The Dead Milkmen is an American punk rock band formed in 1983 in Philadelphia. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Linderman ("Rodney Anonymous"), guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro ("Joe Jack Talcum"), bassist Dave Schulthise ("Dave Blood") and drummer Dean Sabatino ("Dean Clean").
The band distinguished itself in the hardcore punk scene of the early 1980s through its jangly punk sound and sardonic humor delivered with thick Philadelphia accents. They attracted college radio attention with their 1985 debut album, Big Lizard in My Backyard, and the song "Bitchin' Camaro". Extensive touring and further releases helped the band garner an underground following.
The band enjoyed international success on the strength of "Punk Rock Girl", a single from their 1988 Beelzebubba album which entered into MTV rotation.[1] After an ill-fated stint with major record label Hollywood Records, health problems and industry frustrations in the wake of their success led to the group's 1995 breakup.
The group reunited in 2008, with Dan Stevens replacing the deceased Schulthise. In 2011, they released The King in Yellow, their first studio album in 16 years. The band remained active thereafter, touring sporadically and releasing further records.
History
Formative period (1979–83)
Conceptually, the group began in 1979 as Genaro's home-recording project. Then based in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Genaro and his high school friend Garth created an imaginary band called The Dead Milkmen with a mythological back-story, recording homemade cassettes in keeping with their fictional characters.[2] According to Genaro, the band's moniker came from a character named "Milkman Dead" in Toni Morrison's novel Song of Solomon.[3] Linderman, who attended high school with Genaro, later participated in this embryonic stage of the group. The project became inactive when Garth departed to join the United States Air Force and Genaro relocated to the dormitories of Philadelphia's Temple University.[2]
While in Philadelphia, Genaro met Schulthise and Sabatino through mutual friends. The three began loosely rehearsing together in 1981, taking their name from Genaro's home-recording project. Sabatino was the only member with experience in rock groups, having played previously in the two-piece new wave band Narthex. Linderman collaborated sporadically with the three during this period. He completed the lineup as lead vocalist in 1983, in time for their first public performance which took place July 23, 1983 at Harleysville Youth Center in Pennsylvania.
Early career and albums (1983–87)
The band played frequently in Philadelphia's punk rock circuit and eventually began touring nationally. After several self-released cassettes, their debut LP, Big Lizard in My Backyard, was issued in 1985 on Restless Records, a subsidiary of Enigma Records. The album received college radio play, with the track "Bitchin' Camaro" becoming especially popular. Because of its improvised dialogue intro, the song remained a favorite at live shows.
Eat Your Paisley, their second album, was released the following year. "The Thing That Only Eats Hippies" became the band's first proper single and music video, and was a hit in Australia in addition to receiving domestic attention. Bucky Fellini followed in 1987, yielding the single "Instant Club Hit (You'll Dance to Anything)", a genre spoof of electronicdance music.
Commercial success (1987–91)
Zipperhead, the iconic punk clothing shop in Philadelphia's South Street district referred to in the single "Punk Rock Girl"
As the band toured extensively behind their records, they began to accrue increasing attention, which often came through unconventional routes. In 1987, Major League Baseball player Jim Walewander, a Detroit Tigers rookie, became a vocal fan of the band; this was noted on his baseball card (1988 Score, #571), which described the group as "an obscure punk-rock band".[4] Walewander invited the band to Tiger Stadium to see a game in which he hit his first and only major league home run.
In 1988, they issued Beelzebubba, a comparatively polished record that yielded their most successful single, "Punk Rock Girl". Featuring Genaro on lead vocals, the track saw extensive rotation on MTV and propelled the album to number 101 on Billboard's Top 200.[5] They later released the Smokin' Banana Peels EP and music video from this album. The 1990 followup, Metaphysical Graffiti, did not yield a hit, but also charted[5] and helped solidify the group's presence in the independent rock scene.
Stint with Hollywood Records; breakup (1991–95)
In 1991, the band left Restless and signed with The Walt Disney Company-owned Hollywood Records. Soul Rotation, their Hollywood debut released the following year, was focused more heavily on Genaro's singing and songwriting, with Linderman used predominantly as a keyboardist. The resulting record was much more pop-oriented than the group's previous efforts, but failed to produce a hit single. Not Richard, But Dick was issued in 1993, and did not fare any better than its predecessor. Relations between the band and label quickly soured, and the two albums went out of print shortly after their initial releases. The band was later unable to feature any of the songs from either of the Hollywood albums on retrospective or compilation CDs, although the group did smuggle an unlisted version of Soul Rotation's "If I Had a Gun" onto their 1994 live album Chaos Rules: Live at the Trocadero.
