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.…
Read More
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…
Read More
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. They later released the Smokin’…
Read More
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),…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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. According to Genaro, the band’s…
Read More