Jim Perkins

Artist Information

Biography

Jim Perkins began playing guitar and writing songs in college and that's when the music bug bit him. He was consumed by an overwhelming yearning to perform, no matter how large or small the crowd, from friends to complete strangers.

Jim started booking shows in 2001 at coffee shops in his hometown and in the southeast. He released his debut album, "Maker of Dreams", in 2002 before traveling the U.S. and Canada. Jim gained a loyal audience in Augusta and played over 220 shows in 2006 alone. His audience has grown all over the southeast and continues to climb with every new venue he plays.

He's shared the stage with Chris Barron (of the Spin Doctors), Sam Thacker, Jennifer Daniels, Angie Aparo, Ken Block & Drew Copeland of Sister Hazel, Nashville Star winner and country music star Chris Young, Doug Jones of Cravin' Melon, and John Corabi (Formerly of Motley Crue "Self Titled Motley Crue", RATT, Union, The Scream, ESP Eric Singer Project) and Grammy winning guitarist Zach Myers of SHINEDOWN to name a few.

His singing and songwriting is some of the best in acoustic music today. He easily and gracefully moves from Alternate Country to Americana to Singer Songwriter to Blues without missing a beat. His lyrics are heartfelt, moving and honest; authentic tales of everyday life that can’t be expressed in any other way. Many have compared his songs and show style to popular artists such as Ray LaMontagne, Edwin McCain, Ryan Adams, Marc Broussard, Emerson Hart (of Tonic), and Dave Matthews.

Jim has released two other full band albums, most recently "Broken Record Reasons", and a live solo acoustic album (recorded in Augusta, GA while opening up for Spin Doctors' Chris Barron) entitled "Jim Perkins Live". Jim also released a single that has gained a HUGE following at all of his shows, entitled "Somebody Like You". Both albums and the single are available absolutely everywhere online: iTunes, cdbaby, Amazon, Rhapsody and more!!

Jim's performances are positive and fun. With great stage manner and intimate interactions with the audience, Jim knows what to say, catering to his broad range of listeners. He's quick on the draw and has witty humor. Jim’s ability to leave his captive audiences wanting more is second to none.

Jim currently resides in Athens, GA.

Instrumentation

Jim Perkins - acoustic guitar, vocals

Discography

I have three independently released albums: one that was released in 2002 called "Maker of Dreams" and just released two new albums, one with the full band, "Broken Record Reasons" and the other a live acoustic album, "Jim Perkins Live". Jim also released a single that has gained a HUGE following at all of his shows, entitled "Somebody Like You". Both albums and the single are available absolutely everywhere online: iTunes, cdbaby, Amazon, Rhapsody and more!!
"Broken Record Reasons" has been receiving regular airplay on The Radar Radio on Sunday nights on 95 ROCK, 95.1 FM.

Official Website

http://www.JimPerkinsLive.com

Links

• Facebook
• Last.fm
• Reverbnation
• Twitter
• MySpace
• iTunes
• cdbaby
• Amazon.com - Broken Record Reasons
• Amazon.com - Jim Perkins Live

Audio

• Somebody Like You
  Listen  
• Broken Record Reasons
  Listen  
• Jerk Song
  Listen  
• Just Stay
  Listen  
• Before The Rescue
  Listen  
• Barricade
  Listen  
• Something's Gotta Give
  Listen  
• Firecracker
  Listen  
• Without You
  Listen  
• Gray
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Somebody Like You
• Broken Record Reasons
• Jerk Song
• Just Stay
• Before The Rescue
• Barricade
• Something's Gotta Give
• Firecracker
• Without You
• Gray

Video

Firecracker (live)

Without You (live)

Photo Gallery

Press

• LIVE MUSIC: JIm PERKINS Local musician Prepares for Nashville move with New CD in Hand [+ Show ]
  

