Peasant (artist)

Damien Nicholas DeRose grew up in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, a small town where he began writing and recording in his bedroom in high school.[3] He first toured the greater part of the U.S. in 2005 as a solo artist. The following year, he self-released his first collection of recordings, Fear Not Distant Lover; and toured the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands. Upon returning home, Peasant toured the U.S. a second time, and ended in Canada for Montreal’s 2006 Popfest. Soon after the Popfest, he signed his first official record deal with Paper Garden Records and began recording On The Ground with Paul and Ryan Cobb (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club et al.) ‘The Cobbs’.

On the Ground was released in 2008 on Paper Garden Records.[4] The album was distributed through Conor Oberst’s label, Team Love. In 2009, Peasant recorded a Daytrotter Session and was featured on NPR's All Songs Considered blog "Second Stage" [magazine 1] In addition to being featured on Bones, two songs from On The Ground, "Fine is Fine" and "Those Days," were featured on ABC’s Kyle XY; and "Fine is Fine" was featured on Showtime’s United States of Tara.

In 2010, Peasant released his 3rd album, Shady Retreat, which was entirely recorded on his own and had songs from it featured on a number of network shows, including ABC's Private Practice.

In 2012, Peasant released Bound for Glory on Schnitzel Records. Shortly after, MTV featured Peasant’s ‘Amends’ on its Stop/Watch program, where DeRose debuted his band at MTV's Time Square Studio. The newly formed live band appeared on BBC Radio with Marc Riley while on tour in the UK and sold out shows across the continent from Zurich to London. Music from Bound for Glory has also been used by NBC’s Parenthood, CBS’s The Good Wife and, again, Private Practice, twice on "Bones", "The United States of Tara", "Kyle XY", and more of the top-most shows at the time.

Damien DeRose struggled with the disease of addiction for years before a desperate act of burglary, for which he served time incarcerated, and made restitution, at a time addiction was not seen as the disease it is, and many followed this route before dying, or for the luckier ones, incarcerated, or surviving this brain altering disease. Survival rates from opioid addiction are slim. Incarcerated, Damien as all others suffering this disease, was given no aid for survival of withdrawal or recovery. Released in 2015, Damien DeRose remained in self recovery until a fatal relapse on Nov 2, 2015, just prior to his comeback performances. He is remembered not for what destruction opioids have on a person, but for his true character and great loss to the music community. Damien DeRose remained humble and contrite with honest ambition to make amends and pay back to society in any way he could via music and awareness, and addiction support for all those affected by the disease, as well as bringing comfort and hope to those incarcerated unfairly, and ignorantly, without any help. His family remains forever tormented by his suffering his devastating loss too young, and a failed system of justice. Damien's successful self made rise in music and beloved place in his family and community both override and spotlight the devastating costs of addiction that can lead to crime and acts of desperation, while being controlled by the damages to the brain from opioids. Addiction is a disease that masks underlying trauma. Damien will be remembered not for his mistakes, or his disease, but for his achievements and all the people who respect and love him still as the truly beautiful, inspiring person he was. His legacy of music continues as new songs are still being recovered and released.

DeRose died in November 2015 after being in a coma for over two weeks.[5]

DeRose's family and friends posthumously released a collection of unreleased songs on an album titled Home, which was released in December 2016.A second release entitled "Ancient Buried Scenes" was released in 2019. Both were intended for release by Damien before his death. There remain hundreds of songs his mother intends to release in near future. Several associated artists collaborate to make this possible.

A newest release "Lost Recordings-PartOne-" was out in September of 2021, with more releases to come.