The Whole Fam Damnily

The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 5, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Side One Dummy
• ASIN: B001B92EIA
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,786 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes I lose, sometimes I get lucky, December 10, 2008

By 

loce_the_wizard "loce_the_wizard" (Lilburn, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Whole Fam Damnily (Audio CD)

The Whole Fam Damnily by The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band explodes off the blocks with Can't Pay the Bill, a stinging screed about the state of health insurance, and chugs along with other rants and revelries that capture the hardships and triumphs of folks living on the margins.

There is a high, lonesome romp in the amazing Worn Out Shoe, a madcap moment of recognition in the very funny Your Cousin's On Cops, barely tramped-down rage in tracks such as The Creek's Are All Bad or Walmart Killed The Country Store. (I have to say, though, that by the end of the album, I'm ready to move on to other tales, other voices, other viewpoints.)

The Reverend Peyton plays a mean guitar and his singing is more likely to raise the hackles on your neck than soothe your soul. His so called Big Damn band is mainly the percussion (drums and washboard) that help keep matters chugging along a pretty full tilt. Also, The Reverend knows how to work a lyric and can infuse a fair amount of emotion into his lines.

If there is an underlying theme here, it might be from the chorus to Worn Out Shoe: "Sometimes I lose, sometimes I get lucky." This recording is one of the best Americana releases of the year and likely the best one that no one is listening to. I was lucky to stumble across this gem.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A bolt of lightning in a darkened world, June 5, 2009

By 

Whispering Veal- "whisperingveal" (Redington Shores, Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Whole Fam Damnily (Audio CD)

This disc is miraculous. It demonstrates unquestionably that the blues can be a vibrant, living musical form. The guitar licks and the song forms are each unique, with none of the common tactic of putting new words to essentially old music. The musicianship is good, but straightforward. The lyrics are simple but clever. Also, and most importantly, the lyrics (for the most part) convey a powerful message and the songs are sung with heartfelt emotion. There are a couple of fun romps (Fried Potatos and Persimmon Song), but in the main the songs bemoan the state of the world (sometimes with humor, as in Your Cousins on Cops) and our place in it. It's a rare disc that is moving, fun, and set to a pulse-pounding beat and slide guitar. For my taste, too many modern blues albums unimaginatively redo songs written decades ago. Some of those albums are good, but this disc takes the blues sentiment and thoughtfully and creatively applies it to our post-modern, post common sense life accompanied with music that is great to hear. My favorite songs are Everybody's Getting Paid But Me, John Hughes, Worn Out Shoe, and Your Cousins on Cops. Don't hesitate to buy this disc.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple, but good..., September 23, 2008

By 

Sean Thomson "The Honky Hendrix" (Columbia, South Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Whole Fam Damnily (Audio CD)

Well, if you mix Dom Flemmons (carolina chocolate drops), Charlie Patton and Jack White (from the white stripes) together and have it start smoking at age 10, you've got the Rev. Peyton...

The rhythm section can be a bit weak at times, but it's still awesome... As good as Mama's Fried Potatoes....