INTERVIEW: DESCENDENTS IN CONVERSATION WITH BILL STEVENSON

Interview by Cecilia Pattison-Levi

“Like all young men, we were all a bit insufferable,” stated Descendents drummer Bill Stevenson as he expressed his happiness at doing a print interview by picking his nose. “We have mellowed. We are a band that has always had no real agenda or direction. For us, it’s about the music, and everyone in the band writes songs and music – and everyone can play everyone else’s instruments as well, so what fans are going to see is four guys tanked up on 15 espresso drinks each, giving it hell!”.

This is the mission statement of the OG Southern Californian punk legends the Descendents. The Descendents formed in 1977, and they have been through several line-up changes, breakups, and reformations. The current quartet consists of vocalist Milo Aukerman, guitarist Stephen Egerton, bassist Karl Alvarez, and drummer Bill Stevenson. The Descendents influenced a generation of pop-punk musicians and skate punk bands worldwide with their rapid-fire performance, instrument control, and melodic energy. They are returning to Australia and New Zealand in June 2026 for the Run Down Under Tour, and they will be celebrating 30 years of their genre-defining 1996 album ‘Everything Sucks’ with added extras.

‘Everything Sucks’ was recorded at Bill Stevenson’s studio Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado. The album perfectly captured the times with directness, humour, and melodic sensibility that had long been the Descendents’ trademark. The songs were written by every member of the band, and include punk classics like ‘Coffee Mug’, ‘Everything Sux’, ‘I’m The One’, and ‘When I Get Old’, and it these tracks that fans will get to see and hear at their live shows.

‘Everything Sucks’ is an album that has become part of the punk canon. “It was an album we were proud of writing, but at the time we had no idea of its impact,” mused Bill Stevenson. “We have four different songwriters, with four different points of view, so the songs were reflective of the time and how we were feeling. It has stood the test of time, and those views we had are as valid today as back then”.

“We are really lucky that we are going to be touring Australia to play the album in full, and we can’t wait to get there,” explained Bill Stevenson. “We have our day jobs. Speaking for myself, I split my time 70% with the Descendents and 30% with my studio Blasting Room. The other band members are shifting gears as we change and retire from day jobs back to refocusing on the band. It has been great as we are recording new songs again, with an album on the way this year. We have also put out new live and recorded albums over the last few years”.

The last album ‘9th & Walnut’ is a classic.

“I get very, very distrustful of any prequels. They are just a money grab,” pleaded Bill Stevenson. “But I swear on my daughter’s and son’s life that this album is not a prequel. The songs were written when we were 15. We were just learning to play instruments at that time. In fact, I had never played music with another human being, and didn’t even know the right drum beats. I do remember the songs, like they were written yesterday, but we got bored of them before we came to record our first EP”.

The Descendents albums such as ‘Milo Goes To College’, ‘I Don’t Want To Grow Up’, ‘Enjoy’ through to ‘Everything Sucks’ helped develop the Los Angeles hardcore punk scene while the band became famous for their outrageous, high-octane live shows.

“A good punk band should be able to play everything important in 40 minutes, and that’s a great set,” confirmed Bill Stevenson. “However, I know that we will do a bit extra in Australia, and also have an encore to give fans the full ‘Descendents experience’. We play a blistering live set at around 212 beats per minute, which is great at a punk show, but could kill you if it isn’t controlled”.

While the tour will focus on the ‘Everything Sucks’ era, fans can expect a comprehensive retrospective of the band’s nearly five-decade career. From the short, ‘Crepe Suzette’ to the reflective songwriting of 2004’s ‘Cool To Be You’.

“We know we have to play certain songs,” said Bill Stevenson. “We know that fans like the ‘big’ songs, and those will be on the setlist”.

The Run Down Under Tour represents a rare opportunity to see the Descendents live. They are the band that defined a generation and the hardcore punk and surfer-rock sounds that emerged in Southern California that we know and love. So come and see the band that delivered the iconic nerdy ‘Milo’ that has decorated album covers and merchandise since the early 1980s, a character and symbol of the band’s unique blend of intellect, astuteness, and irreverent music.

Tickets are on sale now for Descendents ‘Run Down Under’ Australian Tour 2026, and the dates are:

• Tuesday 3 June – Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads, VIC

• Thursday 5 June – Forum Theatre, Melbourne, VIC

• Friday 6 June – Odeon Theatre, Hobart, TAS

• Sunday 8 June – The Gov, Adelaide, SA

• Monday 9 June – Astor Theatre, Perth, WA

• Wednesday 11 June – Roundhouse, Sydney, NSW

• Thursday 12 June – Tivoli, Brisbane, QLD

• Friday 13 June – The Balcony, Gold Coast, QLD

• Monday 16 June – Meow Nui, Wellington, NZ

• Tuesday 17 June – Power Station, Auckland, NZ