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Descendents’ Milo Aukerman Releases New Ukulele Protest Project as RebUke

Three-song release 45… Not a LP available on streaming platforms October 7th

The Descendents' Milo Aukerman released a new three-song single, '45... not a LP,' centered around the ukulele and under the name RebUke.

Courtesy of Milo Aukerman/Epitaph Records

The Descendents’ Milo Aukerman has released a trio of protest songs performed on the ukulele under the clever moniker RebUke.

Per a press release, the three songs on 45… Not a LP examine the current political state of the United Sates, and how outrage and uncertainty have only grown over the years. Aukerman originally wrote the songs for the next Descendents record, but decided they were too urgent and needed to be released ahead of the 2020 elections.

“I’ve spent most of my punk rock life avoiding the temptation to write political songs; it always seemed like politics is the obvious go-to subject of punk and thus not of interest to me,” Aukerman said in a statement. “Unfortunately, after the 2016 U.S. Presidential election I find myself virtually unable to write songs about anything else.”

He continued: “If you believe, like me, that 45 is not a LP, we all need to vote to make that a reality. Only then can we hope to see a return to sanity, a turning of the page. These songs are my personal attempts to turn the page on our national nightmare… if only I could will it through music.”

Aukerman recorded the tracks with several different kinds of ukuleles — a six-string “guitarlele,” a soprano uke, an electric uke, and a bass uke — as well as tabla drums and cowbell. While the digital release arrives Wednesday, October 7th, the seven-inch single is available to preorder via Fat Wreck Chords.

The Descendents released their most recent album, Hypercaffium Spazzinate, in 2016.

From Rolling Stone US