Everyone knows Joe Jack Talcum from The Dead Milkmen. Beyond Milkmen fame, Talcum’s musical drive does not stop there and is actually a beginning of a new stage in Talcum’s career. Stemming off of the Dead Milkmen legacy, Talcum has strapped on an acoustic guitar and taken to the stage playing an array of Milkmen tunes and solo material.

Joining up with Philadelphia bands The Low Budgets and The Cheesies, he moved on to other side projects while finally making his musical focus on a solo career. With plans for more Dead Milkmen shenanigans planned for the future, it’s a perfect time to bring Joe Jack to the Melody Inn for a performance at Punk Rock Night and what a treat it is to have his return to Indianapolis. Teaming up with the Bassturds, Gay Black Republican, and our very own Danny Thompson playing Sloppy Seconds tunes.

Joe Jack took some time to answer a few questions, give us some inside to the show tonight and news of the future.

Link: http://joejacktalcum.com/

MP3: Joe Jack Talcum – “Fancy Walls” (from Live in the Studio featuring Hugh Hamilton)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:22 — 1.9MB)

Let’s start here. You just released a split with The Bassturds, who will be playing Punk Rock Night Saturday, as well. How did that collaboration come about and your thoughts on the 7 inch?

My collaboration with The Bassturds came about after I arrived early for the start of our winter 2010 tour and had the opportunity to record a song with him. He wanted to do a project together and that turned out to be a good time. Earlier this year he had the idea to put out the split using that song on my side.

While we are at it, let’s talk about the Joe Jack Talcum & The Powders split. How did you team up Samuel Locke Ward for this project and the collaboration with The Powders, which is such a great name!

Near the end of my Powders spring tour with Samuel and the Boo-Hoos, Joseph and Brian of Grotto Records saw us play and asked if we’d like to put out a split 12 inch on their label. We jumped at the chance and made plans to record it in Iowa City the following October.

You do both Dead Milkmen songs along with your solo material live. What led you to recreate these songs acoustically and how did that transcend into the solo material? I am assuming songs like “Bitchin’ Camaro” and “Punk Rock Girl” has become expectations. How do you keep these songs fresh? How do you feel about the now classic Milkmen songs and playing them now versus then?

At first I was only doing one Milkmen song per set. But audiences were shouting out for other Milkmen songs and slowly I started incorporating more. I was more or less giving the people what they wanted. Powder to the People!

It is fun for me to play them solo, acoustic, and improvise harmonica solos. It’s a new angle for the songs, for me. That’s part of what keeps it fresh, at least for me.

Even turning down the volume with the acoustic shows, I have seen some live YouTube videos and there is a comaraderia and charisma that exists between you and the fans. What do you feel contributes to that.

The magic of the Internet.

Beyond the acoustic element, you spend time in a couple louder Philly bands, The Low Budgets and The Cheesies. Does that offset the acousticly-dominated shows you play live and how did these bands come about?

The Cheesies have never played a show. We are a recording-only project, and are 2/3 of another touring band I was in called The Town Managers. The other 1/3 of the Town Managers is Chris Peelout who is the founding member of The Low Budgets. That band was his idea. He asked me to play organ for it. We have not played a show since New Year’s Eve 2008. He moved to Germany rather suddenly and still lives there.

What is it about playing acoustically that satisfies you and how did that become a dominant part of your life?

I like the total control I have over my set, the fact that I don’t have to sit down with a band and rehearse, the fact that if I screw up a song it does not always derail the song, the fact that I can improvise on the spot. I can more easily riff off the audience and react to them than in a band situation. I still enjoy performing with bands as well. The same things that I like about playing solo are also things I sometimes don’t like – there is no one else to riff off of and it can be difficult when the audience is not into it at all.

What can we see from Joe Jack Talcum in the future? What plans do you have?

Hopefully another Dead Milkmen album, more solo tours, more Milkmen shows. We are playing Athens Pop Fest in October.