Vandoliers tap Joshua Ray Walker & Taylor Hunnicutt for new song & video (watch)

Texas country-punks Vandoliers‘ are releasing their new album Life Behind Bars this Friday (6/27). It’s their first since singer Jenni Rose came out as a trans woman, much of the album explores her journey with gender dysphoria, and it’s their most freeing, confident-sounding album yet. I’ll have more to say about the album in Notable Releases tomorrow, but first, we’re premiering one last pre-release single, “You Can’t Party With the Lights On,” which features guest verses from Joshua Ray Walker and Taylor Hunnicutt. Stylistically, this one’s a bit of an outlier on the album, but thematically it fits right in with the personal, reflective themes.

“It might sound like a honky-tonk singalong—and it is,” Jenni says, “but underneath, this song is about the lie of escapism. You can’t party as hard as I was and still be self-aware. That kind of partying is about avoiding your pain, not facing it. We brought in our friends Joshua Ray Walker, Taylor Hunnicutt, and Zach Moulton of Silverada/Jesse Daniel on pedal steel to make it shine.”

“We are always a little too punk for country, but this time I feel like we hit the nail on the head with ‘Party With The Lights On,’” she continues. “The video pokes fun at the country music machine and we got to throw a party at my favorite bar in Nashville — Dee’s Cocktail Lounge.” Joshua Ray Walker and Taylor Hunnicutt are in the video (directed by Andreé Brown) too. Check it out below.

Vandoliers are on tour now, with support from Adeem the Artist, The Hill Country Devil, Nate Bergman, and others, varying by date. That includes a NYC show on August 7 at Mercury Lounge with Nate Bergman. After that, they’ll go on a Europe/UK tour supporting Skinny Lister. All dates are listed below.

Vandoliers — 2025 Tour Dates
Jun 25 (Wed) – Salt Lake City, UT – The Urban Lounge *
Jun 26 (Thu) – Victor, ID – Victor City Park *
Jun 27 (Fri) – Stanley, ID – Mountain Village Resort *
Jun 28 (Sat) – Pendleton, OR – Jackalope Jamboree
Jun 29 (Sun) – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern *
Jul 2 (Wed) – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory – Spokane
Jul 3 (Thu) – Sutherlin, OR – Music Off Central *
Jul 5 (Sat) – Santa Cruz, CA – Moe’s Alley *
Jul 6 (Sun) – Sacramento, CA – Goldfield Trading Post Sacramento *
Jul 9 (Wed) – San Diego, CA – Casbah ^
Jul 10 (Thu) – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo ^
Jul 11 (Fri) – Phoenix, AZ – The Rebel Lounge ^
Jul 12 (Sat) – Santa Fe, NM – ReUnity Farm ^
Jul 19 (Sat) – New Braunfels, TX – Gruene Hall – Slobberbone
Jul 25 (Fri) – St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway #
Jul 26 (Sat) – Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern #
Jul 27 (Sun) – Wisconsin Dells, WI – Showboat Saloon #
Jul 30 (Wed) – Indianapolis, IN – HI-FI #
Jul 31 (Thu) – Nashville, TN – Cannery Hall #
Aug 1 (Fri) – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage #
Aug 2 (Sat) – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle #
Aug 3 (Sun) – Charlotte, NC – Amos’ Southend #
Aug 5 (Tue) – Philadelphia, PA – Nikki Lopez Philly
Aug 6 (Wed) – Washington, DC – Pearl Street Warehouse #
Aug 7 (Thu) – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge #
Aug 8 (Fri) – Cambridge, MA – Sonia Live Music Venue
Aug 9 (Sat) – Rochester, NY – Hoochenanny Whiskey Festival
Aug 10 (Sun) – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom & Tavern #
Aug 12 (Tue) – Columbus, OH – Rumba Cafe #
Aug 14 (Thu) – Little Rock, AR – Revolution Music Room
Aug 15 (Fri) – Fort Smith, AR – Majestic Fort Smith #
Aug 16 (Sat) – Dallas, TX – Life Behind Bars Album Party #
Aug 27 (Wed) – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom %
Aug 28 (Thu) – Canyon, TX – The Lumberyard Canyon %
Aug 29 (Fri) – Abilene, TX – The Big Country Beer Garden w/ Travis Roberts
Aug 30 (Sat) – Lubbock, TX – Soggy Dog %

* – w/ Adeem the Artist
^ – w/ The Hill Country Devil
# – w/ Nate Bergman
% – w/ Toadies

EU/UK tour supporting Skinny Lister:
November 13 – Paris, FR @ Backstage By The Mill
November 14 – Lisieux, FR @ Mosaic
November 15 – Arlon, BE @ L’Entrepot
November 16 – Oberhausen, DE @ Zentrum Altenberg
November 17 – Hamburg, DE @ Bahnhof Pauli
November 19 – Gothenburg, SWE @ Skeppet
November 20 – Oslo, NO @ Goldie
November 21 – Stockholm, SWE @ Bar Brooklyn
November 22 – Copenhagen, DK @ Stengade
November 23 – Berlin, DE @ Hole 44
November 24 – Prague, CZ @ Café v Lese
November 26 – Vienna, AT @ Arena
November 27 – Munich, DE @ Strom
November 28 – Aarau, CH @ KIFF
November 29 – Cologne, DE @ Luxor
November 30 – Utrecht, NL @ De Helling
December 2 – Antwerp, BE @ KAVKA
December 3 – Southampton, UK @ 1865
December 4 – Bristol, UK @ The Fleece
December 5 – Leicester, UK @ 02 Academy 2
December 6 – Norwich, UK @ Norwich Arts Centre
December 7 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
December 9 – Glasgow, UK @ King Tuts
December 10 – Sunderland, UK @ Independent
December 11 – Stoke-on-Trent, UK @ The Sugarmill
December 13 – London, UK @ Scala