Elvis Perkins

ELVIS PERKINS

Elvis Perkins’ music is transportive. He takes the willing listener to another time, another place, towards the end where all worthwhile art must aim: a vision of the unique — and in this case, tragic — experience of the artist. In the tradition and spirit of Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, John Lennon and Bob Dylan, Elvis Perkins writes songs that are at once universal and personal, combining poetry and melody in a style and sound unmistakably his own.

Born in Manhattan to movie actor and singer Anthony Perkins and artist/photographer Berry Berenson, Elvis Perkins descends from a long line of creative people who led extraordinary lives. Among them was his great grandmother, Elsa Schiaparelli, the 1930’s fashion mogul who revolutionized clothing and jewelry design with surrealist elements, the first use of zippers, and the color ‘shocking pink.’

Profoundly affected by the loss of both his father and mother to two of the greatest tragedies in recent history, the AIDS epidemic and the September 11th attacks respectively, Elvis Perkins is continuing his family’s long tradition of artful life through his songs and performance. His experience, both the sorrow and the joy of it, is eloquently and dynamically expressed throughout his work.

With many home recordings circulating underground, Elvis Perkins fans are being born each day. His eagerly anticipated debut full-length is in the final stages of production. After drawing the attention of producer/manager/music industry everything man, Peter Asher, and Grammy winning producer/engineer Val Garay, Elvis decided he would be best produced on his first record by fellow songwriter and friend Ethan Gold for their shared vision. Using Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks as a jumping-off point, the two set out making a naturalistic record using live performances and almost exclusively acoustic instruments. The record was recorded using Elvis’ local band, including his brother Oz, as well as enlisting Moondance drummer Gary Mallaber to capture the intended spirit.

Elvis performs regularly both with and without his band in Los Angeles (spaceland, tangiers, the derby, knitting factory) and has recently played shows in Manhattan (mercury lounge, lava lounge) and other east coast cities. His recordings are frequently played on LA’s KXLU where he has also performed on-air, and he can occasionally be found playing guitar and keyboards in the Los Angeles band Let’s Go Sailing. In the new year, Elvis Perkins is relocating to Providence, RI where he’ll be taking classes at Brown University and preparing with his band for touring in the spring and summer.