Joe Jack Talcum
Encyclopedia
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.
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.
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.
(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).
. In 2008, the band properly reformed with Stevens as a full-time member, and began performing sporadic concerts and working on new material.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and co-lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
for the 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...
group The Dead Milkmen. Currently residing in Philadelphia, Genaro has performed with a number of punk and indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
groups, most recently including 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....
, and is also a solo artist. He is of Italian heritage.
With the Dead Milkmen (1983—1995)
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
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 released in 1985, and their initial twelve-year career saw some college radio and 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....
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
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. The band originally disbanded in 1995, regrouping in 2008.
As a solo artist (1984—present)
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 drummerDrum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
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:...
, 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
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
-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
Mischief Brew
Mischief Brew is a band from Philadelphia which plays DIY anarcho-punk music, also incorporating a variety of styles including American folk, swing, Gypsy-punk and country. It was started by Erik Petersen as a solo project, but eventually grew into a band...
, 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
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
/banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
player. Genaro also frequently tours behind his solo material.
Other projects (1987—present)
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 BudgetsThe 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....
(2000—2008), Ukebox (circa 2006) and No! Go! Tell! (2009). Generally a guitarist, Genaro has also played bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(in the cases of the Town Managers and Ukebox) and organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
(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).
Dead Milkmen reformation (2004, 2008—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 StevensDan 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...
. In 2008, the band properly reformed with Stevens as a full-time member, and began performing sporadic concerts and working on new material.
Discography
Compact discs and vinyl
- The Town Managers — self-titled (7", Shredder Records, 1997)
- The Town Managers — We're The Ghettoest (7", Marigold Records, 1998)
- Butterfly Joe — self-titled (CD, Razler Records, 1999)
- Joe Jack Talcum — Home Recordings 1984 - 97 (CD, Valiant Death Records, 2005)
- Joe Jack Talcum — Photographs from the Shoebox (split LP/CD with Mischief BrewMischief BrewMischief Brew is a band from Philadelphia which plays DIY anarcho-punk music, also incorporating a variety of styles including American folk, swing, Gypsy-punk and country. It was started by Erik Petersen as a solo project, but eventually grew into a band...
, Fistolo Records, 2008) - Joe Jack Talcum — Live in the Studio (CD, 2009)
- Joe Jack Talcum — Acoustic Fury Records Split Series Vol. 4 (split CD with RatboyRatboyRatboy is a film released in 1986 and directed by and starring Sondra Locke. Though the film had a troubled production and was both a critical and commercial failure , it has maintained somewhat of a cult status throughout the years due to its make-up effects designed by Rick Baker.Ratboy did...
, Acoustic Fury Records, 2009)
Solo home-recorded cassette tapes
- Joe Jack Talcum — I See Weasels (1984)
- Joe Jack Talcum — Raising PG Kids (1987)
- Jasper Thread — Blackness (1989)
- Butterfly Fairweather — Halvin' My Baby (1990)
- Butterfly Joe — Smile (1993)
- Butterfly Joe — Sweet N Low (1995)
- Joe Jack Talcum — The Bland Years (1997)
- Jack Talcum Jr. — Turd of the Century (1999)
Home-released cassette tapes with groups
- Touch Me Zoo — Radio Songs (1991)
- Touch Me Zoo — self-titled (1992)
- Touch Me Zoo — Wonderwear Music (1993)
- Sock — Staring at People Staring at Trash (1993)
- Jiffy Squid — self-titled (1993)
- Touch Me Zoo — Moon Dog Will Die (1994)
- We're Not From Idaho — self-titled (1994)
- Touch Me Zoo — Lawn King (1995)
- Drink Draft / Rhino Chasers — self-titled (1996)
- Jiffy Squid — self-titled album (1996)
- Touch Me Zoo — Blow Up Your Stereo (1996)
- The Town Managers — Dummo (1996)
- Touch Me Zoo — Ultra-Rare TMZ Vol. 1 (1997)
- Touch Me Zoo — Ultra-Rare TMZ Vol. 2 (1997)
- Touch Me Zoo — Ultra-Rare TMZ Vol. 3 (1997)
- Sock — Demented Songs For Youngsters (1998)
- The Cheesies — Pull The Brie (2003)
- The Headaches — Christmas Album (2003)
- The Headaches — New Year's Eve with The Headaches (2004)
- The Headaches — Groundhogs Day (2004)
- The Headaches — Friday the 13th Album (2004)
- The Headaches — Mexican Independence Day (2004)
External links
- Genaro's official site
- Dead Milkmen official site
- Low Budgets official site
- Podcast of live radio show in Fairbanks, Alaska
- Interview with Joe Jack Talcum on KRUI's The Lit Show