Waco Brothers (Dean Schlabowske, Joe Camarillo, Jon Langford, Tracey Dear and Alan Doughty) return with their first full-length album of original material in 10 years. Going Down in History drops on February 26th, but you can stream the first single now!
Tag Archives: Alt.Country
Butchers Blind: Destination Blues
The disillusions of age in twangy alt.country time
Long Island-based Butchers Blind has developed an impressive catalog of original country-rock over the past five years. Over that time, the band’s playing, arrangements and recordings have tightened up, and vocalist Pete Mancini’s songwriting has deepened. His latest collection meditates in large part on the disillusioning realizations that come with age, including disaffection from work, the banality of static relationships, the recognition of one’s own selfishness, and perhaps worst of all, the inability to sustain the passions of youth. You can hear the hoarse, reedy tone of Jeff Tweedy in Mancini’s voice, but there’s a thread of lament that provides the album’s dominant mood. Fans of Wilco, Son Volt and the Jayhawks will quickly cotton to Butchers Blind, and they’ll be pleased to find the band’s music stands on the shoulders of alt.country giants rather than follows blindly in their footsteps. [©2014 Hyperbolium] 
Jonny Two Bags: Salvation Town
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A compelling country-rock voice emerges from a punk-rock guitarist
Despite a resume that includes Youth Brigade, U.S. Bombs, Cadillac Tramps and Social Distortion, guitarist Johnny Two Bags (nee Wickersham) turns out to have a few country bones to pick. His solo debut is full of twanging guitar rather than power chords, forlorn realizations instead of reactionary anger, and it’s all played in tempos that linger rather than thrash. The mood replaces his customary O.C. punk with a vibe that’s Los Angeles country rock, magnified by guest appearances from Jackson Browne, David Lindley and David Hidalgo, and a wonderfully versatile rhythm section anchored by Pete Thomas and Zander Schloss.
Two Bags’ vocal suggests Browne’s on “Forlorn Walls,” and Browne joins him to sing “Then You Stand Alone,” but it’s Lindley’s guitar that evokes the strongest memory. Greg Leisz provides his customarily fine pedal steel, and Joel Guzman’s accordion adds border accents. Two Bags’ voice is surprisingly sweet, but he sings of a life that’s not always been smooth. His songs are populated with loneliness, regret and, unlike a lot of Americana, physical danger. The productions are lived in but not overly polished, providing a feel of performance rather than studio craft. Producer David Kalish was spot-on in pushing Two Bags to write and record a solo project, and together they’ve realized a complete and completely unanticipated musical vision. [©2014 Hyperbolium]
Debonzo Brothers: Break My Heart Tonight
This up-and-coming Raleigh, NC alt.country band has put together a compelling B&W video for the lead track, “Break My Heart Tonight,” from their first full-length release, One Damn Heart.