Tommy Newport at the Raccoon Motel -- May 8.
Tommy Newport: Friday, May 8, 6 p.m.
Laney Jones & the Spirits: Friday, May 8, 8 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Two acclaimed indie acts delivering two stellar concerts will share one night at Davenport's Raccoon Motel on May 8, with the doors for soul-pop singer/songwriter Tommy Newport's concert opening at 6 p.m., and the rockers of Laney Jones & the Spirits taking the stage following the 8 p.m. opened doors.
Tommy Newport, as stated at First-Avenue.com, is “a British-American singer crafting infectious, falsetto-laced indie anthems that blur eras and borders. Blending psych-pop shimmer, sun-soaked soul, and off-kilter cool, Newport has built a global following around his elastic melodies and unmistakable voice. He stepped fully into his own with his latest album Mister Domino, a bold, technicolor statement released on the heels of his debut at Lollapalooza. Featuring the fan-favorite single 'Tangerine.' the project captures Newport at his most expansive, balancing playful experimentation with razor-sharp songwriting. His recent singles 'Nancy Dancing' and 'Risky Business' signal the sound of an artist moving effortlessly with intention into his next chapter.
"A magnetic live performer, Newport has toured extensively across North America and Europe and appeared on two platinum-certified releases: 'Red Sky' from 21 Savage’s American Dream, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and 'Comes & Goes' from BigXthaPlug’s Take Care. He has also collaborated with Grammy-nominated duo EARTHGANG and rising indie star Baby Nova. Newport’s work has earned acclaim from The FADER, Complex, Hypebeast, Highsnobiety, Pigeons & Planes, PAPER, Lyrical Lemonade, and COLORS, with support from Zane Lowe, Elton John, and Gilles Peterson."
As stated at LaneyJones.com: "Laney Jones & the Spirits have big f*cking heart. It's undeniable watching Jones who usually performs live as a trio on her gnarly 1960s Sears Roebuck Silvertone guitar with her life and musical partner (Brian Dowd) holding the heartbeat on the drums. They're "everything that’s good about rock and roll,” says Grammy-winning icon Lucinda Williams. And like Williams, Jones's road has been hard fought.
"Cutting their teeth on mics literally and metaphorically across the U.S. for the past decade, Jones' free-wheeling, do-it-yourself lifestyle is the stuff of modern folklore. With few prospects when the Florida-raised couple first moved to Nashville in 2017, they made rent by stacking beers at the local Piggly Wiggly. A chameleon of a songwriter, Jones has since found other ways to pay the bills, licensing songs for pop projects to the likes of Guinness and Google, but the music the couple creates cuts deeper than that. It's personal. And nothing shows more clearly the spirit of their work than one of their latest self-produced and mixed release, the aptly titled Feel Something.
"'If everything was perfect, and we lived just like a king, I don’t know if it would matter, babe, I don’t know if I could sing. It’s the ripping of my heart out – the flicker of a dream – that binds us to tomorrow and makes us feel something.”
"Catchy, yet raw and arrestingly sincere, it's no wonder Jones's cult following has been steadily growing since the release of their seminal record Stories Up High (2022) produced by Andrjia Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Langhorne Slim) of the famed Bomb Shelter in East Nashville. Though the record wrestles with themes of depression and the meaning of life, the vibes are more bittersweet than sad. Jones says 'Stories Up High was me writing what I needed to hear. It taught me to let go. Let my ego die...it was deeply healing and freeing. It's where I live now.'"
Doors for Tommy Newport's Davenport engagement open at 6 p.m. on May 8, with admission to the concert $26.45, and foors for Laney Jones & the Spirits set open at 8 p.m., with admission $19.84. For more information on both concert events, visit TheRaccoonMotel.com.
