It’s the middle of a blustery day in February and Damien DeRose is sitting in his makeshift recording studio in his Doylestown apartment talking about all things music. A mix of songs is playing in the background, and when John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero” comes on, DeRose makes sure to stop and point out a line from the song.

            “You didn’t really ask me where I got the name Peasant from,” DeRose says, “This song had a lot to do with it.”

 

            “Peasant” certainly fits this 22-year-old, and not because he takes the humble route in his performances by suiting up with just an acoustic guitar. It’s because DeRose embodies the working class musician.

            The newest Peasant album, On The Ground, arrives this week on Paper Garden Records; DeRose's first album on a record label comes at the culmination of years of hard work.

            Along with self-releasing three albums, DeRose estimates he has played over 300 shows, including a month-long tour in Europe. The constant work, from online promotion to commuting to New York City for shows, has taken its toll.

 

            “As far as my own DIY booking and selling ethic, it’s petered out,” he admits, “I’ve finally got to a point where I've got a label and people are pulling for me. I'm like, 'All right. I’m fucking done. I can’t do [DIY] anymore.'”

            Still, DeRose says he’s more motivated than ever to make music, even if that means not having a day job and living hand-to-mouth for a little while longer.

            “I’ve been scraping by from playing shows. I played a birthday party the other night. It was a cool birthday. It was twins and one of the twins is really into Peasant. So, he was all about it. The rest of the kids were like, ‘Who the hell is this guy? Why isn’t he playing anything recognizable?’ So, between that and the couple of dollars I get from every show, I can pay the rent.”

 

            Along with signing to a label, DeRose is working with MayDay Management, whom he met through fellow Bucks County band Illinois. For his newest album, DeRose recorded with Paul and Ryan Cobb (of the band The Cobbs) at their studio, instead of recording it all at home, as he did with previous albums.

            DeRose admits that all of these changes have taken some getting used to, but he sees the evolution as necessary. 

            “If I was doing the same thing I was doing three years ago, I wouldn’t be proud of myself at all. I really think recording with the Cobbs was awesome. It was a pinnacle of understanding.

            “But at the same time, the only reason those songs worked was because I had them written and recorded before, and I could essentially play them exactly the same way the demos were. I have a demo of every single song on that record, and some of them sound better, like 'Those Days.' I think the demo sounds better musically, but sonically they made it sound better.”

 

            As a compromise, On The Ground has been split into two parts, the first being the 10-day Cobb session, and the second being DeRose’s home recordings. It’s all part of what DeRose calls “letting go” and not trying to control all the aspects of his music, from how his label promotes him to how he’s received by the press. As a solo artist, DeRose says that can sometimes be very tough.

            “It's even more [difficult] when you are doing the recording of every instrument. It’s not like Damien Rice doing the acoustic part and having the band back him up. I’m writing the band’s parts, too. It’s really personal to me and it really freaks me out when I read something online about me...when it's not at all the case.”

 

            But for the most part, recent press for Peasant has been really good. Along with a recent write-up by Brooklyn Vegan, Peasant was featured on Spin.com. The magazine posted a video of DeRose performing in a New York City subway car.

            “But you can’t ever get enough press,” DeRose says with a laugh when asked about the articles. “I don’t really ask how many records we’re selling ‘pre-sale,' but I don’t think we’re really going crazy right now. And that’s what it comes down to. You can get a band that gets amazing press, but doesn’t sell records. I’m afraid that’s what’s going to happen to me.”

            Of course, DeRose is looking to prevent that by playing at SXSW in Austin this March and doing a tour in Germany later this spring. Before all that, he’ll be playing his CD release show at the Cigar Parlor in Doylestown this Saturday.

 

            Like many of the musicians that call Bucks County home, DeRose does not label himself a Philadelphia musician, noting that he “is not playing a release show in Philly.” He spoke highly about being part of the Bucks County community that includes bands like Illinois and Drink Up Buttercup.

            “Bucks County is pretty hot right now, and it’s different. It’s not New York and it’s not Philly,” he says. “I think Bucks County -- it’s very funny because people don’t give it much credit -- but it is historically an art area. I don’t think any of us come from that artistic royalty background, but there’s something about this area. They encourage the arts...There’s always been kind of a weird music scene here. We sort of picked it up and kept going with it.”

 

            Along with distinguishing himself geographically, DeRose also sees what he is doing as being different from most of the national music landscape, especially when it comes to recording. 

            “There’s something missing in music right now. Most of the shit you hear is just overproduced. It doesn’t use the qualities we all have -- our voices, harmonies. It’s just really dead.

            “Music has this psychological side. Certain things are totally subconscious. I think a side of production is capitalizing on that. They know that people like to have their ear drums berated by this frequency, so they’ll turn the bass up, and people won’t even realize why they like it. We are in a battle -- in so many things -- but mostly between artists who are trying to do something real and then the corporate machine that knows ‘technically’ what people like. We’re losing that real connection.”

 

            Much like his last effort, Fear Not, Distant Lover, his newest album is a very personal record. With finger-picking acoustic guitar parts and fragile melodies, Peasant often gets compared to the likes of Elliot Smith.

            “I used to love (Smith), but I realized that I needed to stop listening to him. As a singer-songwriter, writing everything and recording everything, it was just too easy to use him as an example. I also think he’s just too sad. I don’t want to be too influenced by that really dark, depression thing. But conversely, I love Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys, and he was pretty fucked up.”

 

            If nothing else, DeRose views his music as a ticket to see the world.

            “I’ve benefited every time I’ve taken a long trip. I really hope that I’m getting to a point with my music that it will take me somewhere else. And I love this place. I want to live here; I know that. I want this to be my home base. But, I want to meet more people. I want to go out and share my music with someone. Sometimes, I have shows where I feel like everyone benefited from it -- even myself. I just want to do that every night.”

 

 

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