Deano & Jo

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. Their self-titled debut album 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.