The Waco Brothers are an American alternative country, or country-punk rock, band based in Chicago, Illinois, United States.

History

The Waco Brothers was formed by Jon Langford of the Mekons and Dean Schlabowske of Wreck (band). 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. Some of the members also participated in Langford's Pine Valley Cosmonauts project. The band recorded the first of its 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." 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." Until the COVID-19 epidemic, the Waco Brothers made a point of performing every year in Austin, Texas, during the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival. In 2020, their annual December performance at Schubas Tavern in Chicago had to be livestreamed without the usual live audience. 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."

Members

For their first albums, the Waco Brothers included Dean Schlabowske (guitar/vocal), Tracey Dear (mandolin/vocal), Alan Doughty (bass/vocal), Mark Durante (pedal steel guitar), and Mekons drummer Steve Goulding). Joe Camarillo (drums) often filled in for Goulding, who had moved to New York City. By 2015, Camarillo had fully replaced Goulding, and Durante had left. Camarillo died of complications of congenital cardiac disease in January, 2021, after surviving COVID-19.<ref name=JCamarillo-death_CReader> <ref name=JCamarillo-death_CTribune> <ref name=JCamarillo-memorialJoeShow_CReader> Dan Massey, who had previously substituted on drums whenever Camarillo had been unavailable, became the Waco Brothers permanent new drummer, starting with the band's 2021 concerts. Jean Cook, who had played violin intermittently with the band for years, officially joined the band in 2020. AS of 2024 and since approximately 2017, John Szymanski has been a regular substitute Waco Brother on guitar or bass, plus vocals, whenever one of the regular members was unavailable for a particular performance; Szymanski has been a regular member of several of Jon Langford's other musical projects.

Current members

Former members

Discography

Compilation contributions