  LIVE MUSIC: JIm PERKINS Local musician Prepares for Nashville move with New CD in Hand Singer/songw...LIVE MUSIC: JIm PERKINS Local musician Prepares for Nashville move with New CD in Hand
  Singer/songwriter Jim Perkins took an unconventional road establishing himself as a musician. He did not pick up a guitar or write songs until he was in college. An Augusta native, he grew up in a rural area with no access to cable or music videos, so he taught himself to play without the advantage of watching the artists on television. Thus, it should come as no surprise that his second and third albums — Broken Record Reasons, a band project, and Jim Perkins Live, recorded at a solo acoustic performance — buck the industry trends and are being released simultaneously.
  Perkins stays busy. He gigs consistently in the Georgia/South Carolina area, is a go-to guy to open for acoustic touring artists and has a CD release show on March 19. His wife and he are also preparing for relocation to Nashville in July. He spoke to verge about his road to the stage and the craft of songwriting.
  “My job is to get the audience going. It’s not about me.”
  – JIm PERKINS
  VERGE: You began playing guitar and writing in college. How much experience did you have?
  PERKINS: I was shoved out to sing solos in youth groups at church, but I was nervous and didn’t like the attention. I also thought everybody had the same voice I did. My parents and my sister all could sing and I was around soloists. From age 9 to 13, I was in singing groups and youth choir. My father played guitar and sang in dance bands like the Red Hots, and his voice was compared to Perry Como and Tennessee Ernie Ford. My mom had perfect pitch. My sister, who is eight years older than I am, also loved music and she played piano. My parents decided not to force an instrument on me and, ironically, I was the one who wanted to play and write. English came easily to me and when I was younger I wrote poetry. I wanted to play an instrument and I couldn’t take a piano with me, so I went with electric and acoustic guitar. I began with acoustic. My dad had a cheap, 50-year-old guitar and I tried to learn chords on it. Then I got a better guitar that I put on layaway at A World Of Music. I visited it every month and paid $50 until I paid it off. Seven years ago I got a beautiful Taylor 614ce.
  I really enjoyed how music brings people together. In church and camp, I was around people the same age and we were brought together by sports and music. I kind of naturally felt comfortable about performing after a while and, when people you don’t know say you’re good, you listen to them. I slowly realized that maybe I have talent and I should try to do something with it. In college, I began playing at Borders and PJ’s Coffeehouse. I had no demo, so I would learn songs and audition for them and I got hired. I kept doing this over and over. I gained credibility in Augusta and Columbia and I could pick where I wanted to play. I wanted to play original material, but Augusta is not an originals town, so I had to learn covers.
  VERGE: When did your songwriting develop? PERKINS: “Charleston” was the first song I wrote that actually had verse, chorus and bridge. It had
  only three chords because that’s all I knew at the time. It’s on my first album [Maker Of Dreams], but I do a completely different version today. It needed a groove, so I reformulated it and made it interesting. Song ideas come at different times. I have books filled with couplets, and sometimes I randomly put them together. Sometimes you write and only one minute of it is a gem. I keep everything because you never know. I continually grow and get better at my craft. You can rewrite all day long. It’s hard to put a stamp on it and say, “This is what I permanently want to do.” It’s amazing that you ever release anything.
  VERGE: You released your first album in 2002 and then traveled the U.S. and Canada with the North American Mission Board’s World Changers. Were you still involved with music?
  PERKINS: Yes. I was on the North Team for 10 or 12 weeks. We had people from churches in different states. We rebuilt houses and worked with youth doing video and audio by day. We played music at night. I came back to Augusta, played music at night and caddied at the Augusta National as my day job. In 2006, I played 220 shows. I had a lot of free time and I dug in deep. I played in the Southeast, spent nine months in Casper, Wyoming, got calls in Augusta and picked up where I left off. I played music in churches, traveled to venues and played in Charleston a lot.
  VERGE: When did you begin traveling to Nashville? PERKINS: In 2006, I was playing a coffeehouse and a guy walked up and said, “You should meet
  my brother-in-law; he’s in the music business in Nashville.” Of course, I’d heard this before, but I drove up to meet him. I played three songs and he set me up with other meetings. Since then, I’ve kept in touch with the people I met there.
  VERGE: You opened for John Corabi, you’re opening for Zach Myers, you’re doing some solo gigs and you have a CD release show coming up. You’re releasing two albums at once. Are they a package? How does the content differ? How do you tailor your material to suit different audiences? PERKINS: The same ten songs are on both albums and each album has two additional different songs. They are sold independently, not as a package. When I’m opening for an artist, I do half covers and half my album — whatever fits the energy and the artist’s fan base. I cater to the crowd. Some of my songs are blues, some are pop and some are country crossovers. It’s always different and it’s a lot of fun. My job is to get the audience going. It’s not about me. I’ve been writing for eight years, so I have a lot of material from different times in my life.
  See The Show
  wHO Jim Perkins Double CD Release Show + Sibling String wHERE Sky City wHEN Saturday, March 19 | 8:30 p.m. TICKETS $5 COVER
  ENCORE Jim Perkins opens for Zach Myers on March 22 at the Vue. mORE | JImPERKINSLIVE.COm
  by ALISON RICHTER photo DEb “DR. DEb” HEmINGwAy
  vergelive.com | community driven news | March 16, 2011 21

• Lokal Loudness Christmas Special Part 2 (podcast) [+ Show ]
  

  Jim's a trooper...put out 2 CDs earlier this year...a live CD and a studio CD...Jim's got the goods,...Jim's a trooper...put out 2 CDs earlier this year...a live CD and a studio CD...Jim's got the goods, man...He's a great singer-songwriter...

