Photos and Review by LUIS MORENO
US Rocker Photo Editor
Three years later and Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band still brings the house down. This time it was The Mint in Los Angeles supporting their latest Grammy nominated album Dance Songs for Hard Times which debuted at #1 on the Billboard and iTunes chart.
The last time I saw this band was in Hermosa Beach. They rocked the hell outta that place too. There is something special about this 3-piece American Country blues band with Reverend Peyton, “Washboard” Breezy Peyton and Max Senteney (drums).
The Mint is one of the few places you can literally be just feet away from a 3-time Grammy-nominated band. Reverend Peyton’s band just seems so accessible and friendly. Which is why they call it “front-porch” blues. That’s probably how everyone at The Mint felt, as they were lucky enough to be foot stomping or dancing.
Reverend Peyton wearing his standard blue jean overalls opened the set with “My Old Man Boogie” which is a great driving song setting the tone for the evening. There was no denying who and which genre of music was about to be foisted on your ears. The second song “Ways and Means” off their new album Dance Songs for Hard Times, was the hammer driving the nail in to a night of serious American Country Blues. It starts off with the Reverend doing his patented fingerstyle guitar and Breezy Peyton kickin’ in with the washboard, sliding up and down the silvered metal rows with her work gloves.
The Reverend Peyton kept moving the night along with tales of their covid experiences and how it affected their town. For example, they live in a town so rural that the internet isn’t fully accessible to everyone there. They had to go to the library or school to connect so they could get their emails. Apparently, satellite internet out there has reached its limit.
Deeper in the evening everyone was shaking their heads and hands at an almost Pavlovian response. The drummer Max Senteney shifted the automobile in over-drive with “Rattle Can.” The “Rattle Can” video is just a fun filled as are all their music videos.
The beautiful message of the night came on “Steal My Shine” which seems to be the mantra they live by and build their shows around which is simply to…Shine!
So the bottom line is: Go catch this incredible roadhouse blues band of Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. You’ll wish there was a barbeque nearby and happy there’s not a napkin in sight.