Wednesday, May 29, 6 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Touring in support of the June 14 release of their latest album Broken Hearted Blue, the lauded Americana and outlaw-country ensemble Jenny Don't & the Spurs headlines a May 29 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, their 2021 recording Fire on the Ridge praised by Glide magazine for the way the musicians "spin classic country, honky tonk, rockabilly, surf rock, and cowpunk into one rollicking mix of a good time."
With the band based in Portland, Oregon, Jenny Don’t & the Spurs was formed in early 2012 by Jenny Don't and Kelly Halliburton, both of whom were already involved in the respective touring bands Don’t and Pierced Arrows. The group was initially focused on covering classic country artists such as Patsy Cline, Hank Williams Sr, Ernest Tubb, and Loretta Lynn, and soon after the ensemble's formation, Sam Henry (Wipers, Napalm Beach) was invited to join the duo, with JT Halmfilst also coming aboard as a full-time member. Jenny Don't & the Spurs made their debut performance at Portland’s Ash Street Saloon in March of 2012 supporting Fred and Toody Cole’s acoustic-duo project, and in the summer of 2014, the band recorded their first full-length album Self Titled at Portland’s Red Lantern Studios. Additional guests were invited to contribute, one of them being Jerry “A” Lang, singer for the Portland punk band Poison Idea, who joined Jenny for a duet on the band’s cover of Lee Hazlewood's and Nancy Sinatra’s “Ladybird."
In the spring 2017, Jenny Don't & the Spurs released their second full-length LP Call of the Road, a collaboration with Doomtown Sounds and Portland-based label Mississippi Records. Similar to their first album, this record was also recorded at Red Lantern studios, and after its release, Halmfilst departed the band and Christopher March joined as a full-time guitarist. From 2018 to 2019, the musicians went on multiple tours across North America and Europe to promote Call of the Road, and also started writing songs for their third studio album, eventually titled Fire on the Ridge. Following its 2021 release, the band embarked on a tour opening for country musician Charley Crockett, and the following year, Henry tragically passed away from advanced-stage stomach cancer. After much discussion and debate, the three remaining Jenny Don't & the Spurs members decided to continue with the band, which Portland drummer Buddy Weeks joined in December of 2022. Two months later, Jenny Don't & the Spurs were awarded the title of "Outlaw Band of the Year" at Dale Watson's Ameripolitan Music Awards in Memphis, and throughout 2023, the musicians performed more than 150 concerts across the United States, Europe, Australia, and Southeast Asia.
Jenny Don't & the Spurs headline their Davenport engagement on May 29 with an opening set by Iris Marlowe, admission to the 6 p.m. concert is $19.84, and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.