Biography
Butterfly Joe functions simultaneously as an individual—namely Joe Genaro, the ex-leader of the Dead Milkmen—and as the ensemble he assembled from standout figures in Philadelphia’s independent music community. Following the Dead Milkmen’s 1995 dissolution, Genaro recruited drummer Dean Sabatino, his one-time bandmate, along with Andy Bresnan, a multi-instrumentalist from the Big Mess Cabaret Orchestra who had previously played in Baby Flamehead, and bassist Joe Quigley, whose résumé also includes road work with Lisa Loeb. Marimba specialist Randy Rudolph joined for several early performances yet soon departed, weary of carrying his instruments up countless staircases in exchange for negligible compensation. Songs performed onstage drew primarily from a run of homemade cassette releases Genaro had recorded between 1984 and 1995, among them I See Weasels, Halvin’ My Baby, and The Bland Years. Razler Records issued the group’s debut self-titled album in May 1999; by the start of 2000, WEA had acquired distribution rights.