Representative Albums: "Cowboy in Flames," "Do You Think About Me?," "New Deal"
Representative Songs: "The Death of Country Music," "See Willy Fly By," "Plenty Tuff Union Made"
Biography
The Waco Brothers were one of many projects spearheaded by Jon Langford, the frontman of the seminal British punk band the Mekons. An alternative country outfit based in Langford's adopted home of Chicago, the Waco Brothers's approach grew out of mid-'80s Mekons records like Fear and Whiskey and The Mekons Honky Tonkin', which explored the group's interest in roots music. After the Mekons eventually returned to a more straightforward, punk-flavored sound, the Waco Brothers emerged over a decade later as a vehicle for Langford's long-dormant country leanings. Fusing honky tonk and rockabilly with Langford's typically political lyrics, the group was for the most part comprised of fellow British expatriates, including drummer Steve Goulding (who plays with The Mekons and was a member of Graham Parker's the Rumour), bassist Alan Doughty (ex-Jesus Jones), steel guitarist Marc Durante (who worked with KMFDM), and mandolinist Tracy Dear, with guitarist Dean Schlabowske (aka Deano) serving as the group's token Yankee. While Langford originally founded the group strictly as a live act to play locally in Chicago, the Waco Brothers soon won a passionate following for their energetic and beer-soaked club gigs, and after Langford struck up a friendship with Bloodshot Records co-founder Rob Miller, the band recorded their debut album for the label, 1995's To The Last Dead Cowboy. A second album followed in 1997, Cowboy In Flames, and soon became one of the label's biggest sellers; since then, the Waco Brothers have released a steady stream of albums (2005's Freedom and Weep was the band's sixth full-length set) and toured periodically, though folks wanting to see them on stage are still best advised to visit Chicago. Several members of the Waco Brothers are frequent participants in another of Langford's many projects, the Pine Valley Cosmonauts, while Schlabowske also performs with his own group, Dollar Store. ~ Jason Ankeny and Mark Deming, All Music Guide
The Waco Brothers are an alternative country band in Chicago, Illinois, 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.
Their latest 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]
