Dead Milkmen
Encyclopedia
The Dead Milkmen is an American satirical punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 band formed in 1983 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

. They 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 Sabatino
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.-Career:...

 ("Dean Clean").

Beginning within the local underground hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...

 scene of the early 1980s, the band established their jangly punk sound, which they coupled with prominent humor delivered in heavy Philadelphia accent
Philadelphia accent
The Philadelphia dialect is the dialect of English spoken in Philadelphia; and extending into Philadelphia's suburbs in the Delaware Valley and southern New Jersey. It is one of the best-studied dialects of American English since Philadelphia's University of Pennsylvania is the home institution of...

s. After garnering an underground following through extensive touring and college radio attention, they enjoyed international success on the strength of 1988's "Punk Rock Girl", a single from their Beelzebubba
Beelzebubba
Beelzebubba is the fourth full-length studio album by the punk band The Dead Milkmen, released in 1988. The album featured their best-known song "Punk Rock Girl." The song's video won rotation on MTV...

album which entered into MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 rotation. Health problems and an ill-fated stint with the major label Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...

 in the wake of their success led to the group's 1995 breakup. In total, they issued eight studio albums, one live record, and numerous peripheral releases before disbanding.

In 2008, the group reunited and began working on new material, with new bassist Dan Stevens
Dan Stevens (musician)
Daniel Keith "Dan" Stevens is an American musician and songwriter.Stevens is the current bassist in the punk rock group The Dead Milkmen, replacing the deceased Dave Schulthise for Dead Milkmen reunion performances in 2004 and officially joining the band during their 2008 reformation...

 replacing the deceased Schulthise. They released The King in Yellow
The King in Yellow (album)
The King in Yellow is the ninth studio album by Dead Milkmen. It is their first studio album in 16 years. It was self-released digitally by the band on their website on March 19, 2011. The band started working on new material after their reunion in 2008. The album was recorded in two weekend...

in 2011, their first studio album in 16 years.

Formative period (1979–1983)

Conceptually, the group began in 1979 as the bedroom home-recording project of Genaro, who was then based in Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...

. He and a high school friend named Garth created an imaginary band called the Dead Milkmen and its mythological back-story, and the two recorded home cassette recordings in keeping with their fictional characters. Genaro later revealed that the band's moniker came from a character named "Milkman Dead" in Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison is a Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, editor, and professor. Her novels are known for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly detailed characters. Among her best known novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and Beloved...

's book Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon (novel)
Song of Solomon is a 1977 novel by American author Toni Morrison. It follows the life of Macon "Milkman" Dead III, an African-American male living in Michigan, from birth to adulthood....

. Linderman later participated in this embryonic home-recording stage of the group prior to its inactivity following Garth's departure to join the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 and Genaro's relocation to the dormitories of Philadelphia's Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...

.

While in Philadelphia, Genaro met Schulthise and Sabatino through mutual friends and began loose rehearsals in 1981. Sabatino was the only member with previous experience in rock groups, having played in the two-piece new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

 band Narthex. Linderman collaborated sporadically with the three during this period, and completed the lineup as lead vocalist in 1983, in time for their first public performance.

Early career and albums (1983–1987)

The band played frequently in Philadelphia's punk rock circuit, and eventually began touring nationally. After several self-released cassettes, the group's debut LP, Big Lizard in My Backyard
Big Lizard in my Backyard
Big Lizard in My Backyard is the debut album by The Dead Milkmen, released by Restless Records in 1985.Although the album yielded no singles, it achieved enough notoriety to create a fan base for the band...

, was issued in 1985 on Restless Records
Restless Records
Restless Records was started in El Segundo, California in 1981 by Enigma Records and primarly released alternative, metal and punk records. Restless also licensed and released records from Bar/None Records, Metal Blade Records and Mute Records...

, a subsidiary of Enigma Records
Enigma Records
Enigma Records was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. It was initially a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/distributor, which it split-off from in 1985 to become its own company...

. The album received college radio attention, most notably surrounding the song "Bitchin' Camaro". Because of its improvised dialogue intro, the song remained a favorite at live shows.

Eat Your Paisley
Eat Your Paisley
Eat Your Paisley is the second studio album by the The Dead Milkmen, released on Restless Records in 1986.The album yielded one single, "The Thing That Only Eats Hippies"/"Beach Party Vietnam," released one year later in 1987...

, 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. 1987's Bucky Fellini
Bucky Fellini
Bucky Fellini is the third studio album by the The Dead Milkmen, released in 1987 by Enigma - their first not on Restless Records.The album had one single, "Instant Club Hit ." The single featured the original version and multiple "remixes" of the song, as well as previously unreleased tracks...

followed, yielding the single "Instant Club Hit (You'll Dance to Anything)", a genre spoof of electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...

 dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...

.

