| Joe Genaro | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Anthony Joseph Genaro |
| Also known as | Joe Jack Talcum, Jack Talcum, Jasper Thread, Butterfly Fairweather, Butterfly Joe, Jonk Provuc |
| Born | October 15, 1962 Wagontown, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Genres | Punk rock, indie rock |
| Instruments | Guitar, keyboards, piano, bass, harmonica, vocals |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Labels | Fever Records, Restless Records, Enigma Records, Hollywood Records, Chunksaah Records, Schuylkill Records, Fistolo Records |
| Associated acts | The Dead Milkmen, The Low Budgets, Touch Me Zoo, The Town Managers |
| Website | Jacktalcum.com |
Anthony Joseph "Joe" Genaro (born October 15, 1962 in Wagontown, Pennsylvania) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the guitarist and co-lead vocalist for the punk rock group The Dead Milkmen. Currently 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. He is of Italian heritage.[1]
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Genaro founded The Dead Milkmen in 1983, initially establishing the group as a bedroom-based home-recording project with a mythological back story prior to their evolution into a traditional four-piece band shortly thereafter. The members of the group regularly employed pseudonyms, and Genaro most frequently called himself "Joe Jack Talcum" (stemming from the character of Jack Talcum that Genaro had imagined as the leader of the band in their mythology) in the context of the group, although he also used the pseudonyms "Butterfly Fairweather" and "Jasper Thread" on certain records.
The band's debut LP, Big Lizard in My Backyard, was released in 1985, and their initial twelve-year career saw some college radio and MTV success, notably surrounding singles "Bitchin' Camaro" (1986) and "Punk Rock Girl" (1988). Genaro acted as the group's guitarist, co-lead vocalist and co-songwriter, and occasionally played keyboards and piano. The band originally disbanded in 1995, regrouping in 2008.
Genaro has consistently recorded solo material since the early 1980s. Between 1984—1999, he self-released eight cassette tapes composed of home recorded songs. The four-piece group Butterfly Joe, named after one of Genaro's pseudonyms and featuring Dead Milkmen drummer Dean Sabatino, assembled to perform Genaro's solo material and released a self-titled, full-length album in 1999. The group went on indefinite hiatus in the immediate years following.
In 2005, the Virginia-based Valiant Death label released a CD of material from Genaro's home recordings, Home Recordings 1984—1997. Under the name Joe Jack Talcum, he released Photographs from the Shoebox, a split LP/CD with Mischief Brew, in 2008 on Fistolo Records. The next year, his Live in the Studio album was released on CD and digital download formats. This record featured Genaro backed by a drummer and slide guitar/banjo player. Genaro also frequently tours behind his solo material.
Other groups with whom Genaro has played include Ornamental Wigwam (circa 1987, a two-piece with Dead Milkmen bassist Dave Schulthise), Touch Me Zoo (1990—1997), The Town Managers (1996—2000), The Fresh Breaths (2000), The Low Budgets (2000—2008), Ukebox (circa 2006) and No! Go! Tell! (2009). Generally a guitarist, Genaro has also played bass guitar (in the cases of the Town Managers and Ukebox) and organ (in the case of the Low Budgets) in these bands. He has also formed a large number of home recording-based groups, including Jiffy Squid (circa 1993), We're Not From Idaho (circa 1995), Sock (1993—1998) and The Cheesies (circa 2003—present).
After the 2004 death of Schulthise, the three surviving members of The Dead Milkmen reunited for two concerts, joined by Low Budgets bassist Dan Stevens. In 2008, the band properly reformed with Stevens as a full-time member, and began performing sporadic concerts and working on new material.[2]
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