Staff Reports | The Republic
Wildman country blues: Your New Year’s Eve could be filled with such via a streaming concert celebration from a Brown County trio whose sound has made a worldwide impact, with the group having played at least 37 countries at last count.
Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band has announced a multi-camera, online performance slated for 11 p.m. Dec. 31 on the group’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
The presentation will be for donations rather than a ticketed show, according to organizers. That arrangement is partly an acknowledgement of those struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Alongside 39-year-old frontman and finger-picking guitarist Jayme Peyton is his wife, Breezy Peyton, playing washboard “with all the nuance and percussive power of a New Orleans drumline,” as the group’s website at bigdamnband.com puts it. Also keeping the train moving is Max Senteney on a lean drum kit, which includes a five-gallon maple syrup bucket.
If that sounds a bit rural, consider Breezy’s description of their Brown County surroundings, known both for artist colony roots, land livin’ and wildlife.
“Most of the people here can both paint a picture and skin a deer,” she has said.
The performance is expected to include the band’s new single “You Can’t Judge A Book By Looking At The Cover.”
The tune pays tribute to a couple of the lead singer’s influences. Jayme refers to it as “a rollicking version” of the song that was made popular by Bo Diddley but written by Willie Dixon. He’s done his homework and been given the blessing of the gatekeepers of the tradition — even befriending and touring with some of the last of the great Delta Blues and Hill Country blues legends like David “Honeyboy” Edwards, T-Model Ford and Robert Belfour.
On the group’s latest disc, “Poor Until Payday,” the band played in a room together with minimal mixing for a sound that’s as down to earth as they are.
Despite hardships this year, including Breezy battling pneumonia and seeing others fight COVID-19, the band is determined to face forward and find its way through.
The group reflected in a simple blog post soon after the novel coronavirus lockdown earlier this year and wrote, “While this tragedy hits us all, we are committed to keeping the music alive.”
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Who: Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, based in Brown County.
When: 11 p.m. Dec. 31.
Where: Live online on the band’s Facebook page and its YouTube channel.
Cost: Free, but those able to donate may do so via PayPal at paypal.com/paypalme/bigdamnband and Venmo (@bigdamnband). Fans can also follow the group on the band’s Patreon page at patreon.com/bigdamnband for exclusive content, special videos and deals.
Information: bigdamnband.com
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