Duenow
Encyclopedia
Duenow is a Chicago
based folk
/punk
/rap
band.
The band consists of Zach Duenow on guitar
and the harmonica
, and Dorothea "Dot" Duenow on drums
. Zach and Dot are married, and have been performing together since November 2004. Prior to their marriage, Zach performed solo.
Duenow's first album
"If You Could Only See What They Are Doing To You" was released independently in the latter half of 2003, using session musicians and recording with Steve Albini
at his studio Electrical Audio
, Danny Schaffer at 4040 studios, dave hutten at Red Squared Studios, and at the home studio of Daniel Pritzker
a founding member of local resident and philanthropist Sonia Dada
.
They now make noise in their garage after their two children go to sleep. There are no plans to return to making music publicly.
movement or genre, they did promote it. Looking back at their website and photos from live performances, their vaudevillian
style is apparent. Listening to their album, The Draft LP, true steampunk/post-apocalyptic themes can be felt from the opening track.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
based folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
/punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/rap
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
band.
The band consists of Zach Duenow on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and the harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, and Dorothea "Dot" Duenow on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. Zach and Dot are married, and have been performing together since November 2004. Prior to their marriage, Zach performed solo.
Duenow's first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
"If You Could Only See What They Are Doing To You" was released independently in the latter half of 2003, using session musicians and recording with Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
at his studio Electrical Audio
Electrical Audio
Electrical Audio is a recording facility founded in Chicago, Illinois by musician and recording engineer Steve Albini in 1997. Hundreds of independent music projects have been recorded there....
, Danny Schaffer at 4040 studios, dave hutten at Red Squared Studios, and at the home studio of Daniel Pritzker
Daniel Pritzker
Daniel Pritzker, grandson of A. N. Pritzker and son of Jay Pritzker, is a professional musician living in Kentfield, California. Daniel is a 1981 graduate of Tufts University and earned a Juris Doctor from Northwestern University Law School in 1986....
a founding member of local resident and philanthropist Sonia Dada
Sonia Dada
Sonia Dada is a Chicago-based rock/soul/rhythm and blues band, which tours with anywhere from six to eight members. The band formed in 1990, when founding member Daniel Pritzker heard three future members singing in a subway station...
.
They now make noise in their garage after their two children go to sleep. There are no plans to return to making music publicly.
Influence on Popular Culture
While Duenow did not invent the steampunkSteampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
movement or genre, they did promote it. Looking back at their website and photos from live performances, their vaudevillian
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
style is apparent. Listening to their album, The Draft LP, true steampunk/post-apocalyptic themes can be felt from the opening track.