Roaring out of the southern Indiana foothills comes Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band playing a brand of Americana and Blues that stands alone - Delta blues and hillbilly fervor combine with musical acuity sharp as razor wire - best know, this trio is a force to be reckoned with. The growl of a good truck engine, the fiercest passion for his country home and family and an uncanny ability to breathe new life into old forms of music give them a pedigree many Americana acts would kill for and an ironclad work ethic keeps them on the road 250 dates a year, playing for the people with hurricane force. Locked in with an audience, the band create their own community and welcome the crowd into it, transporting them away from their troubles to joyous release, the way great musicians have done for centuries. The Rev. J. Peyton, his wife Breezy and Ben "Bird Dog" Bussell are a living breathing embodiment of the traditions and hard work ethic native to their Brown County, Indiana home. Their new album Between The Ditches is a chronicle of this lifestyle.

With a reputation for their incendiary live shows well established, The Big Damn Band set out to make the album that would finally capture the same heat. Recorded at White Arc Studio in Bloomington, Indiana, the album was produced by The Rev. Peyton and Paul Mahern (John Mellencamp, Iggy Pop), and mastered by Brian Lucey (Black Keys, Dr. John, Shins). For previous albums, the band had recorded live, straight through in the same mode as a live show. Between the Ditches came together more slowly, with care. "We approached it saying we were going to make a record this time, not just a recording," explained the Rev. He used a different guitar set up on almost every track, employing two '30s National guitars, a cigar box guitar, a custom shop Gibson flattop 1929 L2 and an Airline map electric guitar. The primary amps are custom Weber amps made by Weber speakers - both are one of a kind.

Their fifth album, Between The Ditches features a new level of craftmanship in both recording technique and songwriting. The Rev. feels that it's their best album to date."I'm very proud of this album, the songwriting and the playing." The guitar playing alone should put the Rev. in the same class with his much revered idols. The songwriting boasts an added maturity and runs the gamut in subject matter from the barn burning, tongue in cheek, "Shut the Screen", (where "It's too dang hot and the bugs are too dang mean") to the evils of strip mining, an issue close to the hearts of this Indiana born and bred band in, "Don't Grind It Down". There seems to be a theme expressed throughout the album and stated clearly in their first single,"Devils Look Like Angels": "Devil don't live down in hell, the devil's right here doing very well".

" Burn up some backroads, drive up to the store. They just don't make 'em like this anymore"
Rev Peyton's first introduction to music was his father's record collection of blues-oriented rock. At age 12 his father gave him a Kay brand guitar, eventually purchasing a Gorilla amplifier once he learned to play. And play he did. He became infatuated with pre-World War II country blues, and a desire to learn the finger-style picking of artists like Charlie Patton. Finger-style refers to using each of the right hand fingers independently in order to play the multiple parts of a musical arrangement that would normally be played by several band members. Bass, harmonic accompaniment, melody, and percussion can all be played simultaneously when playing finger-style.

Keith Richards has said that the first time he heard Robert Johnson's recordings he asked "Who's the other guy playing with him?" Of course there wasn't one. When you listen to the songs on Between The Ditches you will be hard pressed to believe it is only one guitarist.

"Nothing's really free. It all comes with a fee"
Misfortune struck the Rev. early on in the form of a debilitating condition that caused excruciating pain in his hands. Doctors told Peyton he'd never be able to hold his left hand in fretting position again. But he persevered and when the bandages were removed, Peyton discovered a new flexibility and greater control in his fretting hand that enabled him to play in the finger-style that he longed to play.

"If it's me with you. Then we'll get through"
It was during his convalescence that he met his wife to be, Breezy. "I was crazy in love with her right from the start". He credits Breezy with installing a confidence in his playing and his life in general that he had previously lacked. Breezy Peyton's explosive washboard playing, sweet back-up vocals and striking good looks didn't hurt their live show either.
Completing the trio is cousin Aaron Persinger on drums. "He's a human metronome", says the Rev. Persinger's drum kit gives new meaning to the term 'stripped down' and features a plastic 5 gallon bucket, for which he has a sponsorship deal for replacements. With their line-up finalized the band sold everything they owned in a garage sale and headed out on the open road.

PRAISE FOR "BETWEEN THE DITCHES" BY
REVEREND PEYTON'S BIG DAMN BAND

"... the reincarnated Mississippi moan of guys like Son House... a burly soul punishing the senses with a Deltapunk attack and a heavy helping of rural realism. You can't ignore his Big Damn Band's gospel." -- Elmore

"The tent revival, almost punk energy of the Big Damn Band is a refreshing splash of cold water to the face. Between The Ditches doesn't keep it in the road - it takes up both lanes as it barrels along." -- Living Blues

"The country blues is a gift of 20th century American music, and it's awesome to see a band tap into its legacy with so much gusto and original vision." - Music City Roots

"These guys are a hillbilly blues throwback ensemble, though, and no amount of refinement can really push them off their mark. Peyton's voice still croaks, shouts, and roars, and his unique, kinetic slide guitar playing, whether it's a '30s National guitar, a cigar-box guitar, a Gibson flattop 1929 L2, or an Airline Map electric guitar, still drives and churns like a runaway train." - Allmusic

"The latest from Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Between The Ditches on SideOneDummy Records is, in short, a revelation. An amazingly well crafted, controlled explosion of talent, the range and depth of the music performed by the trio is remarkable." - American Blues Scene

"With his wife, Breezy, serving as a one-woman amen corner, and distant cousin Aaron Persinger laying down the floppy-boot-stomp drums behind Peyton's spiky, waspish National steel slide guitar on tracks like "Something for Nothing", the result is a peculiarly infectious blues crusade, touching on themes of money, morality and social responsibility." - The Independent (UK)

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band is a twenty-year-old bourbon in a room of vodka Red Bulls and PBRs; vintage yet timeless, exciting and still welcoming..." -MXDWN.COM

"The focal point and ring leader Reverend J. Peyton is the star of the show here flashing a guitar style that elates the ear, at times flying all over the fret board and equally delicately picking with ease." - Glide Magazine

The Dodgy Mountain Men

Dodgy Mountain Men sling a home-brewed Montana stompgrass that goes down smooth but packs a bite, mixing the rhythms of bluegrass, the soul of the blues and the energy of rock 'n' roll with a plethora of other musical traditions to create a diverse electro acoustic experience. The group's genre-bending experimentation and passion for American roots traditions weave together to emphasize their lyrical storytelling, creating a musical frontier rife with empty mason jars, outlaws, gypsy women and cold Montana storms. Add original voices, unique instrumentation, and live performances that build to a fever pitch,and you've got a concoction that will make moonshiners proud and compel dancers to wear out the soles of their shoes.

Dodgy Mountain Men released their debut album, "Stronger than Death," in the spring of 2012 and have played shows across the country in support of the album. Over the last two years they have played premium slots at festivals including the John Hartford Memorial Festival (IN), Spring Blossom (PA), Love Your Mother Earth Festival (MT) and River City Roots (MT), to name a few. They have also had the pleasure of sharing more intimate stages with acts such as The Devil Makes Three, Greensky Bluegrass, Scott Biram, Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons, Whitewater Ramble, Dead Winter Carpenters, Fruition, Hillstomp, and many more. DMM intend to follow their music wherever it takes them, like the rhythm and roar of a freight train crisscrossing the tapestry of the Great American West.