The pig plays the kazoo…sometimes.There’s little reason why The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
shouldn’t be embraced as one of Bend’s next favorite acts. They’ve got
the twang of long-standing Bend favorites the Gourds, the gritty blues
feel of Hillstomp and enough energy to hold court alongside any of our
town’s favorite bluegrass bands.
The Indiana based trio (not
exactly the enrollment you’d except from an act billed as a “Big Damn
Band”) rides on the quintessentially countrified voice and fingerstyle
guitar playing of Reverend Petyon and is anchored by the percussion
provided by his wife Breezy on washboard and his brother Jayme on the
drums. The familial nature and instrumentation of this band might
suggest a novelty act, but the Big Damn Band uses its intensely
simplified approach to produce quality sounds that have allowed them to
tour widely and attract a dedicated fan base. Some of these fans have
joined on after taking in the band during their opening appearances
opening for Celtic/punk crossover act Flogging Molly (who are also
their label mates on Side One Dummy Records).
On their latest record, The Whole Fam Damnily, the Big Damn Band offers up country blues numbers that range from sweetly melodic front porch country blues songs (“I’d Love You Baby”) to raucous boot stomping blues cuts like “DTs or the Devil” that brush up against the borders of punk rock and give a great sample of the energy that the Big Damn Band brings to its live show. And it’s this energy that you can pinpoint as a reason this act is (probably) one of your new favorite bands. – Mike Bookey
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Larry and His Flask, Pater Familias
8pm doors, 9pm show. Tuesday, January 13. The Domino Room,
51 NW Greenwood Ave. $10/advance, $12/door. All ages.
This article appears in Jan 8-14, 2009.
MAKE LOCAL JOURNALISM HAPPEN
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
