After a mid-career hiatus from 1995-2004/2008, Philadelphia’s finest The Dead Milkmen have been slowly chugging along for close to two decades. Their new LP, Quaker City Quiet Pills, will be their third studio album since their reformation, and is due out this coming Friday 09 Jun 2023. I got the chance to hold court with guitarist/co-vocalist Joe Genaro for a round of Roll of the Dice. We rolled a NINE.
Hey Joe, do you remember me? You may not recall, but my first “real” venue show was The Dead Milkmen at The Metro in Chicago back in 1990(ish? It may have been before, but not later). I was there with Glenn Porter (founding member Alkaline Trio), and the band all signed our shirts after the gig, and you actually were kind enough later on to send me postcards from the road and put me on the guest for years on end afterward. So, this isn’t really a question, but I’d like to take this moment to say thanks. That was a formative experience and kinda set the mood for how I interact with our great music scene.
My memory is vague, but yes in general.
Quaker City Quiet Pills is due out soon. Congratulations! The band reformed for good in 2008, with Dan taking on bass duties for the late, great Dave Blood, but you’ve been leaning in more on singles and EPs since then. This is just the third LP in fifteen years (for our readers’ info, DM released eight LPs between 1985 and 1995). May I ask why the change in frequency for your output?
Well, back in the day we relied on the band to make our living and we had a recording contract for four albums with Fever Records and we had to meet contractual deadlines. When we reformed after the Fun Fun Fun Fest in 2008 we did so with the intent that the band would be more like a fun side thing in our already busy separate lives. We have other jobs and things going on in our individual lives now. We did not sign any contracts promising albums by particular dates. We can work at our own pace.
The new album is to be released via The Giving Groove, which has a unique profit-sharing system benefitting a band’s chosen charity. Can you tell us a bit about that, which charity the band chose, and why?
The Giving Groove contacted us through Dan in the mid teens with the proposal to do a release together. We had a meeting and liked their charitable giving structure, so we made the EP, Welcome to the End of the World. We chose Rock to the Future as the beneficiary for the current album because they are local to Philadelphia and they help children who want to play music to learn an instrument and perform together. It’s like an after school program for school kids in Philly who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford music lessons or instruments.
What exactly is a Quaker City Quiet Pill?
Well, if I told you it would spoil the fun. The title is based on the Lake City Quiet Pills Mystery discussion on Reddit. You can search that online or read about it here: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-lake-city-quiet-pills-mystery
To my ear QCQP is, sonically, a bit of a throwback to some of your earlier albums, as opposed to the heady days of the late-80s/early-90s when your albums enjoyed slicker production. There’s a loose jankiness to the production and performance that few bands can confidently put to tape and still make work. Was this an intentional decision, or simply a product of your recording environment?
There was some intention to that in the form of the songwriting, and perhaps in the manner of recording and who knows what else. We didn’t have a producer for this album other than ourselves. The same goes for the Welcome to the End of the World EP.
If there’s one thing that The Dead Milkmen are known for (outside of “Punk Rock Girl”), it is your narrative songs. The classics like “Bitchin’ Camaro” and “Stuart,” or the highly under-rated “I Dream of Jesus.” Now the new album gives us “How Do You Even Manage to Exist” which, I’m not going to lie, had me laughing so hard that I did an actual spit-take at one point (the “Fair Trade” line). Are these songs and stories collaborative efforts, or are they primarily driven by one person? Why are they so damn funny?
Yes, they are primarily if not totally driven by Rodney. He was the sole lyricist for these songs.
In what seems to have become an annual event (minus the Pandemic Shutdown Years), you’ve got another gig at the Laurel Hill Cemetery coming up on 07 Jul 2023. What’s it like performing in the final resting place for so many, and do you have any more gig or touring plans in support of the new album?
It is both humbling and joyous. It’s not really an annual event, though. I don’t think we ever played there two years in a row. It’s a nice reminder that we will all wind up dead at some point, as well as a nice way to celebrate life. Plus some of the proceeds go to the Friends of Laurel Hill which help maintain the beautiful cemetery and educate the public about its history and that of its permanent residents.
Regular TGEFM question here: are there any bands that our readers may not be listening to, but should be checking out?
Yes. The Ire (from Philly), Cyanotic (from Chicago), The Mega Yeah (from Lehigh Valley PA)
Looping back to question #6, TGEFM contributor Dan “RizChex” wanted me ask you what the current condition of the Camaro is?
I think that’s more a question for General Motors. It looks like 2024 is the final year for this bitchin’ iteration.
Quaker City Quiet Pills is available for preorder at The Giving Groove web shop, and will also be available via digital and streaming services on release day.
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
the white drew carey (aka – Jeff Sorley) is the founder and head editor of TGEFM. He’s lived (outside of) Chicago, Madison WI, (ugh) Penn State, Lyon FR, Oxford UK, central New Jersey, and now within earshot of SFO in the Bay Area. When not scouring the web for more great bands and labels to post about, he also spends time drawing (mostly) silly sci-fi and anime stuff under the name Asplenia Studios.