Commercial success (1987–1991)

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
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 player Jim Walewander
Jim Walewander
James Walewander was a Major League Baseball infielder. He is an alumnus of Iowa State University. Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 9th round of the 1983 MLB amateur draft, Walewander was notoriously a fan of the satirical Philadelphia punk band The Dead Milkmen, endearing himself to Tiger...

, a Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

 rookie, became a vocal fan of the band; this was noted on his baseball card, which described the group as "an obscure punk-rock band". Walewander invited the band to Tiger Stadium to see a game in which he hit his first and only major league home run, and the Milkmen had a short conversation with Tigers manager Sparky Anderson
Sparky Anderson
George Lee "Sparky" Anderson was an American Major League Baseball manager. He managed the National League's Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third title in 1984 with the Detroit Tigers of the American League. He was the first manager to win the World Series in both...

.

1988 saw the release of Beelzebubba
Beelzebubba
Beelzebubba is the fourth full-length studio album by the punk band The Dead Milkmen, released in 1988. The album featured their best-known song "Punk Rock Girl." The song's video won rotation on MTV...

, a comparatively polished record that yielded their most successful single. "Punk Rock Girl", a track that featured Genaro on lead vocals, saw extensive rotation on MTV and propelled the album to number 101 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

's Top 200. They later released the "Smokin' Banana Peels" single and music video from this album. Beelzebubbas followup, 1990's Metaphysical Graffiti, did not yield a hit, but also charted and assured that the group remained a mainstay in the independent rock scene.

Stint with Hollywood Records; breakup (1991–1995)

In 1991, the band left Restless and signed with The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...

-owned Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...

.
Soul Rotation
Soul Rotation
Soul Rotation is the sixth studio album by The Dead Milkmen, released in 1992. It was their first to be released on Hollywood Records, owned by the Walt Disney Company...

, their Hollywood debut released the following year, focused more heavily on Genaro's singing and songwriting, with Linderman used predominantly as a keyboardist. The resulting record was much more pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

-oriented than the group's previous efforts, but failed to produce a hit single.
Not Richard, But Dick
Not Richard, But Dick
Not Richard, But Dick is the seventh studio album by The Dead Milkmen, released in 1993 by Hollywood Records. It is currently out of print.- Track listing :# "Leggo My Ego" - 2:21# "I Dream of Jesus" - 3:47# "Jason's Head" - 3:08# "Not Crazy" - 2:35...

was issued in 1993, and did not fare any better than its predecessor. Relations between the band and label 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 Rotations "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)
Stoney's Extra Stout (Pig)
Stoney's Extra Stout is the eighth and final Dead Milkmen studio album by the original lineup. It was released by Restless Records before the band broke-up in 1995...

. Several compilations of both hits and rarities were later released.

Post-breakup (1995–2008)

The band then took a 13-year hiatus. During this time, Linderman performed with the gothic
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...

, Celtic
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...

 punk band Burn Witch Burn
Burn Witch Burn
Burn Witch Burn were an American Celtic rock/goth/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, aka Rodney Anonymous.-History:...

 and worked in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...

 and blogging, including writing for the Philadelphia Weekly
Philadelphia Weekly
Philadelphia Weekly , is an award-winning alternative newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, published every Wednesday.The paper was founded in 1971 as a sister publication to the South Philadelphia Press. In 1995, the paper became 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 original music and performing live with groups such as Butterfly Joe, Touch Me Zoo, the Town Managers and The Low Budgets
The Low Budgets
The Low Budgets was an American punk/garage rock band based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They were a project of Dead Milkmen guitarist and songwriter Joe Genaro , and current bassist Dan Stevens....

, while also maintaining a low-key solo career.

Schulthise attended Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...

 to study Serbo-Croatian language
Serbo-Croatian language
Serbo-Croatian or Serbo-Croat, less commonly Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian , is a South Slavic language with multiple standards and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro...

, literature, history, and culture. In 1998 he moved to Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....

, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

, where he taught English. His writing was published several times in Svetigora, the magazine of the Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...

. He hoped to contribute to the country’s regrowth and development, 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 committed suicide on March 10, 2004. His death was featured in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

 and Rolling Stone Magazine.

The surviving Dead Milkmen reunited for two consecutive shows in November 2004 at the Trocadero Theatre
Trocadero Theatre
The Trocadero Theatre, opened as the Arch Street Opera House in 1870, is a historic theater, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Over the years, it has offered musical comedies, vaudeville and burlesque. Burlesque performer Mara Gaye performed at the Troc in the 1950s...

 in Philadelphia. 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. Dan Stevens of The Low Budgets played bass for these performances.

Reunion (2008–present)

In late 2008, the band announced its plans to play the Fun Fun Fun Fest
Fun Fun Fun Fest
Fun Fun Fun Fest is an annual music festival held in Austin, Texas. Started in 2006, the festival brings together many progressive and underground musicians with a focus on indie rock, punk rock/hardcore, and hip hop/DJ....

 in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

, their first performance since the Schulthise memorial shows, with Stevens again on bass. They played two back-to-back warm-up shows in Philadelphia shortly before this festival, including one billed under the pseudonym Les Enfants Du Prague.

