The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band is a 3-piece American roots blues band, playing original music in the style of rural blues musicians of the 1920s and 1930s. Hailing from good 'ole Indianapolis, they have recently been signed to a national label, SideOneDummy Records and are pleased to announce the release of a new album "The Whole Fam Damnily" on August 5th.

Coinciding with the release, The Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band will be playing a super-fun all-ages FREE in-store show at Indy CD & Vinyl at 806 Broad Ripple Avenue on August 5th at 6:00pm!

Want to know more about the band? Read on my friend:

Josh "Rev" Peyton was born April 12, 1981 in rural Eagletown, Indiana. His brother Jayme was born in 1983. Their father was a concrete man, as well as performing many interesting jobs during the winter months for extra money, from plowing snow, chopping wood, and for a time trapping. Rev Peyton's first introduction to music was via his father's record collection of blues-oriented rock, including Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young and Bob Dylan. At 13, Rev Peyton's father gave him an electric guitar and amp. Shortly after, Jayme Peyton started playing the drums and, with a bass player formed a band called Drive-Thru and played parties. A friend pointed out the blues sound of Rev Peyton's guitar playing, sending Peyton off on an exploration of the blues of BB King, Muddy Waters and Muddy Water's cousin Bukka White. Further exploration led to pre-World War II "country blues", and a desire to learn the finger-picking style of artists like Charlie Patton, but at the time Peyton was unable to master it, instead playing more pick-oriented blues. Peyton played a party following his high school graduation, and the next morning suffered excruciating pain in his hands. Doctors told Peyton he'd never be able to hold his left hand in fretting position again. At that point, he gave up on music and spent a year working as the desk clerk in a hotel.

Peyton sought other medical advice, and eventually the Indiana Hand Center operated on his left hand, and removed a mass of scar tissue. While recovering from surgery, Rev Peyton met Breezy. She introduced him to the music of Jimbo Mathis and the Squirrel Nut Zippers, and he introduced her to delta blues. When the bandages were removed, Peyton discovered a new flexibility in his fretting hand that enabled him to play in the "finger" style that had long eluded him.

Breezy bought a washboard, and started writing songs with Rev Peyton and Jayme Peyton. A trip to Clarksdale, Mississippi inspired them to resume playing music, and their first gigs were at Melody Inn Tavern in Indianapolis, Indiana. The band played blues festivals, headlined two nights at actor Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, and tours as the opening act for Mary Prankster.

Eventually, a 40 hour drive from Indianapolis to El Centro, California to open for the Derek Trucks Band and Susan Tedeschi convinced the band to devote themselves to music and touring full-time. They received an offer from a blues record label, but discovered that they had sold more copies of their independently pressed CD "The Pork'n'Beans Collection" at their concerts than the label had managed to sell of any of their other artists. Since that time, The Big Damn Band has been touring the United States, and a tour of blues festivals in Italy, Norway, and Switzerland, pausing only for holidays and to record their next CD "Big Damn Nation" with producer Paul Mahern and Jimbo Mathis. Their 2007 and 2008 tours includes opening dates for the Celtic punk band Flogging Molly and progressive bluegrass band Hot Buttered Rum.

In June of 2008, they signed with Los Angeles-based SideOneDummy Records. They will release "The Whole Fam Damily" on August 5th, 2008 through the label.

Rev Peyton is a Kentucky Colonel.

Their music is featured in the award-winning film Mississippi Cold Case by Canadian documentarian David Ridgen.