The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band is playing Toledo. Twice. In the same tour.
It goes without saying that a) that’s rare, and b) you have zero excuses not at least see them once, especially because the first show (at Culture Clash Records) is free. Their unique, no-holds-barred approach to Delta blues features the Reverend’s rich, guttural voice and strong fingerpicking style, his wife Breezy on washboard and vocals, and Ben Bussell on the kit.
The Brown County, IN band is getting ready to kick off a four-month tour to promote their February release So Delicious, an album that the Reverend considers their best to date. As with many past tours, they’re starting off playing for free in small, independently owned record stores, for fans who want an up-close-and-personal experience. I caught up with the Reverend on the new album, touring, and why indie record stores are so important.
You have a lot of touring miles this time around. How is it different?
I’ll tell you what—we’ve always gone really hard and we’ve always covered a lot of ground. But I think that this upcoming three, four-month stretch is going to be the most ground we’ve ever covered in that amount of time, by a lot. It’s a really big tour, and it’s all been brought about because we have [So Delicious] coming out. We’re excited to play these songs and bring this record around to people. We basically said, ‘Hey, we want to do as many shows as we can. We want to play for these people.’ We want to make sure that we’re going to all the places we love to go to . . . it was important for us.
Long tours can be challenging.
One thing we found is that being on the road, especially as much as we are, it just isn’t for everybody. Over the years, we’ve basically burned out some good people that way. Right now, we have a really tough band and crew that can handle it.
What’s the preparation like?
We’re definitely going to be doing a lot of rehearsing. And we have a ton of new stuff, as far as merchandise and things like that go. We’re working on the stage set-up, all that stuff, too. Also, we have a little bit of time off, kind of like the calm before the storm. I’ve been trying to see as many people in my family as I can, as I know this year we’ll be missing a lot of birthdays and holidays and stuff.
That’s something people may not think about.
Yeah, they don’t, until they start doing this. But at the end of the day, we do it because we love it. You really can’t, unless you do. It’s a lot easier to get a job where you leave it at work at the end of the day. This is a lot more challenging in terms of the emotional strain it puts on you, in relationships with your friends and family.
Of course. You generously have several free in-store shows booked to kick everything off. Why do you do this?
That’s a good question. It’s something we’ve done for the last few record releases. And, it’s something we still believe in. Those independent record stores are still very important. People talk about the industry dying, and whatnot. But for a band like us, it’s still so important to support those independent stores, and it gives people of all ages a chance to come and check out a little taste of the show, see some songs in a stripped-down setting. We’re available to hang out and sign stuff. For us, it’s worth the effort. It’s a gift to the fans, and a show of solidarity with our pals that manage the record stores.
It fits with the message of your music.
Yes, exactly.
On the new stuff, then. Peyton on Patton was famously a one-mic short-session thing. Can you talk about the recording process for So Delicious?
This record is 100-percent produced and written by me. And this is the first one that I produced entirely on my own, of one of our records. I’m really proud of this; I feel like it’s our best record yet. And artists probably say that a lot, but luckily I’m not alone in thinking so . . . the people who have been critically looking at the record, my pals, and people I know in the industry, they seem to agree, too. And that makes me feel good.
I wanted to make a record this time that made people feel something. A lot of it, I think, makes you feel good. There’s a lot of positivity, maybe more than any other record in many ways, and I think there’s a wider range of emotions. I wanted to sonically bring people into the room and make people feel like they’re with us. Usually you make a record after a few months, and it takes a long time for a record to come out. By the time it comes out, you might be burnt out on it. I’ll tell you what, I’m not burnt out. We listened to the vinyl test pressing last night to make sure everything was cool, and I was still really proud of it. It put a smile on my face, thinking, ‘Man, I think we did it this time. I really do.’
Would you say it’s your best?
I think we’ve made something that we can all be really proud of. As an artist too, I’ve always felt like my best stuff is ahead of me. And I think that there’s a band every now and again, you get their early stuff, and people like it, and they slowly lose their way. But I think we’ve been finding our way. Our early records were field recordings; not thought-out records. Basically, we were standing in a room somewhere, we’d throw up microphones, and play, and then be done. Now, even though our records are still very much live-to-tape, analog, old-school process, they have much more thought put into the process.
Has your new record label (Yazoo) had any influence on that at all?
Not for the process, but it is nice to feel like we’re 100 percent supported, creatively. Yazoo has been really supportive in that way, just basically saying, “If you think it’s cool, then we’re down.”
What else is in the near future?
We have a new music video, for “Raise a Little Hell,” and another one in about a month, “Pot-Roasted Kisses.” I’m about as excited for these as I am for the album itself. They were so much fun to make.
See Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band at Culture Clash Records, 6pm, Thursday, February 19. 4020 Secor Rd. They will also play Frankie’s Inner City, 7pm, Sunday, March 1. 138 Main St. Tickets at Ticketfly or Ticketmaster.
