Milo Aukerman
Encyclopedia
Milo Aukerman is an American
singer, songwriter
and research biochemist
. Aukerman is perhaps most widely known for being the lead singer of the early Los Angeles area punk rock
band the Descendents
, a group widely considered to be pioneers of modern "pop punk
". While not an original member, he joined after their first single ("Ride the Wild" b/w "It's a Hectic World"). The first full length Descendents album (released in 1982) was titled Milo Goes to College
, as he had gone to school at UC San Diego. The initial single had caricatures of the three original members, and the drawing used to symbolize Milo, invented by a high school classmate, was used on many of their albums. Aukerman has also provided backing vocals for other musicians, and, while attending college (between stints with the Descendents), briefly fronted the San Diego band "Milestone" who released one independently-produced album.
As a musician, Aukerman sings in a mid-range tenor
, and his generally upbeat lyrics
encompass such universal topics as girls/rejection, dependence upon caffeine
, and the neverending quest for good food
. He is known for his bespectacled, unabashedly nerdy persona and self-deprecating, "anti-rockstar" demeanor.
Aukerman attended Mira Costa High School
, with fellow members of the Descendents.
Aukerman holds a doctorate
in biochemistry
from the University of California, San Diego
, and works as a plant researcher at DuPont
in Delaware
. The Descendents are still active on occasion, turning up in 2010, replacing Devo to headline the FunFunFunFest in Austin, TX on November 7 and playing Australia in December.
Aukerman has been married
since 1996 and is the father of two children. He claims that parenting is the most challenging thing he has ever done, although he has stated that being in a band has been more rewarding.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and research biochemist
Biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...
. Aukerman is perhaps most widely known for being the lead singer of the early Los Angeles area punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band the Descendents
Descendents
The Descendents are an American punk rock band from Hermosa Beach, California. As of 2011, they have released six studio albums, three live albums, three compilation albums and three EPs. The Descendents broke up and reformed several times over the years, sometimes with different musicians...
, a group widely considered to be pioneers of modern "pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
". While not an original member, he joined after their first single ("Ride the Wild" b/w "It's a Hectic World"). The first full length Descendents album (released in 1982) was titled Milo Goes to College
Milo Goes to College
Milo Goes to College is the debut album by the Manhattan Beach, California-based punk rock band the Descendents, released in 1982 through New Alliance Records...
, as he had gone to school at UC San Diego. The initial single had caricatures of the three original members, and the drawing used to symbolize Milo, invented by a high school classmate, was used on many of their albums. Aukerman has also provided backing vocals for other musicians, and, while attending college (between stints with the Descendents), briefly fronted the San Diego band "Milestone" who released one independently-produced album.
As a musician, Aukerman sings in a mid-range tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
, and his generally upbeat lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
encompass such universal topics as girls/rejection, dependence upon caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
, and the neverending quest for good food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
. He is known for his bespectacled, unabashedly nerdy persona and self-deprecating, "anti-rockstar" demeanor.
Aukerman attended Mira Costa High School
Mira Costa High School
Mira Costa High School is a four-year public high school located in Manhattan Beach, California, United States that first began operating in 1950. It is the only high school in the Manhattan Beach Unified School District...
, with fellow members of the Descendents.
Aukerman holds a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
from the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
, and works as a plant researcher at DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
. The Descendents are still active on occasion, turning up in 2010, replacing Devo to headline the FunFunFunFest in Austin, TX on November 7 and playing Australia in December.
Aukerman has been married
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
since 1996 and is the father of two children. He claims that parenting is the most challenging thing he has ever done, although he has stated that being in a band has been more rewarding.