Later in 1994, The Dead Milkmen announced their decision to break up following a final tour and album. This was due in part to the tendinitis Schulthise began to suffer in his hands, which made performing intensely painful, as well as the band's increasing frustration with commercial and industry struggles. Restless Records released what was planned to be their final studio album in 1995, Stoney's Extra Stout (Pig). Several compilations of both hits and rarities were later released.
Post-breakup (1995–2008)
Genaro played with numerous other groups and embarked upon a solo career while the Dead Milkmen were inactive.
The band then took a 13-year hiatus. During this time, Linderman performed with the gothic, Celtic punk band Burn Witch Burn and worked in journalism and blogging, including writing for the Philadelphia Weekly. Sabatino played with the Big Mess Orchestra and The Hunger Artists, two sporadically active projects, as well as Genaro's post-Milkmen group Butterfly Joe. Genaro remained the most musically active member of the band during its split, consistently recording and performing with groups such as Butterfly Joe, Touch Me Zoo, the Town Managers and The Low Budgets, while also maintaining a low-key solo career.
Schulthise attended Indiana University to study Serbo-Croatian language, literature, history, and culture. In 1998 he moved to Novi Sad, Serbia, where he taught English. His writing was published several times in Svetigora, the magazine of the Serbian Orthodox Church.[6] He hoped to contribute to the country’s regrowth and development,[6] but fled in April 1999 when NATO bombed the country.
In 2003, the band issued Now We Are 20, a repackaging of their self-released Now We Are 10 retrospective CD from 1993. They also collected their music video output and released it on the Philadelphia In Love DVD. Talks of reunion shows briefly emerged, but ended when Schulthise died by suicide on March 10, 2004. His death was reported in The New York Times and Rolling Stone.
The surviving members reunited for two consecutive shows in November 2004 at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia, with Dan Stevens of The Low Budgets playing bass. The shows were intended to pay tribute to Schulthise, and proceeds were donated to a variety of mental health organizations and to Studenica, a Serbian monastery that he supported.
Reunion (2008–present)
In late 2008, the band reunited to play their first performances since the Schulthise memorial shows, with Stevens again on bass. After two back-to-back warm-up shows in Philadelphia, including one billed under the pseudonym Les Enfants Du Prague, they played the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas. Following these concerts, they decided to continue as an active group.
They spent the following two years composing new material before entering the recording studio late in 2010. On March 19, 2011, a new album, The King in Yellow,[7] was released in digital form on the band's website, with a self-released CD following shortly thereafter.
In late 2012, they released "Dark Clouds Gather Over Middlemarch" and "Big Words Make the Baby Jesus Cry", the first two installments in a series of limited-run singles. This was also the year they appeared on nerdcore rapper MC Lars' EP, Edgar Allan Poe EP, for a new recording of Lars' song, "Mr. Raven", which was originally released on his 2006 album, The Graduate. "The Great Boston Molasses Flood", the third release in their singles series, was released on March 15, 2013; the fourth, "Welcome to Undertown", followed on June 21.
The band released Pretty Music for Pretty People, their tenth studio album, on October 7, 2014. The following year, SRA Records issued their split 7-inch with the 1980s Philadelphia hardcore band Flag of Democracy (also known as F.O.D.)
In July 2017, The Dead Milkmen joined with philanthropic record label the Giving Groove.[8]
On June 9, 2023, The Dead Milkmen released the LP Quaker City Quiet Pills.
Members
Current members
Joseph Genaro – guitar, vocals, keyboards (1983–1995, 2004, 2008–present)
Rodney Linderman – vocals, keyboards, tin whistle (1983–1995, 2004, 2008–present)
Dean Sabatino – drums, percussion, vocals (1983–1995, 2004, 2008–present)
(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang EP (2020)
Grandpa's Not a Racist (He Just Voted For One) (2023)[9]
Self-released cassettes
So Long Seventies (1979)
Folk Songs for the 80s (1980)
Sour Milk (1980)
Music for the Mindless (1980)
For Die Hard Fans Only (1980)
Doctor Talcum's Studio of Fear (1981)
Cows and Gals (1981)
Raging Cow (1981)
Paradise Lagoon (1981)
The Salamander Sessions (1981)
Living Death in the Cellar of Sin (1981)
Nine New Sins (1982)
Purgatory Beat (1982)
Wisconsin (1983)
A Date with The Dead Milkmen (1983)
Millersville Delivery (1983)
Funky Farm (1983)
Death Rides a Pale Cow (1984)
The Dead Milkmen Take the Airwaves (1984)
Someone Shot Sunshine (1984)
Related Research Articles
David Schulthise, also known as Dave Blood, was an American musician best known as the original bass guitarist for the punk band The Dead Milkmen. Schulthise was born in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. He helped form the band in 1983 along with fellow pseudonymous musicians Joe Jack Talcum, Dean Clean, and Rodney Anonymous. Prior to this he was a Ph.D. candidate in economics at Purdue University.
