Jarrod Dickenson at the Raccoon Motel -- May 1.
Monday, May 1, 8 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Touring in support of his 2023 album BIG TALK, a work that, according to PopMatters, "points the way to a better world over a country-rock soundtrack," acclaimed recording artist Jarrod Dickenson headlines a May 1 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the musician's latest release also lauded by Rock & Blues Muse as "a smooth, defiant roar."
A guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer originally from Waco, Texas, Dickenson is now based in Nashville, and as stated in No Depression, "Jarrod Dickenson's songs are simply breathtaking, possessing melodies many of his peers would give their left arm for." His two previous albums, 2012's The Lonesome Traveler and 2020's Ready The Horses, along with his EP Under A Texas Sky, earned him critical acclaim and a devoted audience on both sides of the Atlantic. Not one to fear an exhausting tour schedule, Dickenson has entranced crowds all over Europe and the United States, and has shared stages with such legendary artists as Bonnie Raitt, Don McLean, The Waterboys, Jools Holland, and Jimmie Vaughan. Dickenson has performed at prestigious music events such as the Glastonbury and Cambridge Folk Festivals, and in addition to his origin as a Texan, his current status as a Tennessee resident, and his dropping of enough rent over the years to call himself a New Yorker, the artist is also an adopted son of Belfast. It was in the Northern Irish city where he met wife and bandmate Claire Dickenson, whose luscious, versatile vocals have become central ingredients to his sound on stage and on record.
His most recent recording released this past February, BIG TALK features the talents of Jano Rix (The Wood Brothers) on drums and keys, Ted Pecchio (Doyle Bramhall II, Tedeschi Trucks Band) on bass, JP Ruggieri on guitars, and Dickenson's wife Claire on backing vocals. Oliver Wood of The Wood Brothers also makes a guest appearance, singing on the song "Home Again," while Ethan Johns (a producer for Ryan Adams, Laura Marling, and Kings of Leon) wrote the string arrangement for the closing torch song, "Goodnight." Its critical success rivals the praise Dickenson has received frequently over the past decade. Q Magazine wrote, "His songs carry an independent spirit and grit... a hard-bitten, yet romantic eye that seems bred into Lone Star Songwriters." American Songwriter, meanwhile, stated, "His deep, emotional, often luxurious voice envelops songs of love and loss, enticing you into these stories.”
Jarrod Dickenson performs his Davenport engagement on May 1 with additional sets by Chris Kasper and Electric Blue Yonder, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $15, and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
