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Deano & Jo

by Deano & Jo

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One More Day 02:41
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Murline 02:00
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My Evil Twin 02:29
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about

Out of the swamps of Lafayette, Louisiana, comes “Deano & Jo,” a musical and marital partnership, playing their slightly skewed take on classic honky-tonk and bluegrass sounds.

“Deano” is Dean Schlabowske of Chicago’s notorious Waco Brothers. “Jo” is Jo Walston of Austin’s Meat Purveyors. The self-titled debut album, “Deano & Jo,” is a mix of Dean’s original songs and classic but lesser-known covers from bluegrass and honky-tonk greats. Dean’s original songs touch on themes of blue collar struggle (“Never Going Back”) and personal demons (“My Evil Twin”), along with veiled political commentary (“A Promise Unfulfilled”) and character sketches (“Murline”).

The cover versions sprinkled in deal with the most vital vein of country subjects: lost love, cheating, drinking, and death. The album is old school enough to appeal to traditionalists, but with enough edge to put a foot in the Alt-Country/Americana world. The songs range from sprightly and lighthearted to genuinely moving, while avoiding saccharine, singer-songwriter territory.

“Deano & Jo” was engineered at Staffland Studios by Chris Stafford, a real Swiss Army knife of a man whose skills are always in hot demand in the amazing community of legendary Cajun and Creole musicians of Acadiana where he’s based. In addition to being a recording engineer, Chris (a multi-instrumentalist) has his own band, “Feufollet” and plays the pedal steel guitar with Cedic Watson, one of the most highly regarded Creole performers in Louisiana. Another Lafayette musician making an appearance on lead guitar, is Chas Justus, of the Grammy nominated Cajun/Creole/Swamp Pop band The Revelers.

From the Austin music world, Jo enlisted Mark Rubin of the Bad Livers on upright bass. For Jo, this was quite a “get,” as The Bad Livers were an enormous influence on her first band, Joan of Arkansas, and later The Meat Purveyors. Also from Austin (via Alaska) is dynamite fiddler Beth Chrisman, a veteran of honky-tonk legend James Hand’s band and The Carper Family, and one of the most in-demand musicians on the Austin scene. Joining the band for some flat-picking is Robbie Fulks, who should need no introduction, as the amazing songwriter and player that sprang out of the same Chicago scene as the Waco Brothers in the 90s. Schlabowske and Walston are both veterans of the Alt-Country scene that grew up in the 90s.

Dean is a founding member, and one of two main songwriters (along with Jon Langford) in the Waco Brothers. The band's “Cash meets Clash” sound has become an Alt-Country touchstone over the course of 25+ years and 12 albums. Jo was the lead singer for Austin’s legendary Meat Purveyors. Her Texas born and bred vocal style and on stage intensity were the perfect vessel for that band’s punkgrass tales of redneck debauchery and woe.

Both bands recorded for Chicago’s Bloodshot Records, and shared many stages across the US and beyond, with members often guesting in each other’s sets. Notable were the legendary annual SXSW parties at Yard Dog Gallery in Austin. Bonding over both groups’ inclination towards off-color humor and high proof spirits, Dean became fast friends with the Meat Purveyors. When he decided to record some solo material, it seemed only logical to head from Chicago to Austin to record with his favorite band! Under the names “Deano and the Purvs” and “Ramblin’ Deano and Ice Cold Singles,” the band recorded and self-released several albums over the course of a decade or so. But with Dean living in Chicago and Jo and her bandmates living in Austin, it was difficult to perform live very often.

A musical couple before becoming a romantic one, Dean & Jo both had to work through a series of ill-advised marriages and bad life decisions before finally getting together. They moved around a bit, with Dean initially moving to Austin for three years, followed by a stint in Dean’s hometown of Milwaukee, before finally settling in Lafayette in 2022. Drawn by the incredible music and food culture, plus the very low overhead, it didn’t take long before the couple befriended the local talent and launched the “Deano & Jo” project.

The couple share a deep passion for the classic honky-tonk sounds of the 50s and 60s, especially George Jones, Ray Price, Loretta Lynn, and Buck Owens. Bluegrass giants such as the Stanley Brothers, Hazel Dickens, and Jimmy Martin also inform the sound. Of course, having cut their teeth among the weirdos and punks of Austin and Chicago, there is always a sonic element, energy level, and irreverence to the material that distinguishes them from mere oldtime fetishists.

Deano & Jo hope to be out on the road as much as their dogs Biscuit and Cleoma will allow, with shows already booked in May, June, and July.

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released June 30, 2023

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Deano & Jo Lafayette, Louisiana

Deano & Jo play their take on classic Honky Tonk and Bluegrass sounds, mixing originals with deep cut covers.

Deano is a co-founder of Chicago's Waco Brothers. Jo is the singer in Austin's The Meat Purveyors. Both bands recorded extensively for Bloodshot Records.
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