The Men That God Forgot
2023 Plenty Tuff
- The Men That God Forgot
- This Town
- In The Dark 02:52
- Best That Money Can Buy
- Blowin‘ My Top
- Mud River Slide
- Go Away
- I Smile Through My Tears
- If Your Heart Isn’t In It
- Teenage Kicks
- End of the Night
- George Walked with Jesus
- Backstage at the Boneyard
- So Long General Mouton
- Nowhere to Run
about
Shaking off the plague days like a snake sheds its skin the WACO BROTHERS stumble out of the empty, burning desert with a fierce thirst and an epic new album: THE MEN THAT GOD FORGOT. It’s the first collection of original WACO tunes since 2016’s GOING DOWN IN HISTORY and comes to you via their own label Plenty Tuff Records.
The Waco Brothers got together in Chicago in the mid-90s; battle weary punk musicians who wanted nothing more than to play classic country covers for free beer in their adopted home city. Their residencies at bars like the Wrigleyville Tap and Augenblick became legendary for the sheer volume, speed and energy they brought to this task
After an early & particularly deranged appearance at SXSW Rolling Stone dubbed the Wacos “Clash meets Cash” and they unleashed a fistful of ferocious albums and endlessly entertaining live gigs that defined the Insurgent Country movement.
Every night is still Friday night for the WACO BROTHERS but these new songs lace that reckless exuberance with a more sober awareness of the tsunami of cynical corruption & materialism that infects our everyday existence. BEST THAT MONEY CAN BUY rips its verses from what’s left of honest journalism while IN THE DARK provides a requiem for functioning democracy AND boasts the best twin-lead guitar solo since Thin Lizzy. The album ends with NOWHERE TO RUN a deceptively gentle dance number (inspired by a night on the Outlaw Country Cruise where the Wacos backed up their hero Lee “Scratch” Perry) that presents the struggle for social and economic justice as neverending. GEORGE WALKS WITH JESUS is a song about George Jones walking with Jesus.
The WACO BROTHERS lost their powerhouse drummer Joe Camarillo to a stroke in January 2021 and it took some time to regroup. They’d often been joined onstage by violinist Jean Cook and drummer Dan Massey (ex-Robbie Fulks) who had deputized for Joe for years, so now the time seemed right to add them both as permanent members.
THE MEN THAT GOD FORGOT is the 10th Waco Brothers full length album & was recorded with Mike Hagler at Kingsize Soundlabs in Chicago in 2022. The cinematic brass parts were arranged and performed by longtime collaborator Max Crawford with Dave Smith. Other Waco Cousins appearing are Barkley Mckay on piano and organ, Patty Vega on jingling tambourine and Andre Michot of the Lost Bayou Ramblers on accordion.
releases March 31, 2023
2023, Plenty Tuff
Reviews
Don’t be fooled by the scruffy, seemingly offhand presentation. On The Men That God Forgot, Chicago’s fearless Waco Brothers undertake a deadly serious mission, striving to help lay the foundation for a better world. Unleashing rousing barroom rockers that flirt with chaos yet never tumble into the abyss, this noble sextet draws on a wicked sense of humor, passion for the struggle against the establishment, and boundless empathy for the underdog, creating a big ruckus guaranteed to lift the soul.
Launching in the mid-’90s, The Waco Brothers have been tagged insurgent country and country-punk; the official account of the group’s origins calls them “battle weary punk musicians who wanted nothing more than to play classic country covers.” Amidst a shifting lineup, the Wacos remain anchored by longtime members Jon Langford (a veteran of the ’70s UK punk scene as one of The Mekons) and Dean Schlabowske, who contribute bristling electric guitars, plus mandolinist Tracey Dear, all of whom sing with the desperate gusto of men escaping a burning building.
The Men That God Forgot simultaneously celebrates and mocks rock band conventions, savoring the outsized gestures while recognizing how silly they can be. “Backstage at the Boneyard” surveys “busted-up amps and publicity smiles,” confessing, “Some of us have been here way too long.” “Go Away” hilariously recalls, “Heard it when I was a baby / It rings in my ears today / The sound of Spandex and chest hair,” referring to “white men with unlimited amplification.”
If these lovable agitators don’t have easy cures for the crumbling modern world, they sure can raise the spirits. The Men That God Forgot closes with “Nowhere to Run,” an exhilarating call to action that proclaims, “The fight is never over / It’s only just begun / This struggle is never ending.” Rabble-rousing rarely sounds so good.