The Milkmen Press Release 9/12/01 

Retro. Futuristic. Wholesome. Perverse. Unhomogenized dashing dairymen. There was nothing like Milk Crusade I, 1981-1986. Four guys, two costume changes (Space Milkman & Traditional Milkman), and one robotic bovine. The Milkmen milked while Bessie the Cow talked, sang, and gave milk onstage. KBCO songwriting contests were won. Singles like “Lolita” became underground classics. “Love Won’t Listen,” another choice kernel from the Dairyland Silo of Hits, was featured in the cinematic classic, Revenge of the Nerds, Pt. II. Drummer extraordinaire Ric the Dic Parnell was kicked out of The Milkmen and into immortality as the exploding drummer in This Is Spinal Tap. Bassist Rick Wilson was booted for conduct unbecoming a milkman and promptly wrote a #1 worldwide hit, “After The Rain” for the Nelson Brothers. He was only the fourth-best writer in the band. In retrospect, the biggest mistake founding members Lory Kohn and Steven Solomon made was not kicking themselves out of the band! 

But underneath the mythology, the elaborate dairy set, the uniforms, and the hype, pomp, and bombast was a molten milk-core of memorable songwriting. The Kohn/Solomon songwriting tandem harkens back to the Brill Building songwriting ethos. That’s because the only way to live up to their own hype was to maintain a super-strong work ethic. That work ethic, and the body of work it produced, is showcased in their forthcoming concert series “Café Au Lait: An Acoustic Evening With The Milkmen.” 

It goes without saying that after a fifteen year absence, The Men of Milk couldn’t possibly be writing better, singing better, performing better, recording better, and hyping themselves better. Or could they? Blowing off their unsupportive spouses, disconnecting from lucrative corporate careers, The Milkmen have overcome the myriad obstacles society places before middle-aged guys daring to live out their dairy dreams. Yes, friends, once again The Milkmen are coating the continent with milky effluvium, mobilizing forces in support of their latest magnum opus, the freshly-released Dairy Aire. 

It also goes without saying that the founding Milkmen couldn’t possibly capture the excitement of their meticulously-crafted studio productions—Dairy Aire was recorded at Electric Larryland in Austin with 9-time Grammy Award winner Larry seyer twisting the dials—with just two guys and two acoustic guitars. Or could they? Get your “dairy aire” down to Café Au Lait and find out as the reinvigorated Men of Milk churn out hits from the past, present and future.