"Got Your Back" by Lincoln Arcade Singers (2025)
Eric Blowtorch, Dean Schlabowske and Jim Warchol crossed paths decades ago in bands The Laytons and Modern Values. The venue Lincoln Arcade was an important chapter for the musicians who would later go on to play in The Blowtorch, Waco Brothers and Dryhouse Ruins, among many others.
The titanic trio has reunited decades later for a collaboration: “The revenge of the Milwaukee rock ’n’ roll underground against the forces of misery.” Abetted by drummer Stas Gunkel and organist Dan Schneck, you get a pair of tunes scheming with messages of solidarity and resistance. The 7” vinyl record opener “Got Your Back,” careens along with high energy while “Can’t Break Us” downshifts to a groove, setting its sight on arm-in-arm-in-arm resistance. The streaming version adds a nifty extended mix of the B-side. The tunes don’t sound like a project assembled in parts; this sounds like band of sagacious not-so-youngsters, still punching above their weight.
