Billy Judge Baldus' first solo album, "Signature Moves," is poppy and light, a collection of picnic party tunes with smart lyrics that adults and kids will equally dig. Baldus was inspired by wrestling anthems, heartfelt ballads, late-night infomercials, meat trucks and personal experiences.

"Over the years leading up to this album and recording it, lots of life experiences happened, some wonderful, amazing and fun," says Baldus. "And some tough and challenging."

Baldus, formerly of "rock-n-pop-punk-art" band, Uncle Larry, and his family – comprised of his wife, Anna, and their two children – spent a lot of time traveling in their 1984 Holiday Rambler RV which also contributed to the conceptualization of the album. 

"We traveled back and forth between Milwaukee and Atlanta. My mother in-law, who had Alzheimer's, lived there, and we wanted to be there to help out as much as we could," says Baldus. "During this time, we also went on a lot of mini-trips and adventures. The radio didn't work, so I'd sing songs to myself as we drove along."

Baldus also lost his brother, Steve, to lung cancer while creating the record, and his father-in-law, George, also passed away. 

These experiences bring an emotional fullness to the joyful – sometimes stright-up silly – recording. The lightness, he says, comes from his family.

OnMilwaukee: How long did you work on this record?

Billy Judge Baldus: I chipped away on this project for over six years. It was like a marble sculpture: little bits here and there when I had opportunities. Three studio recording sessions, multiple mixing sessions and a lot of tinkering at my home studio. 

Did you play all of the instruments on the album?

I played most of the instruments on this album. Colin O’Day played drums on three songs and Myles Eberlein played bass on one of the songs.

Where did you record it?

I went to a couple of different studios. I started with two sessions at National Recording Studio with Danny Zelonky, which is sadly now closed. Then a session and some mixing at Silver City Studio with Chuck Zink. Then I got word from Danny that he was retiring and closing the doors on National Recording Studio and moving to Nashville. He offered to finish mixing and master the album before he hit the road, and I’m glad I took him up on the offer. I’m really happy with how the mix turned out. I also did a fair amount of editing, keyboards, sound effects and vocal work at my home studio.

What/who were your inspirations?

Many songs are a look into the human condition. Some other big themes of this album are loss, dancing, love, history, science fiction, pop art and oddities.

A unifying theme on the album is nature and the natural environment. I do love outdoor activities like hiking, cross-country skiing, snorkeling, camping, animals. I think these interests are inspirations and found their way into the songs.

My wife and my kids inspire me. My kids were also amazing consultants. It was really fun sharing with them while I was working on it. They helped me pick out the best keyboard sounds and sound effects.

Is this your first project since Uncle Larry?

This actually started as the follow-up album to Uncle Larry’s "Leisure Suits & Tulips." The first session had me and Colin O’Day on drums. Myles Eberlein added bass to one of those songs remotely. But during the second session – as life gets crazy, busy and things come up – Colin couldn’t make it and had to step out from the project. Since it’s so much work to plan and book, I did an experiment and went in and played all the parts myself. It was very therapeutic. I decided to make it a solo project and recorded seven more songs where I'm playing all the instruments.

What are you working on now and/or in the future?

I’m working on a music video for Bonecrusher. Imagine a wrestling puppet show dance party.

I hope to start playing more shows with a full band soon. I already have enough songs for another album, so I'm starting to think about that. And I hope to put "Signature Moves" out on vinyl someday.

Anything else?

I really did jump over a wheelbarrow for the cover image and that photo was the first jump.

Billy Judge Baldus will perform Saturday, May 31 at Third Space Brewery during Tamarack Waldorf School's benefit music festival. Follow Baldus on Instagram here and visit his website here.