• Confederation Of Loudness: Live interview and studio performance [+ Show ]
  

  This episode of COL,...features in-studio guest Jim Perkins who performs as well as talks about tune...This episode of COL,...features in-studio guest Jim Perkins who performs as well as talks about tunes from his two new CDs...

• Sonic Spotlight: Jim Perkins [+ Show ]
  

  FIRST SHOW: PJ's Coffee and Tea Cafe, Augusta, 2000. "(The coffeehouse) gave me, I think, $25, and I...FIRST SHOW: PJ's Coffee and Tea Cafe, Augusta, 2000. "(The coffeehouse) gave me, I think, $25, and I was unbelievably excited. I had an amp, and I plugged everything into that amp, my mike and everything. I just sat there and tried not to screw up for an hour. Had a good time, and I was nervous as I could be. It was awesome."

• 12 Bands to Release CD [+ Show ]
  

  Music lovers can get in the holiday spirit with the annual 12 Bands of Christmas concert and CD – an...Music lovers can get in the holiday spirit with the annual 12 Bands of Christmas concert and CD – and also contribute to a worthy cause.
  This year’s concert and CD features Five’s A Crowd, 3rd Shift, Joy Krueger, Vellotones, Jaycie Ward, Livingroom Legends, Wombats, Jim Perkins, Fried Goat, The Unmentionables, Radar Cinema and Sibling String. Set for release on Nov. 8, the 12 Bands CD, Volume VIII can be ordered at www.12Bands.org. For the first time, every song on the CD is an original track.
  Several of the 12 Bands artists are joined on the album by other musicians. Joy Krueger performs with the Wesley Church Praise Band, and the Vellotones perform with Georgia Music Hall of Fame member George Croft.
  On Dec. 18, each band will play at the annual 12 Bands concert at the Imperial Theatre. Tara Scheyer & the Mudpuppy Band is absent from this year’s lineup, but she and her band will be releasing a holiday CD, performing for children and donating a portion of proceeds to 12 Bands.
  The 12 Bands of Christmas started in 2001 with a mission to raise funds to fight pediatric cancer. In 2003, a recorded CD was added. In the past decade, 12 Bands has raised more than $250,000.
  To help fight childhood cancer, the public can visit www.12Bands.org to make a donation, buy a raffle ticket for the 12 Bands/12 Kids campaign or purchase merchandise.
  For more information, contact Joe Stevenson at director@12Bands.org or at (706) 664-5595.

• Playing For A Cure
  

  (video and pictures)

Setlist

My typical Set List (of Originals)
1. Charleston
2. Before The Rescue
3. All I Ever Wanted
4. Blues Song
5. Grey Matters
6. Faded
7. Not Tonight
8. Something's Gotta Give
9. Through It All
10. What Happens Now
11. Without You
12. Firecracker (She Don't Know Why)
13. Let Me Be

My set length all depends on the venue, how many people, how much time is allotted...on average a set is 45 minutes to 1 hr.

Jim Perkins Covers Set List:

