The Waco Brothers
The Waco Brothers | |
|---|---|
 At the Metro, Chicago 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | Alt country |
| Years active | 1994-present |
| Labels | Bloodshot Records |
The Waco Brothers are an American alternative country band based in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
History
The Waco Brothers was formed by Jon Langford of the Mekons. The group grew out of Langford's wish to play more country-influenced music as the Mekons concentrated more on a punk sound. They were originally put together simply for local Chicago shows, but the success of their Bloodshot Records albums allowed them to tour the US occasionally. Many of the members also participate in Langford's Pine Valley Cosmonauts project.
The band recorded the first of its eight studio albums in 1995. Their album, Waco Express: Live & Kickin' at Schuba's Tavern is a concert recording which Ken Tucker, the pop music critic for NPR's Fresh Air and Editor-at-Large at Entertainment Weekly, described as "country as it should be written and played, with a long memory for roadhouse honky-tonks rather than TV-ready music videos."[1] Author and music critic Sarah Vowell told the Chicagoist, "I’ve never been able to find a live band in New York as consistently thrilling and funny and fun as the Waco Brothers."[2]
In 2012, the Waco Brothers collaborated with Nashville mainstay Paul Burch to produce Great Chicago Fire. The Chicago Tribune said of the album, "If the Rolling Stones were still making great records, this would be it."[3][4]
Members
- Jon Langford (Mekons, The Three Johns, Skull Orchard, Bad Luck Jonathan, Four Lost Souls) - vocals, guitar
- Joe Camarillo (1/24/21 R.I.P.) (Number Nine, Gear, Skull Orchard, Bad Luck Jonathan, Hushdrops,[5] NRBQ)[6] - drums
- Alan Doughty (Jesus Jones, Skull Orchard, Bad Luck Jonathan) - bass
- Dean Schlabowske (Deano and the Purvs,[7] Dollar Store,[8] Wreck, Ice Cold Singles, TV White, Ramblin' Deano)[9] - vocals, guitar
- Tracey Dear (The Peterbilts, Dear Productions)[10] - vocals, mandolin
Former members
- Tom Ray (Bottle Rockets, Devil in a Woodpile, Neko Case) - bass
- Steve Goulding (Mekons, Pine Valley Cosmonauts, Graham Parker & the Rumour) - drums
- Mark Durante (Revolting Cocks, KMFDM) - steel guitar
Discography
- To the Last Dead Cowboy (Bloodshot Records, 1995)
- Cowboy in Flames (Bloodshot Records, 1997)[11]
- Do You Think About Me? (Bloodshot Records, 1997)
- Wacoworld (Bloodshot Records, 1999)
- Electric Waco Chair (Bloodshot Records, 2000)
- New Deal (Bloodshot Records, 2002)
- Nine Slices of My Midlife Crisis (Buried Treasure Records, 2004)
- Freedom and Weep (Bloodshot Records, 2005)
- Waco Express The Waco Brothers Live and Kickin' at Schuba's Tavern (Bloodshot Records, 2008)
- Great Chicago Fire [with Paul Burch] (Bloodshot Records, 2012)
- Cabaret Showtime [compilation] (Bloodshot Records, 2015)
- Going Down in History (Bloodshot Records, 2016)
- RESIST! (2020)
Compilation contributions
- 2000: "Baba O'Riley" (by Pete Townshend) - Down to the Promised Land: 5 Years of Bloodshot Records
- 2000: "See Willy Fly By" - Down to the Promised Land: 5 Years of Bloodshot Records - as Graham Parker w/ the Waco Brothers
- 2002: "The Harder They Come" (by Jimmy Cliff) Making Singles, Drinking Doubles (Bloodshot Records)
- 2005: "I Fought the Law" (by Sonny Curtis)- For A Decade of Sin: 11 Years of Bloodshot Records
References
- ^ "Waco Brothers, 'Live and Kicking' in Chicago". Npr.org. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
- ^ "Interview: Sarah Vowell". Archived from the original on 8 June 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Margasak, Peter (23 April 2012). "Artist on Artist: Paul Burch talks to Jon Langford of the Waco Brothers". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ Jones, Rob (2011-02-21). "Interview with Hushdrops, Who Play 'Divine' – The Delete Bin". Thedeletebin.com. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- ^ "M Music & Musicians Magazine » NRBQ". Mmusicmag.com. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- ^ "Deano Waco - home". Archived from the original on 2010-05-24. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- ^ H.L. Mencken. "Dollar Store". Bloodshotrecords.com. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- ^ "Ramblin' Deano". Deanschlabowskemusic.com. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- ^ "ABOUT". Dearproductions.com. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- ^ Paul Verna (25 January 1997). Reviews & Previews. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 59. ISSN 0006-2510.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help)
External links
- The Waco Brothers at Bloodshot Records
- The Waco Brothers at AllMusic
- Waco Brothers collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
