9th & Walnut includes some of Descendents earliest material, representing
a “lost” pre-MGTC album. Most of these songs have not been heard — until
now.
Formed in L.A.'s South Bay in 1978, Descendents began as a power trio featuring
bassist Tony Lombardo, drummer Bill Stevenson, and guitarist Frank Navetta (d.
2008). The band recruited vocalist Milo Aukerman in 1980 and began establishing
themselves as major players in the Southern California Punk movement. Over the
years, the band has sustained a potent chemistry and shared vision, further
cementing them as punk legends.
In 2002, the original four-piece line-up — Frank Navetta, Tony Lombardo, Bill
Stevenson, and Milo Aukerman — got back into the studio to finally record
their first-ever songs. The songs were written by the band from 1977 through
1980, before recording the Fat EP (1981) and the Milo Goes to College LP
(1982).
Every element of the band’s genre-creating sound is here:
Stevenson's hyper-caffeinated surf-beats, Lombardo's intrepid bass,
Navetta's crunching attack, Aukerman's impassioned, infinitely relatable
singing—and all those great melodies and harmonies.
