Milo Jay Aukerman (; born January 1, 1963) is an American vocalist, songwriter, and former research

molecular biologist Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

. Aukerman is most widely known for being the lead singer of the punk rock band the

Descendents The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach, California, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson. In 1979, they enlisted Stevenson's school friend Milo Aukerman as a s ...

, a group widely considered to be pioneers of

pop-punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...

. A

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...

of Aukerman serves as the band's

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

Education and scientific career

Aukerman attended

Mira Costa High School Mira Costa High School (MCHS, "Costa") is a four-year public high school located in Manhattan Beach, California that first began operating in 1950. It is the only high school in the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. The school's athletic ...

, with fellow members of the Descendents. He holds a PhD degree in biology from

UC San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Insti ...

, conducted postdoctoral research in

molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

and the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, and formerly worked as a plant researcher at

DuPont DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

and as an adjunct professor at the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

. In a 2016 interview with ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'', Aukerman announced that he decided to quit researching in favor of doing music full-time.

Musical career

While not an original member, Aukerman joined Descendents after their first single was released ("Ride the Wild" b/w "It's a Hectic World"), which featured founding members

Frank Navetta Frank Navetta (March 6, 1962 – October 31, 2008) was an American musician who was the original guitarist of the punk rock band the Descendents, which he co-founded. He formed the band in Manhattan Beach, California with Dave Nolte in the late 1 ...

and

Tony Lombardo Tony Lombardo (born c. 1945) is an American musician who was the original bassist in the punk rock band the Descendents. He joined the band in 1979 and played on Ride the Wild / It's a Hectic World, their debut single, the ''Fat (EP), Fat EP'' (1 ...

on lead vocals. Aukerman's first recording with Descendents was the ''

Fat In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers spec ...

'' EP, released in 1981. The first full length Descendents album was released in 1982 and was titled ''

Milo Goes to College ''Milo Goes to College'' is the debut studio album by the American punk rock band Descendents, released on September 4, 1982 through New Alliance Records. Its title referred to singer Milo Aukerman's decision to leave the band to attend college, ...

'', as Aukerman had by then decided to leave the group to pursue a degree in

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

at the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Insti ...

. From 1983 to 1987 Aukerman would briefly rejoin Descendents several times to record albums and go on tour. Aukerman left the band ostensibly for good at the conclusion of the supporting tour for the 1987 album ''

All All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All al ...

'', after which the remaining members continued to tour and record with a series of lead singers under the name

. Aukerman decided to rejoin Descendents in 1995, releasing the album '' Everything Sucks'' the following year. He returned to his molecular biology career following the tour supporting the album, returning to Descendents intermittently over the next several years to tour and to record the album ''

Cool to Be You ''Cool to Be You'' is the sixth studio album by the American punk rock band the Descendents, released in 2004 through Fat Wreck Chords. It was their first album of new studio material since 1996's '' Everything Sucks'', which had been released t ...

'' and the EP '' 'Merican'', both released in 2004 on

Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is a San Francisco, California-based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) in 1990. The label has released mater ...

. In July 2016, Aukerman announced he would be leaving his scientific career to pursue the Descendents full-time, citing burnout with biochemistry and getting laid off from DuPont. The band released their seventh studio album, ''

Hypercaffium Spazzinate ''Hypercaffium Spazzinate'' is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band the Descendents, released on July 29, 2016, through Epitaph Records. It is the band's first album since '' Cool to Be You'' in 2004. This was their highest-ch ...

'', on July 29, 2016. As a musician, Aukerman sings in a mid-range

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

, and his generally upbeat lyrics encompass such universal topics as girls/rejection, dependence upon

caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is mainly used recreationally as a cognitive enhancer, increasing alertness and attentional performance. Caffeine acts by blocking binding of adenosine t ...

, and the never-ending quest for good food. He is known for his bespectacled, unabashedly

nerdy A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly tech ...

persona and self-deprecating, "anti-rockstar" demeanor. Apart from his work with Descendents, Aukerman has also provided backing vocals for other musicians (including Descendents offshoot All), and briefly fronted the band Milestone in 1988 in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

while attending university.

Personal life

Aukerman was born on January 1, 1963, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He has been married to Robin Andreasen since 1995 and is the father of two children, Owen and Claire Andreasen.

References

External links

*

(Interview) {{DEFAULTSORT:Aukerman, Milo 1963 births Living people Descendents members American atheists American tenors American punk rock singers American male singers Singers from California American biochemists People from Lomita, California DuPont people University of California, San Diego alumni