Peasant Indie / Folk / Alternative Doylestown, Pennsylvania, United States Peasant is the perfectly chosen nom de plume of Pennsylvania's alt folkster Damien DeRose. His tender, weather-beaten vocals and sparse, guitar-driven tunes ache for a simpler life, a world that's long since disappeared. Damien doesn't so much play guitar as gently caress it, teasing out hypnotic, captivating tunes that are as sweet as a sugared peach [...]

Time spent in Doylestown, PA led Damien DeRose to hone and develop the twist and turns of his alter ego, Peasant, and his unmistakable songs. In February 2008, Peasant put out his third release, On The Ground , on Paper Garden Records . This is an album that is filled with quiet, catchy folk pop whispers of songs. DeRose's song writing ability is magnificent and the production only adds to it. In the corners of each song you find distant notes and cadences that energize his melodious voice and rhythmic guitar. The greatest [...]

It was back in July that I told you the man called Peasant had just finished recording his Paper Garden debut record, On the Ground . Well it us finally here, and even more beautiful then I could have imagined. Damien DeRose is from Doylestown, PA, and he has the ability allow all of his experience, passion, and heart to slowly and softly drift through speakers and into open minds. Listen to : Those Days ( mp3 ) As a young boy I [...]

Myspace // Peasant "The Wind" [mp3] // Darla Farmer "Dirty Keys" [mp3] Paper Garden Records is having its first ever SXSW appearance this year, teaming up with After The Jump and Indie Outlaw to throw the most irresistible party there is at SXSW. With Speakerheart on board as our main sponsor and a great partner for Paper Garden, we have all come together to give you the best musical experience of all! Oh, and I guess [...]
Peasant - On the Ground Damien Derose is more than the sum of his parts. Guy + guitar + floating folk melodies is an equation that has tried far too many times, but it's surprisingly easy to embrace this record. His vocals are light and the comfort of the double tracked falsettos really thickens the songs and lets the images dance around your headphones. The guitar work is understated, but well done. He creates floating, dreamy textures and you can easily settle into his magical world. Everyone wants to be the next Elliott Smith [...]

When given the new album On The Ground by Doylestown, PA native Peasant (aka Damien DeRose), I must admit thatt I was a bit wary. Typically I have to have the urge to listen to the indie-folk man with guitar genre, I usually do not seek it out. Until now. From the opening with a country-twinged "The Wind" to the ending with the airy "Impeccable Manners", this album held my rapt attention. Peasant makes his guitar a second voice, blending perfectly with soft, almost wispy vocals. Lyrically, his writing is heartfelt and introspective, a dove-tailed fit [...]
Who: Peasant Location: Doylestown, PA Thoughts: Listening to Peasant is like listening to about a million singer/songwriters that have come before him. With hints of folks like Bright Eyes, Elliott Smith, and Damien Rice, the man has gained quite the following, but to me it all comes out sounding like an unoriginal derivative of everything that has come before it. His voice is nice and melodic
Yesterday I let you guys know about the first After the Jump show going down at SXW now here I bring news of the second! This one might be even better then the first, and it's not just because of the free booze and BBQ though it certainly doesn't hurt! This show is a daytime showcase and is being headlined by the always amazing Cloud Cult!!! As always with SXSW shows, we know you have about a

It's been awhile (since November, actually) but with the glut of decent music coming into the QBiM office lately, I thought it was high time to resurrect this weekly weekend feature. And to make this kick-start even sweeter, here's your chance to win a copy of each of this week's featured CDs! All you have to do is: a) join the Quick Before It Melts Facebook group ; b) write a message on the wall saying you want the four free CDs; and c) sit back and wait. Easy enough? Though so. Don't worry if you don't [...]

