Milo Aukerman

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Milo Aukerman (born 1964 in Lomita, California) is an American singer, songwriter and research biochemist. The enigmatic 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 "Power Pop". While not an original member, he joined after their first single (Ride the Wild/It's a Hectic World). The initial single had caricatures of the three original members, and the drawing used to symbolize Milo, invented by a high school classmate, later was used on most of their albums and has since become a popular tattoo amongst Descendents fans, with some celebrities having them such as musicians Travis Barker and Jesse Benns. Aukerman has also provided backing vocals for other musicians, and, while attending college (between stints with the Descendents), briefly fronted the long-defunct 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. His bespectacled, unabashedly nerdy persona and self-deprecating, "anti-rockstar" demeanor have spawned a host of imitators, including Rivers Cuomo of Weezer and in some ways, The Offspring's Dexter Holland.[citation needed] Aukerman is regarded as being among the most influential American punk musicians of the last twenty-five years.[citation needed]

Aukerman attended Mira Costa High School, with fellow members of the Descendents.[1]

Aukerman holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and his passion for academic research within this field has caused the Descendents to be inactive for extended periods. The band is currently dormant. 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.

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 feels that being in a band has been more rewarding.[2].

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