Teddy & the Rough Riders at the Raccoon Motel -- August 20.
Wednesday, August 20, 6 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 Easr Second Street, Davenport IA
Hailed by Americana Highways as a duo that "kicks ass in its country-flavored bluegrass rock n’ roll hybrid," the touring talents of Teddy & the Rough Riders headline an August 20 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel in support of their 2024 album Down Home, a recording that Twangville hailed as "a throwback to earlier country themes without invoking the slightest hint of bro country cliche."
Teddy & the Rough Riders, as stated at AllMusic.com, "are a Nashville band whose warm, slightly retro-country sound bears traces of psychedelia, indie rock, and cosmic Americana. Based around the partnership of Jack Quiggins and Ryan Jennings, the group began releasing music in the mid-2010s, building up a regional cachet and collaborating with other artists like Skyway Man and Emily Nenni. After self-releasing their 2019 debut album, they signed with Tennessee indie Appalachia Record Co. for their eponymous 2022 follow-up. After touring for several years as Nenni's backing band, the Rough Riders returned with their third LP, 2024's Down Home.
"Quiggins and Jennings both grew up in Nashville and played in various indie rock and psych bands before embracing country music. They approached the genre by way of West Coast bands like the Byrds and Grateful Dead with a bit of U.K. folk and rock thrown in. Released in 2017, their self-titled debut EP bore some of these vintage influences, from bluegrass and honky tonk to Syd Barrett and the Velvet Underground. The group built on this style with their first full-length, 2019's The Congress of Teddy and the Rough Riders, and also collaborated with fellow cosmic country traveler Skyway Man on a Lagniappe Sessions EP. They also began playing with fellow Nashville singer/songwriter Emily Nenni and began serving as her backing band.
"The group's next full-length, Teddy and the Rough Riders, appeared on the small Tennessee-based label Appalachia Record Co. in 2022. More touring followed, both on their own and supporting Nenni, after which the Rough Riders completed their third album. Released in October 2024, Down Home brought together their wide range of styles and featured guest vocals from Nenni and Nashville singer/songwriter Erin Rae." As Glide magazine raved of the musicians, "The two Nashville artists play a uniquely original brand of country music that has absolutely nothing to do with the mullet-sporting, overproduced, twangy pop that has dominated country radio currently. Rather, Quiggins and Jennings play a compelling mix of honky tonk, cosmic country, and roots rock. Quiggins and Jennings will be proof the world needs that hippies really do make the best country music."
Teddy & the Rough Riders headline their Davenport engagement on August 20, admission to the 6 p.m. concert is $15.88, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
