Jenny Don’t And The Spurs – Fire On The Ridge
With 11 tracks clocking in at under 33 minutes, there isn’t a wasted second on the third full-length release from Portland’s Honky Tonk/Rockabilly/Punk anti-heroes, Jenny Don’t And The Spurs, as the band switches from blistering barn-burners (“Train Ticket”, “Be The Only One”) to rambling westerns (“Fire On The Ridge”) to honest Patsy Cline style ballads (“Friday Night”).
The record was pieced together in fits and starts over 2 years, as it seemed that one event after another conspired to derail the process. Initial tracking in 2019 was interrupted when Jenny required vocal cord surgery. After some rehabilitation she came back to the studio stronger than ever, only to find that the hard drive on which the tracks were saved had catastrophically crashed, requiring starting over from note one. Things moved along just fine for a while until the studio flooded due to a ruptured water heater, requiring a complete gutting and rebuild. Just when it seemed that everything was finally on track again, a global pandemic prevented the band and studio crew from in-person mixing sessions. Against these odds, Fire On The Ridge will finally seen the light of day on June 12, 2021 and the band’s flame is burning as brightly as ever.
The Spurs were founded back in 2012 by Jenny Don’t and bassist, Kelly Halliburton. Jenny had been fronting her own band, DON’T, and Kelly, was a 20+ year veteran of the Portland punk scene, having spent the previous several years balancing a grueling touring schedule playing drums with the garage rock trio PIERCED ARROWS and bass with Portland punk-rock destroyers P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. After the concept of forming a raw, real, and back-to-the-roots country band had taken hold, it wasn’t long before the couple was rehearsing a seminal set of standards by such influential early country crooners and outlaws like Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Ernest Tubb, and Hank Sr., as well as a sprinkling of originals. It was only a few weeks later that Kelly’s bandmates Fred and Toody Cole (DEAD MOON) got wind of the developing musical project and decided to call their bluff by giving them an unsolicited support slot on an upcoming show featuring the Cole’s own solo two-piece act. Not having anticipated such a high-profile live appearance as a first live outing, they decided to ask their friend Sam Henry to join them on drums. Sam, who in addition to being Jenny’s bandmate in DON’T and sometimes solo-set-collaborator, had already had a long, well respected career as one of Portland’s most sought after drummers, having played with such first-generation punk bands as THE WIPERS, THE RATS and NAPALM BEACH. After a couple of weeks of practice, the debut live appearance of the band went off without a hitch and the core lineup of Jenny Don’t And The Spurs was born.
The trio of Jenny, Kelly, and Sam existed in this form for the first year-an-a-half or so of the band’s existence. After a couple of false starts and a bit of difficulty finding a lead guitarist who could commit to the Spur’s sometimes grueling touring schedule, gunslinger Christopher March became a member of the family in early 2017. Christopher brought with him a wealth of talent and live gig experience, having spent years playing on the Northwest Country, Rockabilly, and Honky-Tonk circuit.
Now, with several North American tours, three European tours and hundreds of local shows under their tooled-leather Western belts, the Spurs are a musical force to be reckoned with.
The intensity and energy of their live set is a must-see for anyone who enjoys spirited garage-infused country music played with sincerity and raw conviction. Fire on the Ridge will be released on June 12, 2021, via Fluff and Gravy Records on Orange Marble Vinyl, Black Vinyl, CD and Digitally.
Press Materials
Credits
Jenny Don’t – Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Christopher March – Lead Guitar, Steel Guitar, Kelly Halliburton – Bass, Sam Henry – Drums
Produced and Engineered by Juniana Lanning and John Shepski at Fluff and Gravy Studios
Find Jenny Don’t And The Spurs Here