Rev Peytons Big Damn Band
Stadtwildnis Gaudenzdorfer Gürtel, 2009
Touring is a family thing for them. The Reverend on the driver’s seat, his wife “Washboard” Breezy next to him and brother Jayme in the back of the van. That is how they cruise through Vienna, telling stories and making nasty jokes while we direct them to the location of the video shoot. The mood is relaxed and fun, although only a few days before most of their personal belongings were stolen out of their van during a show in London. At least the Reverend’s ancient guitars weren’t touched. Together with Breezy’s characteristic washboard percussion, Jayme’s improvised drums and the Reverend’s propulsive voice, these vintage guitars shape the agitating, restless blues sound that makes crowds go wild everywhere. The energy comes across, no matter whether they perform on stage or play two recent songs (“Persimmon Song” and “The Creek’s Are All Bad” from the album “The Whole Fam Damnily”) standing knee-deep within purple meadow flowers in some urban no man’s land.
- Photography
- Simon Brugner
Stadtwildnis Gaudenzdorfer Gürtel
The word Stadtwildnis – translated as urban wilderness – seems like a euphemistic term for a green space that nobody knows what to do with. Or in a more positive way: It is one of the few open spaces in town that haven’t been modelled by urban planning. Surrounded by the busy lanes of Gürtel road, tramway and underground tracks and the concrete riverbed of Wienfluss, the unimproved grassland in Vienna’s 12th district spreads the dismal charm of a film scenery showing the middle of nowhere. The place was used as a sports ground until the 1980s. Nowadays, the only attractions are a fast food restaurant, a gas station and some billboards. In summer, though, everything gets a bit livelier when people walk their dogs or stroll through the blooming meadow.