Punk Western

For all the fringe, Western flair and Loretta-Lynn inflection, Jenny Don’t — of Jenny Don’t and The Spurs — is a punk rocker at heart.

“No matter how hard we try, we can’t disguise ourselves,” she tells EW over the phone from her Portland home. The same goes for her backing band The Spurs, comprised of Wipers drummer Sam Henry, Pierced Arrows bassist Kelly Halliburton and Adios Amigos guitarist JT Halmfilst.

That they’ve nailed the sound of classic country, right down to the slide guitar solos and heartbroken lyrics, shouldn’t come as a total surprise. As Don’t explains, there’s more overlap between classic country and punk than one might think.

“It’s just fun. Everyone drinking beer, hanging out, a very interactive, easy-going environment, people can get weird if they like,” Don’t says of the band. “That punk background — beer-sprayed basements — and we can bring that kind of attitude to it, but being in a country band gives them a chance to enjoy the music in this totally different way.”

Jenny grew up singing along to Patsy Cline and Ernest Tubb while performing at rodeos in her native Bellingham, Washington. After years playing in rock bands including Don’t and Ladies of the Night, she called up some Portland musicians to form The Spurs. What roped both Don’t and band mates back into the genre was a chance to expand their musical chops.

“We’re getting to do a lot of things stylistically that we’ve been restricted from doing,” Halliburton says. “You can do things like bring in a harp player, or a slide guy — the sky’s the limit.” That freedom is all over The Spurs self-titled debut, especially on the duet “Ladybird,” which features vocals from Portland punk godfather Jerry A. of Poison Idea.

This exploration also expands to the band’s touring, which has included some less-than-traditional venues for the band. “We play everything from retirement homes to weird little bars on the coast,” Don’t says.

Jenny Don’t and The Spurs play 8:30 pm Friday, Dec. 11, at Axe & Fiddle, Cottage Grove; FREE. The band plays again 9 pm Saturday, Dec. 12, at Old Nick’s, 211 Washington St.; $5. — J.D. Swerzenski

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!