Biography

Fronted by Dean "Deano" Schlabowske, The Sundance Kid to Jon Langford's Butch Cassidy in the Waco Brothers, the genesis of Dollar Store can be found in those misty, distant days of an early-to-mid 90's beset by the likes of Urkel and Stone Temple Pilots. Deano was fronting the Steve Albini-produced Wreck, who were sharing the stage with the Jesus Lizard, Tar, Naked Raygun and other like-minded aggros in the vaunted Chicago noise guitar scene, and working at the legendary Wax Trax label by day. A long time affection for art-punk rabble rousers The Mekons led Deano to approach Jon Langford to produce the final Wreck record (Wreckord?). The two hit it off and giddily formed a band whose intentions consisted of playing Hank and Buck tunes through Marshalls for free beer; thus the Waco Brothers were born. In the past decade, Deano's songwriting has yielded many a Waco's classic, and provided a pointed and piercing, down and out guy counterpoint to Langford's agitprop bluster.

Live, Dollar Store can whip up the same sort of intensity as the Wacos and Wreck. Deano's guitar and lead vocals are energetically joined by Alan Doughty (Jesus Jones, Waco Brothers) on bass, Joe Camarillo (Waco Brothers) on drums, and Tex Schmidt (German rockabilly stars The Roughnecks) on guitar. This is a tight, economical rock band that, in a landscape littered with American Idols, NEEDS to be heard more often.