The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band keeps the same style that has garnered it a loyal fan base intact on its new album, “The Wages.”
The group blends bluegrass and upbeat country fare to lend a retro feel to its music. Josh “The Reverend” Peyton details the struggles of life in a bad economy and rural trial with his baritone twang in a way that can strike the listener as simultaneously comical and sincere. Couple it with his steel-resonator guitar playing and his wife’s washboard scratching, and the music sounds like genuine Depression-era country music.
The music itself is far from depressing, however. Whether a track is about troubling economic times (“Just Getting By”) or stealing a chicken from the zoo (“Ft. Wayne Zoo”), the songs progress like barnyard shuffles.
Songs like “Born Bred Corn Fed” are certainly fun foot-stomping affairs, but the listener has to wonder how authentic the approach is. Peyton might have had experience with rural America in his youth, but much like some supposedly “blue collar” country music, the content comes across as over the top. Peyton has been touring for quite a while now, so surely he could urbanize some content.
Regardless, the music is fun and the issue of sincerity versus parody is one of mind over matter. If the listener doesn’t mind, it won’t matter.
