Three years ago, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band decided to sell everything it owned in a yard sale and hit the road to play more than 250 shows a year.
Hailing from rural Indiana, the “big” band is only a small family trio, comprising the Reverend on resonator guitar, his wife on the washboard, and his brother on a tight drum set.
And the Reverend, a big man with a big black beard, likes to make big noise. His furious finger-style picking, bellowing voice and knee-slapping attitude mix to produce tone-bending bluegrass and fast-paced rockabilly. The cowboy hats and suspenders spell hillbillies, but the raw sound explains why the Big Damn Band often performs with punk bands such as Flogging Molly.
The band’s 2006 album “Big Damn Nation” was produced by Paul Mahern and Jimbo Mathis of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, and its newest album is “The Whole Fam Damnily,” which was recorded in a church close to where the band members live.
On Friday, Jan. 16, the Big Damn Band will play the WOW Hall with local artists the Alder Street Allstars and The Blair Street Mugwumps. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. and the show begins at 9 p.m.
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band plays WOW Hall
Daily Emerald
January 13, 2009
More to Discover