Photo credit: Lucian McAfee
Dean Schlabowske
One of Dean Schlabowske’s last performances before the pandemic put a brake on events was the Outlaw Country Cruise, a vacation that included a who’s who of alternative country music artists. Schlabowske performed solo (as Ramblin’ Deano), with his band The Waco Brothers and backed reggae legend Lee “Scratch” Perry.
“If you had told me at 24 that at 54, I’d be strumming an acoustic guitar on a cruise ship, I’d have told you to f*%! off!” he said after the experience.
When the lockdown hit, Schlabowske doubled down and educated himself on audio streaming technology and offered a series of daily “Coffee and a Song” performances. He also performed a six-date virtual livestream “tour” of concerts to benefit employees of venues in cities around the United States and Canada.
Schlabowske said The Waco Brothers are playing a “Drive In” gig sponsored by Fitzgerald’s on Friday, July 3.
“The location is still secret—but no one’s allowed to go beyond the roof or hood of their car! We’ll be performing from five separate pick up beds!”
How has the lockdown affected your creativity?
“My last day at work was March 19. SXSW, always a highlight of my year had been cancelled, along with gigs, both solo and with The Waco Brothers. What to do? Not sure how or why, but the lockdown sent me into hyperdrive.”
His first “Brunchstream” was in late March. Prior to that his only experience with livesteams was one that the Waco Brothers had done 10 days earlier
Do you have a routine or schedule for staying in practice or working on new material?
“I have created and sold tons of merch. I have made unreleased material available. Jon [Langford of The Wacos and the Mekons] and I collaborated on a quarantine-themed single. I’ve written a slew of new songs. I played a virtual ‘tour’ of six nights in a row to benefit six live music venues affected by the pandemic, which was exhausting but very rewarding.
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“Perhaps most importantly, I started ‘Coffee and a Song,’ my 20-minute morning show, which is live streamed from my FB page every Monday through Friday at 9 a.m. For the first month or so, it was seven days per week!
“The isolation has been somewhat eye opening for me. It forced me to acquire a ton of new skills. It made me aware that, if I want to work really, really hard, I can make a meager living solely from music. It made me realize how great Waco Brothers’ fans are and introduced me to a whole lot of new fans. I’m becoming a better musician because I’m playing constantly.”
Are you making plans for when you can resume playing in front of people again?
“Of course, I miss the clubs, and miss my band mates (who all live in Chicago). But I have made no plans to return to live shows other than a couple that are specifically set up as outdoors with ample spacing.
“As we look at what will most likely be a second wave in the Fall, I can’t see being a part of anything that would encourage crowds gathering in any manner where safety is questionable. I’m not judging others, but I couldn’t bear to think that someone could die just because we all can’t wait to have our fun.”
To read more stories of musicians beating COVID, click here.
To read more stories by Blaine Schultz, click here.
