Jenny Don’t and the Spurs are diving headfirst into the wild unknown with their latest album and relentless touring schedule.

They’re hitting stages across Europe, the Pacific Northwest, California, and the Southern US, eager to connect with fans and see where the music takes them. The band’s got their sights set on new adventures, with potential tours in South America and a return to Australia and New Zealand on the horizon. Buddy Weeks, the new drummer, has injected fresh energy into the band, blending his style with the legacy left by Sam Henry. Collin Hegna’s production has given the album a gritty, reverberating edge that still holds true to the band’s core sound. Amidst the chaos of the road, they’re already hammering out new material, ready to keep the ride going as long as the wheels don’t fall off.

“Touring is all about the people for us”

Congratulations on the latest release of ‘Broken Hearted Blue’! Can you share what inspired the title and the themes explored in the album?

Jenny: We didn’t start with a specific concept in mind for the album. The songs emerged naturally, and as they took shape, they just kind of assembled themselves into what became the final album. We didn’t have a title in mind until the album was complete, and we chose ‘Broken Hearted Blue’ as the name. Even though the album itself is actually a fun, upbeat collection, and not necessarily “blue” emotionally, we just felt that the song ‘Broken Hearted Blue’ embodied the spirit of the album best.

Your single, ‘You’re What I Need,’ is described as a love letter to your fans. How do you maintain that connection and energy with your audience night after night on tour?

Touring is all about the people for us. We love meeting new folks and catching up with friends we’ve made on the road. It’s a real privilege to connect with people from all over the world and share our music with them. And yeah, every show is a wild card – the crowd always keeps things fresh and unpredictable! It’s what makes every night so exciting.

You mentioned collaborating closely with Kelly Halliburton on this album. How has your musical partnership evolved over the years, and what was it like co-writing most of the musical parts together?

Our musical collaboration has only grown more solid over the years. We’ve been a couple for 15 years now, and our trust and shared tastes have cemented our partnership. While our approaches to writing and learning are sometimes a lot different from one another, we’ve learned to navigate those differences to come up with what we feel is a unique blend of styles. Sometimes it can take a lot of work to align our creative visions, but we usually manage to come out the other side with something special. I feel grateful to have found a partner with whom I can share every moment and still eagerly anticipate our next adventure together. We’re both pretty happy with this record, and we’re proud to know that we’ve created something special together.

‘Broken Hearted Blue’ marks Buddy Weeks’ debut on drums following the loss of Sam Henry. How has Buddy’s addition influenced the band’s dynamic and sound?

The loss of Sam Henry to cancer was a devastating blow to Kelly, Christopher, and me. The band’s future was uncertain, but we really didn’t have any option other than to push forward.

When we searched for a new drummer, we weren’t seeking a replacement for Sam—that was impossible—but we hoped to find someone who could bring new energy and perspective while still honoring Sam’s legacy. We definitely struck gold when Buddy joined the band. He’s not only an exceptional musician but also a great travel companion, which is pretty important since we’re almost always on the road. Buddy’s a great drummer, and he brings his own style and energy, which goes a long way toward enhancing our sound. We feel like this album showcases our new collective chemistry, with Buddy’s playing delivering a solid foundation that really pushes our music to new heights. We’ve maintained our signature sound while exploring new territory, which is exactly what we aimed for.

The album’s producer, Collin Hegna, has a notable background with bands like Brian Jonestown Massacre. How did his approach and experience shape the sound of ‘Broken Hearted Blue’?

Collin was a pleasure to collaborate with. To be honest, we really don’t know much about BJM—it was Collin’s work with his Portland band, Federale, that made us want to work with him. Federale plays a great blend of garage-influenced Western with some surf and twang elements, all combined with a lot of Spaghetti Western cinematic elements, so we knew he’d get it as far as finding the sound we were looking for. That, combined with his production work with other bands that we really like (fellow Portlanders and good friends Roselit Bone, for example), made him a natural choice.

I feel like Collin did a great job bringing out exactly the sound we were looking for, and his knowledge of the style and attention to detail really helped make this record what it is.

<a href="https://jennydontandthespurs.bandcamp.com/album/broken-hearted-blue">Broken Hearted Blue by Jenny Don’t and the Spurs</a>

“Our music is genuine because we don’t try to fit into a specific mold”

Your music blends various genres, which can be tricky to define. How do you balance authenticity with experimentation in your music, especially on this new album?

Our music is genuine because we don’t try to fit into a specific mold. We just play what comes naturally, drawing from a lot of diverse musical backgrounds and interests. Unlike some bands that get caught up in genre rules, we embrace our unique sound and just try to let it ride. We’re inspired by our influences, but we don’t want to copy them—we want to create something fresh and authentic that’s truly our own. With this new album, we aimed to amplify the dynamics, embracing more reverb, fuzz, and twang than our previous albums, and to create a richer sound. We gave each song the freedom to stand on its own, without forcing them into any predetermined ideas of what the finished product would sound like.

Touring extensively seems to be a huge part of your journey as a band. Can you share some memorable experiences or challenges you’ve faced while traveling and performing around the world?

We could fill a book with all the crazy adventures we’ve had on the road over all these years. Someone once described war as being long periods of boredom punctuated by brief moments of sheer terror… well, if you substitute the word “excitement” for “terror,” you could easily be describing being on tour (although sometimes touring has its moments of terror, too!). I mean, one day you’re lying around in a crappy motel room or waiting backstage bored out of your mind, and the next you’re being chased by a pack of wild monkeys in Indonesia or hiking around the desert on the Texas/Mexico border!

But really, the road is our natural environment. We’ve all been touring for so long, and we’ve oriented our lives around doing this. We love to play to different crowds all over the world, and we love exploring new parts of the globe. We’ve been incredibly lucky to have been able to spend so much time traveling all over, learning about the amazing places we are lucky enough to go to, trying new foods, drinking exotic booze, meeting new friends, and, most importantly, scouring the flea markets and second-hand shops of the world for rare records and weird stuff for my and Kelly’s house!

What are you most excited about for the future of Jenny Don’t and the Spurs? Are there any new territories or collaborations you’re looking forward to?

I’m thrilled to be pushing the boundaries of our music and exploring new frontiers! Our summer schedule is packed with club shows and appearances at festivals in Spain, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, as well as regional shows in the Pacific Northwest and California. Come September, we’ll be touring the Southern US and making an appearance at Americana Fest in Nashville, followed by an extensive two-month European tour. We’re already scheduled for a lot of exciting touring in 2025, including more US dates, another European tour, and a possible return to Australia and New Zealand. We’re also looking at possibly heading to South America for the first time, so hopefully that’ll work out. We’re looking forward to rockin’ wherever the album takes us!

And, of course, somewhere in the middle of all that roadwork, we’ll be working on material for the next album. Stay tuned, and we’ll see you on the road!

Klemen Breznikar

Headline photo: Julia Varga

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