The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
Breezy, Rev, and Jayme Peyton
Background information
Also known as	Big Damn Band
Origin	Indianapolis Indiana, United States
Genres	Roots music Delta blues Country blues
Labels	SideOneDummy Records
Website	http://www.bigdamnband.com/
Members
The Reverend Peyton "Washboard" Breezy Peyton Jayme Peyton

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band is a three-piece American rural blues band from Brown County, Indiana.

Members

• Reverend J. Peyton – guitar, lead vocals, and principal songwriter
• "Washboard" Breezy Peyton – Washboard
• Jayme Peyton – drums

History

Josh "The Reverend" Peyton was born April 12, 1981 in rural Eagletown, Indiana. His brother Jayme was born in 1983. Their father was a concrete man; he performed odd jobs during the winter months for extra money, from plowing snow and chopping wood, to fur trapping. Rev Peyton's first introduction to music was via his father's record collection of blues-oriented rock, including Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young and Bob Dylan. At age 12, Rev Peyton's father gave him a Kay brand guitar. Shortly after, younger brother Jayme Peyton started playing the drums and, with a bass player, formed a band called "Drive-Thru" and played parties. A friend pointed out the blues sound of Rev Peyton's guitar playing, sending Peyton off on an exploration of the blues of BB King, Muddy Waters and B.B. King's cousin Bukka White. Further exploration led to pre-World War II "country blues", and a desire to learn the finger-picking style of artists like Charlie Patton. At the time Peyton was unable to master it, instead playing more pick-oriented blues. Peyton played a party following his high school graduation, and the next morning suffered excruciating pain in his hands. Doctors told Peyton he'd never be able to hold his left hand in fretting position again. At that point, he gave up on music and spent a year working as the desk clerk in a hotel.^[1]

Eventually Peyton sought other medical advice, and the Indiana Hand Center operated on his left hand, and removed a mass of scar tissue. While recovering from surgery, Rev Peyton met Breezy. She introduced him to the music of Jimbo Mathus and the Squirrel Nut Zippers, and he introduced her to delta blues. When the bandages were removed, Peyton discovered a new flexibility in his fretting hand that enabled him to play in the "finger" style that had long eluded him.^[2]

Breezy bought a washboard, and started writing songs with Rev Peyton and Jayme Peyton. A trip to Clarksdale, Mississippi inspired them to resume playing music, and their first gigs were at Melody Inn Tavern in Indianapolis, Indiana. The band played blues festivals, headlined two nights at actor Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, and tours as the opening act for Mary Prankster.

Eventually, a 40-hour drive from Indiana to El Centro, California to open for the Derek Trucks Band and Susan Tedeschi convinced the band to devote themselves to music and touring full-time. They received an offer from a blues record label, but discovered that they had sold more copies of their independently pressed CD "The Pork'n'Beans Collection" at their concerts than the label had managed to sell of any of their other artists. Since that time, The Big Damn Band has been touring the United States, and a tour of blues festivals in Italy and Switzerland, pausing only for holidays and to record their CD "Big Damn Nation" with producer Paul Mahern and Jimbo Mathis. Their 2007 and 2008 tours included opening dates for the Celtic punk band Flogging Molly^[3] and progressive bluegrass band Hot Buttered Rum. In 2009, they toured opening for Clutch, an extensive headlining tour of Europe and will play 12 dates on the Van's Warped Tour.

In June 2008, they signed with Los Angeles-based SideOneDummy Records. They released "The Whole Fam Damily" on August 5th, 2008 through the label, and it entered the Billboard Blues Chart at #4^[4].

Peyton plays a rusty National guitar, a National Resonator guitar and a reproduction 1929 Gibson acoustic.^[5]

Rev Peyton is a Kentucky Colonel.

Media appearances

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band has been featured on Sirius Satellite Radio, has played multiple showcases at the South by Southwest music conference, and has been the musical guest on Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know?. Their music is featured in the award-winning film Mississippi Cold Case by Canadian documentarian David Ridgen. Their song "Your Cousin's On Cops" lead to a gig as the house band on a Jerry Springer Pay-Per-View special.^[6]

The band was featured in a cover story of the April/May 2009 issue of Blues Review magazine, and has appeared in a feature on CNN.^[7]

Discography

The Pork'n'Beans Collection

The Pork'n'Beans Collection

This first album is all original material, except for Charlie Patton's "Pony Blues". Album was a basement demo of the earliest recordings of the band before they had toured and is currently out of print.

1. "My Soul to Keep"
2. "Plainfield Blues"
3. "Sure Feels Like Rain"
4. "Never Seem to Mind"
5. "Pork Chop Biscuit"
6. "Ain't Got Nothin'"
7. "Pony Blues"
8. "Wejusgetinba"
9. "One Bad Shoe"
10. "Rich Man"
11. "That Train Song"

Voodoo Cock EP

Sampler of songs from the album to appear the next year as well as re-recorded versions of songs from the previous album, this more accurately reflected the evolving style of the band and The Rev's lower, rougher voice. Packaged in a simple cardboard slipcase and sold at a lower price, was only available in concert.

1. "Aberdeen"
2. "My Old Man Boogie"
3. "Plainfield Blues"
4. "My Soul to Keep"
5. "Pork Chop Biscuit"

Big Damn Nation

Big Damn Nation

Produced by Paul Mahern and Jimbo Mathis of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Recorded direct to analog tape with no overdubs, this album most accurately captures the sound of the band in concert. All original material, it includes re-recorded versions of several songs from the first album. The Reverend's voice is lower and more road worn. Jayme Peyton's drum kit has simplified to a single 18" kick, cymbal and an 8" snare, placing the drums in a much higher register than average.

1. "My Old Man Boogie"
2. "Long Gone"
3. "Spreadin' Your Love Around"
4. "Boom Chank"
5. "Worryin' Kind"
6. "Left Hand George"
7. "Mud"
8. "Another Bottle"
9. "Aberdeen"
10. "Plainfield Blues"
11. "My Soul to Keep"
12. "Sugar Man"

The Gospel Album

The Gospel Album

Produced by Paul Mahern at White Ark Studios, The Gospel Album has similar production and style to that of Big Damn Nation. The album features Big Damn Band versions of seven gospel classics and one original song, "Blow That Horn", written by The Rev. Peyton. In terms of instrumentation changes, Jayme Peyton brings the five-gallon bucket to the fore-front, which can be heard prominently on the song "Tell All The World John". Packaged in a limited edition tin, The Gospel Album officially went on-sale September 12th, 2007.

1. "Blow That Horn"
2. "Down by the Riverside"
3. "Glory Glory Hallelujah"
4. "Tell All the World John"
5. "I Shall Not Be Moved"
6. "Rock Island Line"
7. "Let Your Light Shine"
8. "Amazing Grace"

The Whole Fam Damnily

The Whole Fam Damnily

Recorded in a church is Bloomington, Indiana. Went on sale August 4, 2008. Entered Billboard's "Blues" chart at #4^[4]

1. "Can't Pay the Bill"
2. "Mama's Fried Potatoes"
3. "Worn Out Shoe"
4. "DT's or the Devil"
5. "Your Cousin's on Cops"
6. "John Hughes (The Water Tower's Heart Is Sore)"
7. "The Creek's Are All Bad"
8. "Them Old Days Are Gone"
9. "Walmart Killed the Country Store"
10. "I'd Love You Baby"
11. "Everybody's Getting Paid but Me"
12. "What's Mine Is Yours"
13. "Persimmon Song"

References

External links

• Official site
• Myspace page
• SideOneDummy's page on Rev. Peyton
• Video Session with 'They Shoot Music - Don't They'