Band is a big deal

PANAMA CITY, FL - Upon first glance, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band might seem a misnomer. What’s so big about a three-person band?
   
How about their attitude? Or their sound?
   
With roots in the country-blues genre, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band is made up of Reverend J. Peyton on guitar and lead vocals; his wife, Breezy, on the washboard; and the Rev.’s brother Jayme on drums.
   
The Rev. is the band’s principal songwriter and said he strives to write about things that are happening now, as opposed to subject matter prevalent in most country-blues songs.
   
“It’s most important to me to be honest and to stay true to myself when writing songs,” said the Rev. from his van outside his home in Indiana’s hill country.
   
What the Rev. and the rest of his band do best is pair quite a show, sometimes with washboard aflame, with songs such as “Mama’s Fried Potatoes,” “Can’t Pay the Bill,” and “Your Cousin’s on Cops.”
   
After shows at Austin City Limits and in New Orleans, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band will play at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Pineapple Willy’s Pier Bar.
   
The Big Damn Band’s audience is as diverse as you can get with the Rev. saying you can spot a blue-haired old lady sitting next to a kid with a mohawk at any one of their shows. They’ve gone on tour with Celtic punk artists Flogging Molly and played Warped Tour.
   
“When folks go to see a band perform, they want to come out to see a show and that’s nothing new,” said the Rev. “Charley Patton was playing with his teeth and behind his head in 1930; now people say that’s punk rock, but they’ve been doing that for a hundred years,” he said. “I think country blues was the first punk rock if you ask me.”
   
The band’s sheer energy, especially Breezy’s aggressive washboard playing accounts for a big part of the show. The Rev. said a pair of homemade gloves keep her fingers from getting shredded.
   
The Rev. said while his guitar playing took years of practice, Breezy took to the washboard like a natural.
   
At age 19, the Rev. lost the use of his hands and thought he would never play the guitar again. After corrective surgery, he said not only could he play, but he played better.
   
When he met future wife, Breezy, his hands were still in bandages.
   
“We’d always been into the same music. Her grandma played the washboard; so I bought her one as a present,” said the Rev.
   
Three years after setting out on tour, the band is now promoting the vinyl release of their album, “The Whole Fam Damnily.” 
   
In the meantime, the Rev. said he is constantly writing new songs and an album is slated to be released in early 2010.
   
To see a video of Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=j97KD1HB_YI