T he irresistible charm of the arrangements and vocals on Peasant's full length On The Ground released by Paper Garden Records has folk pop elegance and unexpected detailing. The songs of love and loss are genuinely stated. Warm and dreamy vocal harmonies are delicately entwined with inventive composition. It is seductive and yes beautiful. Peasant's music is like the Sirens persuasively calling from the distance. The sounds are muted as if to [...]
Peasant's Damien DeRose has the acoustic troubador stylings of many of the excellent artists that have come before him, but it would be unfair to categorize him merely based on precedent. Peasant's new album, On the Ground, may look and feel like something familiar, but it shines with a confessionary storytelling that is refreshingly his own. Peasant - Stop For Her You can read a Gothamist
Another Monday, another batch of new albums, old tour dates, very old music moguls and very new titty jokes from our own Jose Fritz in the Monday Morning Newsletter MVD Visual released "Busted Circuits and Ringing Ears," the sordid story of the Grunge rock innovating band Tad last week. For those of us that have seen it, there was a moment of Zen in realizing the band no matter how great, really was too ugly for MTV. Sundazed Records has released [...]

This week marks my 3rd visit to Blog Fresh Radio. (Lazy folks can FF to 16:59 for the commentary) On this installment, I discuss Damien DeRose, better known simply as Peasant. Read our recent interview with him here. MP3 below. MP3: Peasant - Exposure
Love is many spendored thing but when there is music involved, the heart strings really sing. St. Valentines is back and its time to let these acoustic music masters do there magic. Grab some wine, lower the lights, and press play now. Click Button To Play | Right-Click To Download Here are the songs heard on this podcast and links to each artists website. Check them out. Adam Schmitt - "The Morning After" (Minnesota's Own) Jason Moss - "Face My Fears" [...]

All this week, local musicians (and some out-of-towners) descend upon the Northern Liberties section of Philly, more specifically one venue, The Fire . Most nights have what seems to be a theme. So pick your favorites and get there early. This place is small and is guaranteed to fill up quick. Check out the entire line-up here . Here are some of the highlights: Cowmuddy Tuesday night features a definite folk overtone. Be sure to check out [...]

Our latest Q&A session features up & coming vocalist & multi instrumentalist, Peasant. Enjoy the full convo plus an MP3 below: 1. Can you tell us the origin of your moniker in 20 words or less? I felt upset, oppressed, and generally put down in a lot of ways. John Lennon. 2. Many have likened your sound to Elliott Smith, Nick Drake & Jose Gonzalez amongst others. Do you find those to be fair comparisons? I do, but those artists have all [...]

Here is an updated calendar. Hot Chip and Joanna Newsom both perform this weekend but their shows have long been sold out. There are still somethings going on. Phosphorescent and new French Kiss signees The DoDos play Union Pool Saturday. I heard good things about their Mercury Lounge show on Monday. Singer-songwriter Peasant is playing coffee shops all over the city this weekend. It might be a nice change of scenery than the normal venues. Peasant is on Paper Garden, which is also the home of [...]

DOWNLOAD: Peasant - Exposure (MP3) DOWNLOAD: Peasant - Icy Deep (MP3) Peasant (aka Damien DeRose) began a 5-night run of live shows in NYC last night at Cake Shop. I am mad at myself for not getting this up sooner, but at least he still has 4 NYC shows to go. I can blame the server upgrade for my slacking, and I can also thank Peasant for making the kind of music to [...]
EAR FARM's Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted each week. This week - three from Paper Garden Records . Click on the artist name to go to their site, click on the song name to listen to the song. Listen: Darla Farmer - "Dirty Keys" Eagle*Seagull - "Your Beauty Is A Knife I Turn On My Throat" Peasant - "Exposure"

East Coast: get ready! All dates below. Jan 30 Cocoa Bar, NYC (NY) Jan 31 Think Coffee, NYC (NY) Feb 2 Red Horse Cafe, Brooklyn (NY) Feb 3 The Fig Cafe, Jenkintown (PA) Feb 10 Rockwood Music Hall, NYC (NY) Feb 16 The Fire, Philadelphia (PA) Mar 13 Planetary Party - SXSW, Austin (TX) Learn more about Peasant here. MP3: Peasant - Birds [ alt link ]