Jordan Rainey has been around music her whole life. A Durango local raised by music-loving parents, there was always music played around the house, while summertime meant the lot of regional festivals.
That musical lifestyle has turned into a real-world pursuit of the art; singer, guitar and mandolin player, Rainey has in her young career played in a handful of bands, including the on-hiatus rock band Majik Ham (as her band mates are away at college), and her current bluegrass/roots project in J.B. and The Fly Biscuits.
She’s also promoting her latest EP; recorded locally at Eagle Sound, “Little Town” dropped in late October.
“My earliest memories are my parents having people over for like Widespread Panic livestreams, and things like that. And going to the Four Corners Folk Festival, so I’ve grown up in a music family, so it’s kind of just something I’ve always known. It’s like going to campfires and there being live music and going to festivals and whatnot. So, I’ve always loved it, it’s a big part of my childhood” she said. “Around COVID, I really started making it my own thing, that’s when I really wanted to get better, and start focusing on writing songs and practicing. So yeah, it’s always been a big part of who I am, and I’ve always known it would be a big part of my life.”
Her album includes a who’s who of the region’s roots and then some scene. Players on the record include guitar players Bruce Allsopp and Alex Graf; drummer Ted Moore; bass player Chuck Hank; pedal steel player Jacob Nalle; and saxophone player Bob Hemenger. Produced by Benny “Burle” Galloway, the record walks a line between quiet, indie-folk and radio ready folk and country. The opener, “What We Do,” has a desert-rock vibe to it that even gets jazzy and subtle country psychedelic with Hemenger’s saxophone and Graf’s electric guitar fills. “Cowboys” is a festival-ready, heavy folk ballad, and the title track in “Little Town” is straight-up roots rock.
It was a big project for Rainey, who not only was the talent, but also learned a bit about putting songs together in the studio.
“This was the first time that I got to really think about arrangement for all these songs. It’s like, I write songs in my bedroom with an acoustic guitar, so this was the first time that I really got to give thought to it, especially having drums,” she said. “That was the biggest thing for me, was like, what are the drums going to do? What’s it going to sound like? Because I had never played with a drummer in this context before on my songs. So yeah, all that came together in the studio. It was just a very organic process.”
It was also a total educational experience, something that could pave a way for Rainey to do more production in addition to songwriting and performing.
“I learned a lot from Burle, like just learning how to hear different parts and hear different things,’ she said. “It opened my eyes, and I’d love to get better and learn more.”
For now, Rainey is eyeballing a musical future. She’ll continue to play with her local bands, and come fall 2026, she’ll be heading out to college, which could keep her in the state, or if she’s lucky, she’ll be in Music City, taking on music in higher-ed and throwing herself into the music business. No matter where she ends up, music will certainly remain part of her education, and life.
“I applied to all my Colorado schools, and I applied to a school in Nashville. I don’t know where I’m going to end up, but I would love to pursue music for whatever that looks like,” she said. “I definitely know that I’ll keep writing and playing, whether that’s through a curriculum or not.”
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
