Vermillion Lies with Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band
The Great American Music Hall
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
Established in 1907, The Great American Music Hall is San Francisco’s oldest nightclub. It is located on O’Farrell Street in the Tenderloin district. Getting to the venue is a simple matter – just take any Market Street bus to Van Ness and then any Van Ness bus to O’Farrell Street. It is a short walk further and just down the street from the also famous Mitchell Brothers O’Farrell Theatre. Almost immediately upon stepping inside the club you begin to notice the ornate woodwork of the columns and balconies along the edge of the main floor.
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band was the first of the two co-headlining acts of the evening to take the stage. The big damn band consists of a trio hailing from Indiana – the reverend on guitar and harmonica, his wife on the washboard and brother on drums. The act is full of energy and engages the audience between songs.
The reverend serves up a rowdy mix of blues evocative of 1930’s depression era for the modern day. The songs cover a variety of subjects such as “Your Cousin’s On Cops”, “Wal-Mart Killed The Country Store”, “DT’s Or The Devil”, and “Mama’s Fried Potatoes”. Audience participation is encouraged with instruction given during the breaks to provide the appropriate training of the crowd provided backing vocals or clapping percussion for the upcoming song.
After a fiery finish to the big damn band’s act, it’s time for a short break while the stage is set for the next act. This also a great time to make the circle and hit the restroom, merch tables, bar for a fresh drink, and look around a bit more. For most shows, the stairs are open and additional seating is available upstairs in the balconies. However, with only a small crowd the upstairs area remained closed. Also for most shows at this venue, dinner tickets can be purchased as an alternative to the basic show tickets. For an additional fee you can get a seat at one of the tables surrounding the main floor and get a dinner choice served from the limited nightly menu.
The house lights dim and Vermillion Lies open their act. An environmentally conscious act, these sisters from Oakland travel in a bio-diesel powered tour van. Adorned with flair fashioned from bills and encouraging crowd donations on account of their birthdays they delivered a range of clever folk ballads, silly circus marches, and sultry southern tunes. Instrumentally, the sisters rely on a host of makeshift instruments recovered from the local dump. The instruments range from an old barbecue grill, typewriter, toy piano, kazoo depending on the particular song. Between songs, a trunk is opened to produce the instrument for the upcoming song. This becomes a game between the sisters and the audience. The crowd is prompted to ask the question
“What’s In The Box?” each time before the box is opened to reveal the next new item.
The evening is wrapped up with an encore including a crowd pleasing sing along about global warming and a stirring ballad conceived in New Orleans.