Show Preview: Mike Perkins
Jackie O’s
Friday, March 14, 2014
By Sammi Nelson, Contributor
While Milliron and Mill Fests will be raging this weekend, several Uptown Athens bars are going to be featuring fine talent with shows as well. On Friday night, Jackie O’s in particular is hosting the performance of acoustic singer-songwriter Mike Perkins.
Perkins, based out of Columbus, has been on the music scene for almost two decades now. This certainly isn’t the first time Perkins will be playing in Athens, although it will be the first time in almost a year. Perkins has graced Athens with his melodic tunes several times in the past. The majority of his performances have been at Jackie O’s, but the musician has also played several Halloween shows on Court Street as well.
“Athens has always been pretty good to me,” Perkins said.
Before his current act, the singer-songwriter often played in Athens as a member of the band The Shantee, which broke up about 10 years ago.
Perkins typically keeps his performances regional, traveling about as far as New York and Indiana for his shows. “My old band used to tour all over the place,” said Perkins, referring to The Shantee.
He is almost always accompanied by bass player John Zuck and quite often by keyboardist Kevin Sweeney, although Perkins is unsure about whether or not Sweeney will be present at Friday’s show. The group typically plays about three shows a week, adding a fourth to this week’s schedule.
Perkins and his band don’t make setlists for their shows, which usually last about three hours. The group plans to play two sets on Friday. “We could honestly play three full shows without duplicating any material,” said Perkins of his music. “We never really know what we’re going to play until the moment.”
Including both his current act and his work as a member of The Shantee, Perkins has made a grand total of seven albums and two live DVD recordings of his performances. The albums under his current musical title are Sway, Live and Solo and All Things in Time, and both are available for purchase on iTunes. Perkins is currently planning to release his next currently unnamed record this summer.
When asked if he could describe his musical style, Perkins laughed. “I never really know how to answer this question,” the musician said. He explained it as mostly consisting of an upbeat and bouncy acoustic sound, with a few ballads and other additional elements thrown into the mix.
Perkins also described how he can listen to almost any genre so long as it’s done well and authentic. “If I’m listening to something, I’ll almost always like it as long as they’re playing with heart,” Perkins said. “It’s that feeling you get when someone is giving it their all that you know it’s for real.”
Perkins’ music has this light-hearted, charismatic feel to its sound that will definitely get listeners moving along to the beat. The doors open 9 p.m. Friday night at Jackie O’s, with the performance starting at 10 p.m. Be sure to stop by and check this Columbus-based singer-songwriter out.
