Juan Wauters at the Raccoon Motel -- October 24.
Friday, October 24, 7 p.m.
The Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, davenport IA
Currently touring in support of his 2025 album Mvd Luv, praised by AllMusic as a recording that's "genuinely inspired" in its "inherent sweetness," Uruguayan indie-rock singer/songwriter Juan Wauters returns to Davenport venue The Raccoon Motel on October 24, the artist also hailed by Clash magazine as one who is "able to blend surrealistic aspects with melodies dappled in light,"
A founding member of Queens garage act The Beets, as stated at his JuanWauters.com site, the Montevideo native "began releasing music under his own name in 2014 with N.A.P. North American Poetry. Released on Captured Tracks, his solo debut had the same candid charm and DIY sound as his work with the Beets, but with a folk-inspired, introspective glaze that would become his signature. 2015’s Who, Me? honed in on those qualities, full of clever ruminations on the pace of day-to-day life sung in both English and his native Spanish.
"After the release of Who, Me?, Wauters spent several years touring and travelling the world, including a long stint in Latin America – from Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, and Chile to Mexico and Puerto Rico – where he began working on his next project. Inviting local musicians to contribute to the songs he was working on, Wauters emerged with a collection steeped in the musical traditions of each country he’d visited. As a result, 2018’s La Onda De Juan Pablo and its follow-up, Introducing Juan Pablo, became his most expansive and sonically diverse records to date, tracing both his Uruguayan roots and his travellers’ spirit. Elements he’d flirted with in the past – singing in Spanish, traditional instruments like bongo drums and marimba, the collaborative spirit of his live shows – came to the forefront on these releases.
"Wauters’ chameleonic songwriting has continued to evolve in recent years: ... on (2021's) Real Life Situations, he’s delved deeper into collaboration, teaming up with Mac DeMarco, Peter Sagar (AKA Homeshake), Nick Hakim, Cola Boyy, El David Aguilar, and more for experiments in hip-hop, lo-fi R&B, and deft indie folk. With some of his recording plans hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, he mined older songs, phone notes, new material, and snippets from TV and YouTube to craft an aural document of the year through his eyes. Under his care, these small moments become coordinates for the peaks and valleys of human experience, coloring the album with Wauters’ unique shade of realism."
Juan Wauters performs his headlining engagement in Davenport on October 24 with an additional set by The Silkies, admission to the 7 p.m. concert is $23.81, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