--3 Doors Down
Here Without You Baby
--Allman Brothers
Melissa
--Avett Brothers
January Wedding - Laundry Room
--Bad English
When I See You Smile
--Barenaked Ladies
Brian Wilson - The Old Apartment - Break Your Heart - If I ---Had A Million Dollars – Call and Answer
--The Beatles
Hey Jude
--Ben Folds
Brick
--Better Than Ezra
This Time Of Year - Desperately Wanting - Good - A Lifetime
--Bill Withers
Ain't No Sunshine
--Black Crowes
She Talks To Angels
--Bob Dylan
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
--Bob Marley
I Shot the Sheriff
--Bob Seger
Turn The Page
--Bon Jovi
Wanted Dead or Alive
--Breathe
Hands To Heaven
--Caedmon's Call
Center Aisle - Thank You
--The Cars
Drive
--Chris Isaak
Wicked Game
--Coldplay
The Scientist - Yellow - Clocks - Green Eyes - In My Place - Warning Sign - Amsterdam - Fix You - Hardest Part - A Rush of Blood to The Head – Trouble – Don’t Panic
--Collective Soul
The World I Know
--Counting Crows
Mr. Jones - Omaha - Round Here
--Cracker
Low
--Creed
With Arms Wide Open
--Crowded House
Don't Dream It's Over
--The Cure
Love Song
--Damien Rice
Delicate – Volcano – Cannonball - Blowers' Daughter - Cheers Darlin' - Eskimo - Amie - Rootless Tree - Grey Room
--Dave Matthews Band
Big Eyed Fish - Crush - Grace Is Gone - Say Goodbye - Space Between - #41 - Typical Situation - Grey Street - Where Are You Going? – All Along The Watchtower - Don't Drink The Water - Cortez, The Killer
--David Gray
Please Forgive Me - The Other Side - This Years Love - The One I Love - Hospital Food
--Deep Blue Something
Breakfast At Tiffany’s
--Delerious
Sanctify
--Duncan Sheik
Barely Breathing
--Edwin McCain
Go Be Young - Solitude - Sorry to a Friend - Could Not Ask For More - Take Me - 3 a.m. - I'll Be – Through The Floor – Prayer To St. Peter – Promise Of You – Alive - Shooting Stars
--The Fray
Look After You - How To Save A Life - All At Once
--Freedy Johnson
Bad Reputation
--George Michael
Faith
--Goo Goo Dolls
Slide – Iris
--Guns'n'Roses
Patience
--Hoobastank
The Reason
--Hootie & The Blowfish
Hold My Hand – Let Her Cry - Only Wanna Be With You
--Howie Day
Collide
--Jack Johnson
Flake - Girl I Wanna Lay You Down – Breakdown - Wasting Time
--James Taylor
Carolina In My Mind - You've Got A Friend
--Jeff Healey
Angel Eyes
--Jesus Jones
Right Here, Right Now
--JimPerkins (ME)
Barricade - Before The Rescue - Charleston - Faded - Firecracker - Grey - Jerk Song - Let Me Be - Smile - Something's Gotta Give - Stay With Me - Through It All - What Happens Now - Without You - Somebody Like You
--John Legend
Stay With You
--John Mayer
Not Myself - Daughters - Why Georgia - Love Song For No One - Comfortable - No Such Thing - St. Patrick's Day - Say
--Lifehouse
You and Me
--Lisa Loeb
Stay
--Live
Lightning Crashes
--Maroon 5
She Will Be Loved
--Marshall Tucker Band
Can't You See
--Marvin Gay
Sexual Healing
--Matchbox 20
Push
--Mazzy Star
Fade Into You
--Mr. Big
To Be With You
--Neil Young
Heart Of Gold
--Nine Days
Absolutely (The Story Of A Girl)
--Oasis
Don't Go Away - Champagne Supernova - Wonderwall
--Old Crow Medicine Show
Wagon Wheel
--Otis Redding
The Dock of the Bay
--Our Lady Peace
Somewhere Out There
--Pearl Jam
Black - Daughter
--Pete Yorn
Life on a Chain – Murray - Undercover - Just Another - Girl Like You - All At Once - Strange Condition - Black
--Peter Gabriel
In Your Eyes
--Poison
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
--Rascal Flatts
Bless the Broken Road
--Ray Lamontagne
Hold You In My Arms - Let It Be Me - Shelter - Three More Days - Trouble - You Are The Best Thing
--Ryan Adams
English Girls Approximately – Come Pick Me Up - My Winding Wheel - To Be Young (Is To Be Sad Is To Be High)
This House Is Not For Sale - Avalanche - Call Me On Your Way Back Home - Why Do They Leave? - Rescue Blues Wonderwall – Afraid Not Scared
--Seven Mary Three
Cumbersome
--Steve Miller Band
The Joker
--Soul Asylum
Runaway Train
--The Swell Season
Say It To Me Now - Low Rising - Leave - When Your Mind's Made Up
--Switchfoot
Dare You To Move - Learning to Breathe
--Tears For Fears
Everybody Wants To Rule The World
--Third Eye Blind
Jumper – How’s It Gonna Be
--Tim McGraw
Live Like You Were Dying
--Toad the Wet Sprocket
Something's Always Wrong - Walk On The Ocean
--Tonic
If You Could Only See – Soldier’s Daughter – You Wanted More - Lemon Parade - Waltz With Me - Waiting For The Light To Change – Open Up Your Eyes
--Train
Drops of Jupiter
--U2
In God's Country - One - With Or Without You – All I Want Is You - Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?
--Van Morrison
Brown Eyed Girl
--Vertical Horizon
Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning) - Everything You Want - You’re A God
--The Wallflowers
6th Avenue Heartache
--Weezer
Say It Ain’t So
--Whitesnake
Here I Go Again

Basic Requirements

Calendar