interesting: we started very melodic, then moved to hardcore, but melded the two at a certain point and became melodic hardcore.
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