Wreck (band)
Encyclopedia
Wreck was an indie rock
band formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
in 1988, and later based in Chicago
. After releasing three albums the band split up in the mid-1990s, with singer/guitarist Dean Schlabowske going on to join The Waco Brothers
.
and vocals
, Bart Flores on drums
, and Keith Brammer (from Die Kreuzen
and Boy Dirt Car) on bass guitar
.
The band's first release was a self-titled EP
on the Play It Again Sam
label in 1989, in association with Wax Trax!, with Steve Albini
producing. The Milwaukee Journal
s Thor Christensen described the EP: "Guitars sound like drums, drums sound like machine guns, and vocalist Schlabowske sounds like he's just swallowed napalm". Debut album Soul Train followed in 1990, also produced by Albini, and described by Allmusic as "abstract, difficult songs...the work of a band that had no desire to compromise its creative vision". The band released second album House of Boris in 1991, by which time Kurt Moore (The Won't, Primasonic) had joined on bass guitar.
The band recorded a second album for Wax Trax! (Your Monkey's on Fire), but it remained unreleased apart from advance cassette copies. The band re-recorded it as El Mundo De Los Niños, with production from Jon Langford
of The Mekons, who Schlabowske joined in The Waco Brothers
.
Schlabowske later formed Dollar Store.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
in 1988, and later based in Chicago
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...
. After releasing three albums the band split up in the mid-1990s, with singer/guitarist Dean Schlabowske going on to join The Waco Brothers
The Waco Brothers
The Waco Brothers are an alternative country band in Chicago, Illinois, formed by Jon Langford of the Mekons. The group grew out of Langford's wish to play more country-influenced music as the Mekons concentrated more on a punk sound. They were originally put together simply for local Chicago...
.
History
The band was formed in Milwaukee in 1988, and comprised Dean Schlabowske (later of the Waco Brothers) on electric guitarElectric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, Bart Flores 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 ....
, and Keith Brammer (from Die Kreuzen
Die Kreuzen
Die Kreuzen was a rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin which was formed in 1981. The name is broken German for "the crosses", and was picked up by the band from a German Bible...
and Boy Dirt Car) on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
.
The band's first release was a self-titled EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
on the Play It Again Sam
PIAS Recordings
[PIAS] Recordings is the recorded music division of the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, a European independent artist and label services company.The record labels that operate under the [PIAS] Recordings umbrella are: Play It Again Sam, Wall of Sound and Different Recordings.Aside from the three London...
label in 1989, in association with Wax Trax!, 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...
producing. The Milwaukee Journal
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is the primary newspaper in Milwaukee, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is distributed widely throughout the state...
s Thor Christensen described the EP: "Guitars sound like drums, drums sound like machine guns, and vocalist Schlabowske sounds like he's just swallowed napalm". Debut album Soul Train followed in 1990, also produced by Albini, and described by Allmusic as "abstract, difficult songs...the work of a band that had no desire to compromise its creative vision". The band released second album House of Boris in 1991, by which time Kurt Moore (The Won't, Primasonic) had joined on bass guitar.
The band recorded a second album for Wax Trax! (Your Monkey's on Fire), but it remained unreleased apart from advance cassette copies. The band re-recorded it as El Mundo De Los Niños, with production from Jon Langford
Jon Langford
Jon Langford born October 11, 1957, Newport, Monmouthshire is a Welsh-born musician and artist who is presently based in Chicago. He is the younger brother of science-fiction author and critic David Langford...
of The Mekons, who Schlabowske joined in The Waco Brothers
The Waco Brothers
The Waco Brothers are an alternative country band in Chicago, Illinois, formed by Jon Langford of the Mekons. The group grew out of Langford's wish to play more country-influenced music as the Mekons concentrated more on a punk sound. They were originally put together simply for local Chicago...
.
Schlabowske later formed Dollar Store.
Albums
- Soul Train LPGramophone recordA gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
(1990), PIASPIAS Recordings[PIAS] Recordings is the recorded music division of the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, a European independent artist and label services company.The record labels that operate under the [PIAS] Recordings umbrella are: Play It Again Sam, Wall of Sound and Different Recordings.Aside from the three London... - House of Boris (1991), Wax Trax!
- El Mundo De Los Niños CD (1994), C/ZC/Z RecordsC/Z Records is a Seattle-based record label that was established in early 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale with the release of the now-legendary, Deep Six LP, which collected the earliest recordings of the real pro-genitors of what later came to be known as grunge...