Peel. For real. That’s the deal. And that rhymes.

All rhyming aside, this is a band that continues to attract audiences through word of mouth, whether they’re performing at a local venue or even a house party. Everyone in Peel contributes their ideas – whether it’s through various instrumentation, vocals and harmonies, or great songwriting. The combined artistry results in a great collection of music. Peel now has an album on the way from Peek-A-Boo Records.

Peel features the talents of Dakota Smith, Allison Moore, Josh Permenter and Derrick Cheney.

Band photos courtesy of Robert Scales.

DID YOU KNOW?: It’s not often that you meet a future band member at a department store make-up counter while he’s trying on make-up.

That only scratches the surface of Peel’s history, though. Derrick Cheney and Allison Moore had been friends for over 6 years before meeting Josh Permenter through a mutual friend. Allison is a classically trained pianist. Josh had an old Moog sitting around. Derrick dusted off his drum set, and the trio decided to pool their talents to see how they sounded. Josh and Derrick even continued practicing while Allison was away in Russia for 7 months.

It wasn’t long before that fateful day when Derrick bumped into Dakota Smith at the make-up counter, who happened to be trying on products with his then-girlfriend. Derrick mentioned having a rehearsal space – just what Dakota was looking for. They all played together about 5 or 6 times before fate stepped in again and Dakota’s house was flooded by a rainstorm. Many of his personal belongings, including a laptop, an amp and a guitar, were ruined, but the music kept on. Derrick and Josh continued to write songs while Dakota searched for a new home. Thankfully, things are a lot drier now.

And why the name Peel? “Because Pavement was already taken,” chides Derrick.

“Because Peel is a four-letter word,” adds Dakota.

— Laurie Gallardo