Elliott Peck is a very busy woman. Aside from being a talented musician, songwriter, vocalist, bandleader, and member of Midnight North and the Terrapin Family Band, she found time in her coast-to-coast life to bring forth her debut solo album, Further From The Storm: an incredible collection of her personal and soulful songs that cut directly to the soul of every listener who hears her.
The sold-out show at San Rafael’s Terrapin Crossroads was ground zero for the first public presentation of her album in its entirety. Peck's first set was dedicated fully to showcasing her album. Her blues, country, and rock roots come alive with gritty grooves like “I Lost It,” “Highway Song,” and “Good For You, I Guess,” while songs like “Another Life Ago” and “Hard Lines” swirl and flow in a gentle and uplifting way. Her heart is on her sleeve with the pensive “Leave Me By The Sea” and there is sweet tenderness with “Out Sailing.” Peck’s second set was a lovely assortment of covers, Midnight North songs, and of course, it’s not a night at Terrapin without a good old Grateful Dead song.
The dizzying assemblage of high-caliber musicians that played on the album were present as her backing band and included Tim Bluhm & Greg Loiacono (Mother Hips), Stu Allen, Phil Lesh, drummers Sean Nelson (Go By Ocean), Kevin Hayes (Robert Cray Band) and Nathan Graham (Midnight North); guitarists Danny Click, Dan Lebowitz, James DePrato (Chuck Prophet) and Grahame Lesh; bassist Jon Payne, mandolin player Jesse Bardwell, pianists Holly Bowling and Alex Jordan as well as multi-instrumentalist wunderkind Jason Crosby, among others.
Peck is clearly a woman in command of what she does with her vision and her dedication to her craft. By creating such deep emotion and honesty with her song, she give us a true understanding into our own psyches while simultaneously reaching into our hearts.