It’s no secret that a lot of musicians perform under the influence of mind-altering substances. For some it’s beer. For others, pot. For the Southern California punk band, the Descendents, it’s….coffee?”Our band operates on caffeine,” said bass player Karl Alvarez. “It is our drug of choice.”A quick reading of the lyrics from the Descendents latest release “Everything Sucks” confirms Karl’s observation: “I don’t need no booze or drugs, I just chug-a-lug-o my coffee mug.” The band’s members are Karl, Milo Aukerman, vocals; Stephen Egerton, guitarist; and Bill Stevenson on drums.The Descendents formed in 1978, around the same time that the hardcore punk culture was developing in Los Angeles. Bands like Black Flag, The Germs, X, Catholic Discipline, and the Descendents paved the way for current punk-pop bands like Green Day, the Offspring, and Weezer.The Descendents went on hiatus in 1982, when singer Milo Aukerman left for college to pursue a degree in biochemistry and drummer Bill Stevenson joined Black Flag. In 1985 Milo and Bill returned and the Descendents released several albums, including “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up” and “All.”Milo left the band again in 1987 to pursue further education. Meanwhile the remaining members, Bill, Karl, and Stephen, continued to play together under the name All.Milo returned to the band again in 1996 with doctoral degree in hand, and the Descendents were reborn. There were no hard feelings when Milo left the band, Alvarez said.”We are not like most bands in that respect. Milo and Bill have been friends for a long time, so it wasn’t a problem.”The close relationship that exists between the band members has given the Descendents the luxury of seeing, first-hand, the changes that have occurred in the punk rock music scene.”There is no stigma attached to being a punk rocker now,” Alvarez said. “Our fans used to be perceived as screwed up, now they are just average skater kids.”The Descendents will be performing their caffeine-induced antics at the Newport, Thursday. Opening for the Descendents are Guttermouth, Less Than Jake and Handsome. The doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10.