Following their success in the Austin and Philadelphia performances, they decided to continue as an active group. They spent the following two years playing occasional concerts and composing new material before entering the recording studio late in 2010. On March 19, 2011, a new album, The King in Yellow
The King in Yellow (album)
The King in Yellow is the ninth studio album by Dead Milkmen. It is their first studio album in 16 years. It was self-released digitally by the band on their website on March 19, 2011. The band started working on new material after their reunion in 2008. The album was recorded in two weekend...

, was released in digital form on the band's website, with a self-released CD following shortly thereafter.

Members

Current members
  • Joe Genaro – guitar, vocals, keyboards (1983–1995, 2004, 2008–present)
  • Rodney Linderman – vocals, keyboards, tin whistle (1983–1995, 2004, 2008–present)
  • Dean Sabatino
    Dean Sabatino
    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.-Career:...

     – drums, percussion, vocals (1983–1995, 2004, 2008–present)
  • Dan Stevens
    Dan Stevens (musician)
    Daniel Keith "Dan" Stevens is an American musician and songwriter.Stevens is the current bassist in the punk rock group The Dead Milkmen, replacing the deceased Dave Schulthise for Dead Milkmen reunion performances in 2004 and officially joining the band during their 2008 reformation...

     – bass guitar (2004, 2008–present)

Former members
  • Dave Schulthise (deceased) – bass guitar, vocals (1983–1995)


Full-length studio albums

  • Big Lizard in My Backyard
    Big Lizard in my Backyard
    Big Lizard in My Backyard is the debut album by The Dead Milkmen, released by Restless Records in 1985.Although the album yielded no singles, it achieved enough notoriety to create a fan base for the band...

    (1985)
  • Eat Your Paisley
    Eat Your Paisley
    Eat Your Paisley is the second studio album by the The Dead Milkmen, released on Restless Records in 1986.The album yielded one single, "The Thing That Only Eats Hippies"/"Beach Party Vietnam," released one year later in 1987...

    (1986)
  • Bucky Fellini
    Bucky Fellini
    Bucky Fellini is the third studio album by the The Dead Milkmen, released in 1987 by Enigma - their first not on Restless Records.The album had one single, "Instant Club Hit ." The single featured the original version and multiple "remixes" of the song, as well as previously unreleased tracks...

    (1987)
  • Beelzebubba
    Beelzebubba
    Beelzebubba is the fourth full-length studio album by the punk band The Dead Milkmen, released in 1988. The album featured their best-known song "Punk Rock Girl." The song's video won rotation on MTV...

    (1988)
  • Metaphysical Graffiti (1990)
  • Soul Rotation
    Soul Rotation
    Soul Rotation is the sixth studio album by The Dead Milkmen, released in 1992. It was their first to be released on Hollywood Records, owned by the Walt Disney Company...

    (1992)
  • Not Richard, But Dick
    Not Richard, But Dick
    Not Richard, But Dick is the seventh studio album by The Dead Milkmen, released in 1993 by Hollywood Records. It is currently out of print.- Track listing :# "Leggo My Ego" - 2:21# "I Dream of Jesus" - 3:47# "Jason's Head" - 3:08# "Not Crazy" - 2:35...

    (1993)
  • Stoney's Extra Stout (Pig)
    Stoney's Extra Stout (Pig)
    Stoney's Extra Stout is the eighth and final Dead Milkmen studio album by the original lineup. It was released by Restless Records before the band broke-up in 1995...

    (1995)
  • The King in Yellow
    The King in Yellow (album)
    The King in Yellow is the ninth studio album by Dead Milkmen. It is their first studio album in 16 years. It was self-released digitally by the band on their website on March 19, 2011. The band started working on new material after their reunion in 2008. The album was recorded in two weekend...

    (2011)

Live and compilation albums

  • Now We Are 10 — 1993, retrospective
  • Chaos Rules — Live at the Trocadero — 1994
  • Death Rides a Pale Cow (The Ultimate Collection) — 1997, compilation
  • Cream of the Crop — 1998, compilation
  • Now We Are 20 — 2003, compilation
  • The Dead Milkmen Present: Philadelphia In Love— 2003, music video compilation

Singles and EPs

  • The Thing that Only Eats Hippies — 1987, Australian single
  • Instant Club Hit — 1987
  • Punk Rock Girl (single) — 1988, 1989
  • Smokin' Banana Peels EP — 1988, 1989
  • If I Had a Gun EP — 1992

Self-released cassettes

  • Living Death in the Cellar of Sin — 1983
  • Funky Farm — 1983
  • A Date With The Dead Milkmen — 1983
  • Death Rides A Pale Cow — 1984
  • The Dead Milkmen Take The Airwaves — 1984
  • Someone Shot Sunshine — 1984

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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