The Deslondes at the Raccoon Motel -- August 6.
Wednesday, August 6, 6 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Praised by Americana UK as musicians who "deliver good-time music with an infectious groove," the touring talents of The Deslondes headline an August 6 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, Tinnitist adding that the band's 2024 recording Roll It Out exudes "a quiet poignancy as they reflect on what it means to devote yourself to others – whether it’s family, friends, audiences, or other guys in the tour van with you."
Based in New Orleans, The Deslondes' music blends influences from folk, rock 'n' roll, bluegrass, R&B, American roots music, blues, gospel, country, and zydeco. The group's members are Dan Cutler (vocals/stand-up bass), Sam Doores (vocals/guitar), Riley Downing (vocals/guitar), Howe Pearson (vocals/percussion), and John James Tourville (fiddle/pedal steel), all five of whom share in the songwriting process.
The band formed in the Holy Cross neighborhood in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, and take their name from a street in that neighborhood. Sam Doores met Cameron Snyder while attending college. When Doores read Woody Guthrie’s autobiography, Bound for Glory, he quit school to head to New Orleans with Snyder where they formed the band The Broken Wing Routine, and attended the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Oklahoma, where they met Missouri native Riley Downing. In New Orleans, Doores met Dan Cutler and formed The Tumbleweeds, while Snyder and John James Tourville met on tour with The Longtime Goners. Doores and Cutler also played in New Orleans band Hurray for the Riff Raff, and The Tumbleweeds often opened for that band.
In 2013, The Tumbleweeds officially changed their name to The Deslondes and two years later released their first, self-titled album to critical acclaim. As Pitchfork stated, "When the Deslondes open their self-titled debut with a walking piano line played way, way down the left side of the keyboard, they’re not just playing a rhythm that sounds distinctive in 2015 but also conveying an entire pop history that spans New Orleans rhythm and blues, early Memphis rock, Louisiana Hayride country, and every pick-up jazz band ever to busk on Royal Street." The Deslondes' debut single, 'Fought the Blues and Won, was premiered by NPR, while the music video for the song 'The Real Deal' premiered on Rolling Stone, and beyond their subsequent recordings including 2017's Hurry Home and last year's Roll It Out, a portion of the musicians' song 'Low Down Soul' was played during a scene in season six, episode three of Longmire.
The Deslondes play their Davenport engagement on August 1 with an additional set by Sabine McCalla, admission to the 6 p.m. concert is $26.45, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
