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Where Your Passion Will Take You

Published: September 1, 2011 in Inspiration, Listen

RevPeyton@FRC

Who knew that apples and cider would connect me to the creative musicians behind Rev Peyton’s Big Damn Band? As a sideline to his Floyd Fest filming, Todd Godbout and MyJoogTV visited Foggy Ridge with Breezy, Cuz and the Rev in tow. We talked about vegetable gardens, hand hewn log homes, Indiana apples and, of course, music.

The Rev’s long time inspiration, Charley Patton, was a topic, as was that rare quality “authenticity”. All you have to do to see Rev Peyton’s authenticity is listen to their music video, Clap Your Hands. That and their latest album, Peyton on Patton, which played at Foggy Ridge all weekend. My dictionary defines “authentic” as “of undisputed origin” or “made or done in the traditional or original way”. The Rev, who owns every recording Patton ever made, spoke eloquently about all aspects of Charley Patton’s life, from his life at Dockery Plantation to his early singing, playing and composing what we now call the Delta Blues, betraying a familiarity that spoke of long study and deep affection. The Rev, Breezy and Cuz live in hand hewn log homes on a remote farm in Indiana, so of course our July conversation covered tomatoes, beans, night skies full of stars and mosquitoes, and other summer rural talk.

It’s always the deep dive that hooks me—the consuming, driving interest that takes one person into all the intimacies of another life or a subject. Charley Patton is that deep interest for The Rev, who spoke as if he’d just finished a set at Floyd Fest with his buddy Charley. Every Patton guitar lick, turn of phrase and technique are as familiar to The Rev as his own instruments piled in the red van in Foggy Ridge’s parking lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For me, it’s apples. When I see Pomme Gris ripening in the Old Orchard, the small brown apples pulling limbs close to the ground, I feel the rusty skin in the palm of my hand and taste the crisp spicy flesh. I know this apple, and scores more, because I’m in their life, and they are without a doubt in mine.

So take a break and listen to wisdom from The Rev on MyJoogTV’s interview at Foggy Ridge.

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Foggy Ridge Cider