A funny thing is happening in the Philadelphia music scene. The best music seems to be coming from an area about 30 miles northward, in Pennsylvania’s Bucks County region. With acts like Aderbat and Drink Up Buttercup, Bucks County is becoming home to some amazing acts. 
Doylestown’s own Peasant, aka. Damien Derose, is one such act. For coming from a town most people around the nation have never heard of, Derose has already gained some national cred. The song “Raise Today” was featured on the 2008 season premiere of FOX’s “Bones”.
The most recent release, On The Ground, is nothing short of extraordinary and worthy of the recognition. Filled with unique instrumentation, simple rhythms, and vocals that evoke comparisons to Elliott Smith, On The Ground grabs from from the start.
“Birds”, the harpsichord driven first song, establishes a general foundation for whats to come. Derose’s doubled vocals and self-driven choruses seems to take a page from recent folk greats like the aforementioned Smith, and the still living Bon Iver. “Impeccable Manners” walks us through the life of a man looking back on a love lost, and a life almost unlived.
The aforementioned “Raise Today” asks a question probably everybody has asked at one point in their life, and can identify with. “What is there missing from me, that i see in you?”. Third to last track, “We’re Good”, makes you ask what would happen if the Beatles just had one guy singing. Whether intentional or not, the songs evokes many comparisons to the old British greats.
Derose mixes in a great deal of different instrumentation on this album. With keys, guitars, and the occasional organ sound, Derose’s smooth and calming vocals add the finishing touches.
Peasant is an act you almost want to keep to yourself, out of fear that next thing you know, they are filling up larger venues and you can no longer seem them from a couple feet away in a Philadelphia venue. With the music already getting national TV coverage, it is a possibly.
But in the mean time, definitely check out this album and see Peasant in one of those great Philly venues, March 28th @ Johnny Brenda’s. On The Ground is available now though Paper Garden Records.
Tracklisting:
01. On the Ground
02. The Wind
03. Those Days
04. We’re Good
05. Fine is Fine
06. Stop for Her
07. Exposure
08. Raise Today
09. Missing All You Are
10. Be Free
11. Birds
12. Not your Saviour
13. Impeccable Manners
14. You Don’t Know
Agreed. Love this album here in Kansas City.