The holiday season is for giving, and no one is more in spirit than Peasant, a.k.a. Damien DeRose, a blossoming Pennsylvania-based troubadour, who made the trip to the Big Apple to treat yuletide commuters to tunes from his forthcoming LP, On the Ground. With a team dispersing free downloads cards — creatively fashioned like a subway pass — for his new record, Peasant boarded the train with a Santa Hat rightfully in place, and performed a series of delicate, lucid, and life-perceptive tracks as his voice quaked over the squeals and grinds of the train’s steel tracks. Commuters, though seasoned to subway buskers, were caught of guard and evidently enjoyed Peasant set — and many more likely did, too: the young songsmith, and his crew of merry cronies, hit the underground for three days straight, spreading the greatest gift of all — music.
Check out video of Peasant performing “Exposure” on the L train in New York City, and pick up On the Ground when it drops Feb. 26 via Paper Garden. Oh, and “Stand Clear of the Closing Doors Please.” WILLIAM GOODMAN
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