Charlotte NC – 30 July 2025
Everything doesn’t suck when The Descendents play live!
Back when I was first discovering punk rock music as a teenager someone told me I should check out a band called The Descendents. Little did I know back then how much their music would intensify the spark of interest I had for punk music and turn it into a bonfire love that still burns hot some 30 plus years later. The Descendents will always have a special place in my heart. I was lucky enough to be living in Madison, Wisconsin when Milo Aukerman did his postdoctoral at the UW-Madison and I was at an ALL show in the campus area when the band invited Milo on stage to sing a few Descendents songs. Since that show I’ve only been able to catch them live a few more times, mostly due to Milo’s scientific career. The last time I saw them was more than a decade ago back in 2014 so when I saw their Summer tour dates had a show near me, I wasn’t going to miss it.
First up was five-member band called Liquid Mike that I had never heard before. The played a mix of slower melodic power pop and energetic skate punk. Some of the songs one might classify as more indie rock, but edgy enough to feel like they deserved to open for The Descendents. They had both some keys and a trumpet provided by Monica Nelson, which was a very cool addition to the sound. I am not sure why they are called “liquid” Mike, as they were pretty solid.
Up next we went from a band with five members to a group with just two, called Teen Mortgage. I had heard good things about them and was looking forward to checking them out. Now if you closed your eyes and just heard the music, you might be surprised to open them and only see the duo of Ed on drums and James on guitar because they bring a full band big heavy sound that gets the crowd the moving. Their sound was raw, grungy, intense, high energy punk rock. Lots of guitar pedal effects with sample sound clips, rumbustious vocals, and explosive drums kept you fully engaged. This kind of music reminded me of 90’s skateboard videos clip montages but with a more modern feel. They are playing the Rockstar Energy Skateboard Open this weekend in Portland so I guess that makes sense.
Now came time for The Descendents and well I don’t think I have to say much as they never disappoint. Milo stated he had checked out Charlotte earlier that day and said it didn’t suck, but then he said, that can’t be, as everything sucks, in which they launched into the title track of their fifth studio album. They followed this up with “Hope” from the bands first album Milo Goes to College and then “I Don’t Want to Grow Up” from the album of the same name. Overall, they ripped through about 25 songs in the main set. I am pretty sure they played at least one track from every single album and they didn’t shy away from playing a lot of the earlier classics. Milo did some quick banter and stories between the short songs to space things out nicely and yes, he still has his water bottle satchel bedazzled with punk rock studs. The encore set concluded with my favorite “Bikeage” and “Smile” which was a great way to end the show. Now I can’t say I really remember exactly how they sounded in 2014, but they still sounded great in 2025 and proves that everything doesn’t suck!
Likes fine beer and tacos. He has been a DJ, sound mixer for commercials and television, and currently designs motorcycle parts. He also has a habit of creating pastiche style cover songs and changing the chorus to incorporate “Jeff” or “Sorley.” (sigh… it’s true – Jeff)
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