Reverend Peytons Big Damn Band - The Wages (2010)

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Reverend Peytons Big Damn Band - The Wages (2010)

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The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band are actually a trio – the Reverend Josh Peyton on primitive slide guitar, harmonica, and vocals; his wife, Breezy Peyton, on washboard and backing vocals; and Aaron "Cuz" Persinger on percussion (often buckets and trash cans) and background vocals – but the sound is big indeed, a boozy, uncontained noise in which jug band, country, blues, and down-home boogie tumble around in a joyous, uplifting cacophony. There's no bass, but the bedrock rhythms are full and rounded with Peyton's slashing rhythm guitar work pushing the tunes into overdrive. "Just Getting By" is a thumping country blues and the lyrics are mostly the hook line repeated over and over, but Persinger's thumping bass drum and Peyton's propulsive slide guitar and devil-may-care vocal make the tune work. "What Go Around Come Around" scolds a local badass with a dose of sardonic humor as the Rev. sings "You can't help stupid, but you can help mean/Is acting bad a habit, is it part of your routine?" "Born Bred Corn Fed" celebrates redneck country living with Peyton's wild swooping slide guitar shooting off sparks, but several songs address the hard time most working people are facing. "Everything's Raising" is a timely protest song that sounds funny – but the jokes have a bitter taste to them as the Rev. sings about bailouts and crooked lawmakers – as is "In a Holler Over There," a country blues that Peyton sings in a warbling voice that calls to mind Dave Von Ronk at his crustiest. Peyton's original songs may sound like the laments you'd hear coming from a Depression-era 78, but they are all recent compositions, and in the new Depression of 2010 they couldn't be more timely.– by j. poet

1. Born Bred Corn Fed 3:14
2. Redbuds 3:15
3. Clap Your Hands 4:28
4. Sure Feels Like Rain 3:09
5. Everything's Raising 3:28
6. What Go Around Come Around 3:35
7. Sugar Creek 2:34
8. In A Holler Over There 3:15
9. Train Song 3:57
10. Lick Creek Road 3:02
11. Ft. Wayne Zoo 2:40
12. Just Getting By 2:52
13. Two Bottles Of Wine 2:44
14. Miss Sarah 2:02

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Reverend Peytons Big Damn Band - The Wages (2010)

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BIO: Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band is a three-piece outfit that plays a combination of roots music and alternative country that is also heavily influenced by country blues. At its center is Josh Peyton (vocals, guitar), who grew up listening to his father's blues-rock albums. After receiving an electric guitar and amp when he was 13, Josh formed his first band with his brother Jayme Peyton on drums and a friend playing bass. A friend who recognized the blues influences in Josh's playing recommended that he study earlier blues artists, which in turn led to Josh's discovery of country blues. The young guitarist's career was nearly derailed, however, after a performance at his high-school graduation left his hands in extreme pain. Doctors who examined Josh diagnosed him with tendonitis and gave him a grim prognosis – as a result, he abandoned music for a year before undergoing surgery to correct the problem. While recovering, Josh met Breezy, the woman who would become his wife. After comparing notes on musical influences, Breezy bought a washboard and began writing songs with Josh and Jayme. The trio began touring and eventually decided to make music a full-time endeavor. They released their first album, The Pork 'n' Beans Collection, in 2004. It was followed by albums released on a yearly basis, including The Big Damn Band Sampler in 2005, Big Damn Nation in 2006, and The Gospel Album in 2007. Wages appeared in 2010. With a wonderfully ragged and swampy deep Delta sound that kicked like a mule, the trio thankfully didn't deviate from that core sound on 2012's Between the Ditches, produced by Peyton and Paul Mahern.– by Katherine Fulton