Band of the Week: Peasant

Sure there are occasional overnight success stories in music, but more often than not a musician has to be patient and persistent in order to see the songs they are so passionate about find an audience. Chances are the song you are falling in love with today was written one, two, or even three years ago. Albums get self-released, repackaged and released, and then perhaps find the right marketing and support. It's a long process especially when you are first starting out in the business.

This is the story of Damien DeRose (aka Peasant). It was back in July 2007 that I first mentioned Peasant's debut album, On The Ground. The album was released in a limited edition in February 2008, but it was not until its most recent release in January that On The Ground really started to breakthrough. Damien's music has always had that clean and sincere universal sound, but as he finds his song making their way on to television show like United States of Tara and Kyle XY his brand of pop is finally reaching a broader audience.

This week Peasant's new video for his song "We're Good" is being featured on mtvU's The Freshman (Go Vote!), so I thought it would be a perfect week to ask Damien a few questions.

Orange Alert (OA): On the Ground was released last month by Paper Garden Records, what can you tell us about this album?
Damien DeRose (DD): On The Ground is a collection of older home recordings, newer home recordings, and studio recordings, all done before 2008. The songs are split down the middle basically, so once you get to track 9 you've made it to the home-cooked stuff. There is a clever little design feature on the back, those songs are listed "upside down", to signify they are "different". I like both halves myself, the first one was done on a big old school tape machine with some help from The Cobbs in their parents basement, and it sounds like butter, quality-wise. The second half is all me though, it might not be as "buttery", but it's got more of my personal style to it. I was a little bit short of time working in the studio and when I work at home I spend loads of time sleeping by my computer, waking up, pushing record, and going. Rinse. Repeat.

OA: What has your expience been like with Paper Garden?
DD: PGR aka Bryan Vaughan and the many other faces he has assembled for his label, are really great. We are growing up together you might say, my second record (I had a self released one in 2005), his second record (he did eagle seagull's first before we met). It's not like Sony records and I'm glad quite frankly (easy to say i know), but all the stories you hear about being forced to market yourself a certain way, wear dumb clothes, get a mohawk, use lipstick etc, that's not going to happen with a label like PGR. He lets me do my thing and I let him do his, there is a lot of artistic freedom involved which is Numero Uno for me. I will not be directed, it's against my genes. So for instance, the next thing we're doing is a 7" single coming out in March(not from On The Ground, NEW NEW stuff), I was able to choose the artwork, do all of the production, and basically do anything I wanted other than throw shit at a microphone, so you might say I'm pretty happy about how things are going with my label and I. By the way I'm sorry I was never a god of grammar.

OA: The album was actually recorded over a year ago and I believe it was originally set to be released in Feb of 2008. Your patience is now being rewarded in a major way, but was has the last year been like for you?
DD: It was in fact released in a limited fashion last February. Surprise!!!! haha, but it's definitely been a little bit of a waiting game until now though, we are learning how to organize things and dealing with the successes and short comings on a daily basis, yearly also as you can see. I've been working at this for a very long time and I plan on working on it as long as I can breathe, and I know there are many more great things to come. This year has proven to me that I wasn't completely crazy, and that I may not have to eat half a loaf of bread every week, I might get a whole one.

OA: You recently had your music placed on two different television shows that each carry millions of viewers. What is that experience like and did you watch the episode that your music appeared in?
DD: OK well here's what I tell everyone. Imagine it was your song, on TV, and how would that feel? I was jumping up and down, cheering, I even cried. I started off writing songs when I could barely play a chord on the guitar and just kept at it, and now I've got four songs on the boob tube? It really felt amazing. I'm over it now though, as great as it is/was, there are even more amazing things to come.

OA: You worked with Chris Carey to create the wonderful video for "We're Good". What was the filming process like and how music input did you have on the concept?
DD: Ha. Ha. Ha. I flew to Georgia. I slept on Chris Carey's floor. He rented a truck. We packed up his entire kitchen and bedroom basically. Brought it to the swamp and made a video in one day of shooting. He is a great director and I am sure he will keep doing amazing things. The Bear himself had a great sense of humor, and I spent most of the day lolligagging and playing a toy piano by a pond and/or laying in bed dangerously close to the water.

OA: What's next for Peasant?
DD: A single, then a full length, by the end of the year. This music will be self-produced and it's going to be harder for people to genrelize it(i made up the word). I've got so many tracks I'm working on right now and they are all like little weird paintings about love and life and getting by. I am thinking about the troubles of our times, the realities of our lives, and the little things that aren't noticed, and I'm writing songs about it all.

For more information on Peasant please visit his website.