Jenny Don’t & The Spurs – Live at the Jenny (Property of the Lost) (13th Floor Album Review)
Portland’s Stetson wearing, hardworking, road warriors Jenny Don’t & The Spurs are currently touring New Zealand, bringing their honky-tonk heart and cowpunk energy to intimate venues across the country.
Having spent the past week supporting the mighty Toody Cole on her flying visit which culminated at The Other Way on Saturday, they are spending the next two weeks working regional North Island and offering Kiwi audiences a rare chance to experience the band’s engaging live presence.
Fronted by Jenny Don’t on vocals and rhythm guitar, the current lineup features, naturally, Kelly Halliburton on bass, Christopher March on lead guitar and Buddy Weeks on drums—each bringing their personal stylistic edge and vast experience to the band’s signature sound. Jenny Don’t & The Spurs origin story dates back to 2012 when Jenny and her husband Kelly expanded their initial concept of being a classic country duo into a fully-fledged four-piece band which some five albums later has carved a unique sound blending classic country storytelling and vocals with garage-rock energy, surf reverb and authentic Punk DIY.
“We’ve always played our own style and have never worried about trying to write songs that fit nicely into any specific category. Country? Surf? Garage? Punk? We just play a mix of the musical styles we like to hear.” – Jenny Don’t
Live at The Jenny was recorded at The Jenny Lind Inn in Hastings Old Town, East Sussex, on February 23, 2025. Released via Property of the Lost, the album is available on limited blue vinyl and glass-mastered CD. Recorded and mixed by James Stonehewer, with photography by Mark Richards.
It is an album that does a pretty good job of capturing the band’s legendary live energy with a sound quality that embraces the tempo and generally holds true to their underlying musicality and carefully built instrumental interplay. It’s a live album, not perfect but pretty damn reflective of the infectious vibe you will experience from Jenny Don’t and The Spurs should you be lucky enough to do so.
Intro / Flying High: Opening with prowling bass and power chord driven instrumental that morphs into a mid-western swing song with an optimistic, ode to the road and featuring bright guitars, steady drums and introducing Jenny’s confident vocals and soaring notes.
Trouble With The Law: Marries the country outlaw narrative and swagger with a brisk honky-tonk tempo and shuffle percussion.
On The Run: Continues the cinematic storytelling through minor-key tension and melodic reverb kissed guitar leads. A song celebrating poetic fugitives with southwestern noir undertones.
Sunset On the Alamo: A short, upbeat nostalgic western motif with clipped vocal phrasing and lean arrangement sharing the story of frontier romance.
Is It Too Late?: Fast-paced honky-tonk tale of heartbreak driven by urgent rhythm and guitar fills.
Sidewinder: A throwback to 60s instrumentals with cowpunk edge, dangerous riffs and some low-end intensity.
Love Sick Crawl: Playful lyrics and vocals, quick guitar slides, walking bass and snappy snare delivered at a pace that would fit right in with the late rockabilly 70s revivalists.
Right From The Start: A touch of Americana purity with a minimalist sympathetic arrangement and heartfelt simplicity.
Still As the Night: Moody dramatic noir ballad showcasing Jenny’s husky warmth and expressive phrasing, with sustained guitar chords and understated percussion. A highlight.
Call Of the Road: Jangly roots rock with a road as salvation theme. Up-tempo wanderlust anthem with bright riffs and solid backbeat.
3 or 4 Nights: Short, sharp desert punk blues spirit with clipped urgent vocals and a tight band performance.
The Fire: Brooding mid-tempo track with pronounced guitar lines and a heavier rhythm section and vocals that bring emotional intensity. The penultimate track that really builds into an anthemic groove. The set highlight.
Paso Del Norte: A reflective Tex-Mex closer with borderland imagery and spacious western swing vibe, longer instrumentals and relaxed vocal performance to send you all home.
As seasoned and highly competent musicians the Band members naturally draw on years of creating, playing and listening to music. They have specifically acknowledged the impact of growing up listening to Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Hank Williams Snr together with the outlaw ethos of the likes of Johnny Cash and co. They, particularly Kelly, are also musical archivists and there are a range of less overt influences like Johnny Western, Bonnie Guitar and Reverend Horton Heat plus undoubtedly a whole pile of obscure artist unknown to most of us. There is clearly a nod to a bevy of guitar stylings including Dick Dale, Link Wray, Duane Eddy and Chet Atkins. To be honest each listener will probably find their own references- for me it ranges from the narrative of Wanda Jackson, Townes Van Zandt and Marty Robbins through to the crunch of The Cramps, X and Drive by Truckers with a detour through Alt-Country.
John Hastings
Christopher Merch (Lead Guitar)
Melodic sophistication, dynamic phrasing and tasteful solos. His leads provide depth to slower tracks like On the Run and The Fire. This is guitar driven music and Christopher handles everything with ease.
Buddy Weeks (Drums)
Propulsive lynchpin to the live performances, a versatile percussionist with a genuine feel for the music and able to easily transition from ballad to Honky-tonk to cowpunk. Great snare work and is able to get the most out of a pretty standard kit set up.
Kelly Halliburton (Bass)
Balances rhythmic drive with melodic movement, an expert at walking basslines with a strong feeling for the groove. Adds momentum to tracks like Paso Del Norte and Love Sick Crawl. A talented multi-instrumentalist who’s playing is more prominent in the live environment
Jenny Don’t (Vocals and Rhythm Guitar and Stylist)
The Band’s central figure with her stunning alto-mezzo vocals providing a warm tone and expressive delivery. Vulnerable and heartbroken in the ballads, playful charming and upbeat in the fast tracks and defiant and strong in the narrative-based songs Still as the Night and Right From the Start. Her guitar anchors the band’s sound especially when keeping things tight and danceable of tracks like Is it Too Late and 3 or 4 Nights.
Live at the Jenny is a love letter to noisy bands playing in small bars and a reminder that country can still swing, rock, and tell stories. For New Zealand audiences catching the band on tour, it’s the perfect on-ramp to their electrifying live energy.
Having been privileged enough to catch Jenny Don’t and The Spurs in concert twice in the same week, the first being the undercard to Toody Cole and Her Band’s stunning set at the Whammy Bar on November 25th (READ THE REVIEW) and then a bonus unofficial afterparty on Saturday night at the tiny but vibrant 605 Morningside, I can attest that you don’t need to be an aficionado of any genre/s to enjoy them live. As Jenny says at the beginning of the set, “let’s have some fun” and you will – even if you somehow resist the urge to dance you will likely spend the night with your toe tapping and grinning ear to ear.
If you can’t see them live, buy the album, in fact darn it – buy all their albums!!
Live At the Jenny is out on Property of the Lost Records
Credits:
Recorded live at The Jenny Lind, Hastings (UK) — February 23, 2025
Recorded/Mixed by: James Stonehewer
Photography: Mark Richards
Label: Property of the Lost
Formats: Blue vinyl (300), Glass-mastered CD (300)
US Fulfillment: Green Noise Records
Personnel: Jenny Don’t (vocals/guitar), Christopher March (guitar), Kelly Halliburton (bass), Buddy Weeks (drums)
