Peavine Special

Melbourne based bluesman Peavine Special didn’t take up the guitar until he was in his early 20s and recovering from the aftermath of a near fatal 3-car collision. After finding a battered $10 acoustic at a garage sale and an old C90 of Robert Johnson tunes that he’d filed away in the back of a drawer he set about learning to play the blues.

“People say that the blues is a sad music but most of the people who say that don’t listen to the music all that much. The blues can be sad when it wants to be but it’s also party music. Most blues songs are about the good things in life – drinking, dancing and f**king. The blues taught me to get off my arse, quit moaning about the hand that life dealt me and just get out there and celebrate what I have.”
Performing electric bottle neck blues without the help of a backing band Peavine’s music recalls John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Mississippi Fred McDowell. He also takes inspiration from the music of the Mississippi Hill Country particularly the artists re-discovered by Fat Possum Records. In addition he draws heavily on contemporary performers such as the Black Keys and the White Stripes.
“I dig what these guys do. They play the blues – the real blues – but in a way that says something about the lives people are living today. The blues has always changed with the times and it’s a constant challenge to sound contemporary while still staying true to the tradition and heritage of the music”.
Currently performing regularly on the Melbourne bar scene Peavine is keen to take his music on the road and show Australia and the world what he can do.
“The blues has some thing very real and important to say. I want to take this message to the people and I want to have a damn good time while I’m doing it!”