Displaying their own take on Outlaw/alt country, garage rock and punk-tinged Americana, Oregon, US-based Jenny Don’t And The Spurs also showcase a diverse array of other styles on their forthcoming third album, ‘Fire On The Ridge’. Released on Fluff & Gravy Records (Richmond Fontaine/Margo Cilker/Jim White), it sees the band brandishing blistering barn-burners (‘Train Ticket’, ‘Be The Only One’), rambling westerns (‘Fire On The Ridge’) and Patsy Cline-ish ballads (‘Friday Night’). With years in punk groups such as Pierced Arrows (previously Dead Moon), Wipers, Don’t and P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. behind them, the record sees the quartet embracing the classic Outlaw country they grew up on with raw vigour.
The inspiration for the album title and opening title song stems from the band driving to play a local show, but being forced into a detour to avoid the biggest forest fire in their region for decades. Returning home a few hours later, they explain that “it was a late-night drive through a burning valley, a hellish flame-scape lit by a forest reduced to embers. This scene burned itself into the consciousness of the band, and from these ashes rose eleven songs of passion, longing and white-hot emotion.” The apocalyptic scene also became a metaphor for the album they were about to make.
Once in the studio, they were instilling that fire into the songs they were recording, only to be rudely interrupted within a fortnight when lead singer Jenny required surgery on her vocal cords. Recommencing the sessions, they discovered that the hard drive on which their tracks were saved had crashed, requiring them to start all over again. Having done so, the studio suddenly flooded and needed to be completely rebuilt. Then, just when it seemed that everything was back on track, the pandemic intervened and prevented any in-person mixing. Against all these odds, ‘Fire On The Ridge’ was finally completed, but true tragedy was shortly to follow when their drummer was stricken with cancer and died soon after.
UK TOUR
APRIL 2023
12.04.23 LIVERPOOL Leaf tickets
13.04.23 NEWCASTLE Cluny 2 * tickets
14.04.23 GLASGOW Broadcast * tickets
15.04.23 HIGH WYCOMBE Ramblin’ Roots Revue tickets
16.04.23 LONDON Boogaloo (afternoon show) info/free entry
17.04.23 HASSOCKS Mid-Sussex Music Hall * tickets
18.04.23 LONDON The Grace * tickets
*with Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires
