Waco Brothers

Today, January 20th, in 1978, the Mekons released their first single "Never Been In A Riot"  on the indie Fast Records.

That first incarnation of the The Mekons consisted of Kevin Lycette and Tom Greenhalgh on guitar, Jon Langford on drums, Mary on bass and Mark White and Andrew Corrigan sharing vocals.

It was described in NME as "making the Sex Pistols look like Paper Lace.'"

So, in honor of this day in music history, we're offering up ANY Waco Brothers or Jon Langford CD on a buy one get one free basis.  Order any of these fine albums, and then write in the comments section of the order form which freebie you'd like!

Act fast, this is for today only (I'll take down the offer whenever I wake up tomorrow morning, so as to give all you folks in UK and Australia who are already asleep a chance to act on this.)

And keep in mind, this is for CDS ONLY (no books, or LPs)

We're sad to report that the last remaining member of the legendary Chicago country band The Sundowners, Don Walls, passed away yesterday. The Sundowners were good friends of Bloodshot and an inspiration to younger bands, like the Waco Brothers. In this essay, Waco Jon Langford explains what The Sundowners meant to him. In 2004, we released a compilation of The Sundowners' catalog (only a small portion of the 15,000 songs they learned to play), which is still available on CD and digitally.

As you may or may not, Wacos/Dollar Store guitarist Deano is the hip purveyor of wines in Wicker Park at the Cellar Rat.

He took some time from his busy schedule foisting merriment upon the masses to talk to the Onion AV Club about good cheap wines for the holidays, over priced champagne and tries to cement the term "breakfast wine" as a legitimate category.

Read it HERE

Set your TiVos or VCRs or whatever it is you use to record programming on the TV so's you can catch the WACO BROTHERS on WGN at 12:55pm Central time.

Those of you in Chicago can see it on Channel 9, and the rest of you can find the mighty WGN on cable.  It's a superstation, they tell me.

Also, there's the annual Waco holiday two-fer at Schubas this weekend, Saturday and Sunday.

A few months ago, we told you about a theater production being mounted based on Jon's album All the Fame of Lofty Deeds.

Well, we are now here to tell you that it is finally ready to go, the boards to be trod, and tickets to go on sale tomorrow!

The skinny:

All the Fame of Lofty Deeds at The Chopin Theatre

November 12, 2009 - December 20, 2009

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm.  Sundays at 7pm

"Written by rock journalist Mark Guarino and featuring the music and artwork of Bloodshot Records recording artist Jon Langford, this phantasmic journey into the mind of a fictional country music legend is what an episode of Howdy Doody might look like if it were directed by David Lynch. Sadly reflective and yet hilariously surreal, the show mixes rock biography, live music and stunning visual effects to tell a tripped out tale of the demise of America's last living cowboy. TICKETS ON SALE OCTOBER 29!"

Go to the theatre's website here for more details!

Look out CATS!  Stand aside Mamma Mia!  Here comes Langford......

We are pleased to announce that the final dates and artist line-up for the long-awaited Kevin Coyne tribute concerts in Belgium can now be confirmed.

All the dates are scheduled for this December at the following venues:

Fri. Dec. 11th - Muze en Meisse, Brussels
Sat. Dec. 12th - N9, Eeklo
Mon. Dec. 14th - Fagot, Ingelmunster
Thu. Dec. 17th - GC de Steenhoven, Herzele
Fri. Dec. 18th - Centrale, Ghent
Sat. Dec. 19th - Stadsschouwburg, Brugge

The performers who are coming together to pay tribute to Kevin share a long history with him, as musical collaborators, friends and family -- and all of them as fans.

Forming the nucleus of the band for the six dates will be: Jon Langford (guitar), Wreckless Eric (bass), Amy Rigby (guitar and keyboards), Werner Steinhauser (drums) and Robert Coyne (guitar).

Frans Joseph Goof will also be appearing at all the shows and Brendan Croker at all except the gig in Eeklo on the 12th.

Eugene Coyne will join the band for the final three shows in Herzele, Ghent and Brugge, with Patrick Riguelle also appearing at the final Brugge date and Erik Van Den Broeck playing at selected dates throughout the tour.

The setlist of songs will be drawn from every period of Kevin Coyne's long career, with each participant singing their own particular favourites prompted by their personal memories of Kevin.

We hope that you'll be able to join us to remember and celebrate the life, work and lasting influence of this great artist.

For further details on venues and reservation please go to the website

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Deano Recommends, where ask Dean Schlabowske of the Waco Brothers and Dollar Store for some wine pairings. What makes Deano the man to ask? Well, besides being a rock-and-roller, he's also the proprietor of the Cellar Rat Wine Shop in Chicago, IL.

This week, we ask Dean about the best wines to pair with the greatest part of springtime -- firing up the grill for the first time:

My feeling is that there's no point in getting to "fancypants" with wine
for BBQ. So, in cheap and cheerful mode, here are a few favorite matches -

Burgers - Juicy, spicy reds work nice. Try Shenandoah Zinfandel from Amador
County. Organically grown and only $9.99!

Ribs - If you're just using a dry rub, not a sweet sauce, dry Rose works
great. From Provence, try Figueirasee Gris de Gris for $10.99. With sauce,
a really fruity Aussie Shiraz like Raw Power is great at $14.99.

Brats - While the Milwaukee boy in me would drink beer, a nice off-dry
Riesling is a natural. I have a really tasty German bottling from Kloster
for only $9.99.

Shrimp - Something with a bit of weight but not oak works best. A fantastic
Pinot Gris from Emerson Vineyards in Oregon at $16.99 would be a winner.

Salmon - Bright, clean citrusy white Bordeaux works great. Pick the Chateau
Haut Rian, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, at a mere $12.99.

Happy Grillin' and Swillin',
Deano

Thanks, Dean!

You can download the new Deano / The Meat Purveyors album for free at deanowaco.com!

From Deano:

Hi Friends!

I've just put the finishing touches on an album I've been working on with my smart ass friends The Meat Purveyors from Austin, Texas. Imagine a marriage of their bluegrass on steroids, my songs and primitive, crunchy guitar and you'll get the picture. But, alas...you don't have to just imagine because I'm giving it away FREE, absolutely no strings attached! Just go to www.deanowaco.com and it's all there for you to preview and download to your heart's content.

Please do me a favor or two while you're at the site...sign up for my email list so I can send you info about more free tracks, shows, etc. And, if you're so inclined, throw a few bucks (or more if you're feeling flush) in the tip jar using Paypal. Think of it like I'm your bartender and I've just given you a round on the house!

One more thing...I'd love it if this could turn into a chain email, so please FORWARD this info to anyone and everyone you think might like the tunes!

Cheers!

Dean

The Hideout's Inaugural ball last night at the Black Cat in Washington, DC was a rousing success! The Waco Brothers were joined by Ted Leo for a couple of tunes, and Jon and Sally treated the audience to many Mekons songs.

Waco Brothers appeared on the fabulous World Cafe syndicated radio show for a live set.

Go here for a listen of the Bruthas kicking out 5 songs in the studio.