Rodney Linderman, also known by his stage name Rodney Anonymous, is an American musician, journalist, and humorist currently based in Philadelphia. He is best known as the lead vocalist, keyboardist and co-songwriter of the satirical punk rock band The Dead Milkmen.
Anthony Joseph Genaro is an American musician, best known as the guitarist and co-lead vocalist for the punk rock group The Dead Milkmen. Residing in Philadelphia, Genaro has performed with a number of punk and indie rock groups, most recently including The Low Budgets, and is also a solo artist.
Beelzebubba is the fourth studio album by the American satirical punk rock band the Dead Milkmen, released in 1988. It peaked at No. 101 on the Billboard 200. The album contains perhaps the band's best-known song, "Punk Rock Girl".
Big Lizard in My Backyard is the debut album by the Dead Milkmen, released by Restless Records in 1985.
Eat Your Paisley! is the second studio album by The Dead Milkmen, released on Restless Records in 1986.
Bucky Fellini is the third studio album by The Dead Milkmen. It was released in 1987 by Enigma. The album peaked at No. 163 on the Billboard 200.
Mischief Brew was an American folk punk band from Philadelphia consisting of vocalist and guitarist Erik Petersen, bassist Shawn St. Clair, and drummers Christopher Petersen and Christopher Kulp. The band played DIY folk punk and anarcho-punk music; it incorporated styles including American folk, Celtic folk, Gypsy-punk, and swing with lyrics influenced by the labour movement, protest music, and punk culture.
"Punk Rock Girl" is a song by American rock band the Dead Milkmen. It was the first single released from the band's fourth album Beelzebubba (1988). Released in December 1988, the track was primarily composed by guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro and bassist Dave Schulthise, though it is credited to all four band members. The idea behind the song was to create a punk rock nursery rhyme; as such, it is a simple love song, written from the perspective of a sheltered boy dreaming of a rowdy, delinquent girlfriend. Lyrically, it depicts the duo bonding over record-shopping and eating pizza.
Soul Rotation is the sixth studio album by the Dead Milkmen, released in 1992. It was their first album to be released on Hollywood Records. The album was digitally re-released in 2013, after being out of print for many years.
Empty Stares was an alternative rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. that was formed in 1992 and ended in 1997. In those five years, Empty Stares made a serious impact on the Philadelphia music scene. ES was composed of NottingCognito (vocals), Randy (bass), Ted (guitar), Tom (guitar) and Kevin (drums). The band was formed as Point Blank in 1988 by blue-collar friends Ted, Mario & Kevin changing their name to Empty Stares with the addition of Randy and Tom soon after meeting in 1990 at Cardinal Dougherty High School located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The self-financed "To One His Own" was released in 1992, but after graduating in 1993, and a reworking of their sound, they were signed to Shangri-la Records.
Stoney's Extra Stout (Pig) is the eighth studio album by the Dead Milkmen. It was released by Restless Records in 1995. The Dead Milkmen had decided to break up prior to its release; the band (minus deceased bass player Dave Schulthise) would not record again until 2011's The King in Yellow.
Dean Sabatino is an American musician, best known as Dean Clean, the drummer of the satirical punk rock group the Dead Milkmen. Sabatino lives with his family in Media, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. Having earned a degree in commercial art, Clean designed the album covers for the band's releases, including the cover art for their 1985 debut album Big Lizard in My Backyard.
Burn Witch Burn were an American Celtic rock/goth/Appalachian/Gypsy/folk/punk rock band based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and active between 1994-2001. The band was a side project of Dead Milkmen singer and keyboardist Rodney Linderman.
The Low Budgets was an American punk/garage rock band based in Philadelphia. They were a project of Dead Milkmen guitarist Joe Genaro, and current bassist Dan Stevens. Vocalist and guitarist Chris Seegel and drummer Steve Levandoski completed the band's lineup. The Low Budgets released three albums and toured throughout North America and Europe.
"Bitchin' Camaro" is a song by American rock band the Dead Milkmen, released on their debut album Big Lizard in My Backyard (1985). The song was written by vocalist Rodney Linderman, guitarist and vocalist Joseph Genaro, bassist Dave Schulthise, and drummer Dean Sabatino. The track contains an extended, rambling intro of two characters having a conversation, after which the song shifts into a hardcore punk song about the bitchin' Chevrolet Camaro.
Daniel Keith "Dandrew" Stevens is an American musician and songwriter.
The King in Yellow is the ninth studio album by the Dead Milkmen. It was their first studio album in 16 years. It was released digitally on the band's website in 2011; a CD release followed shortly thereafter.
Pretty Music for Pretty People is the tenth studio album by the Dead Milkmen, released in 2014. It is their second studio album since reuniting in 2008.
Chaos Rules: Live at the Trocadero is a live album by the punk band the Dead Milkmen. It was released by Restless Records on November 8, 1994.
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