Dancing to Dustin Perkins BandStory and pictures by Mary Jane Farmer — pix below each band’s critique.
To view videos from this week, and all weeks, go to www.roguetv.net. The producer also sells DVDs of each night’s performance on scene.
Southern Junction was the perfect host for Shiner Rising Star Round 1 Week 5, providing a great stage with great lighting, and steaks other restaurants only strive to serve.
Shiner Rising Star is a band competition with prizes that include a
recording contract through Shiner Records, an opening spot on KHYI’s 2012 Texas Music Revolution festival, full-band equipment outfit from Kona Guitars and GP Percussion, and a feature article in Alternate Route, an American music magazine. Dallas American radio station KHYI, Shiner Beer, and Shiner Records are the sponsors.
The Aug.25 competition pitted the Jessica Brooks Band, The Coby McDonald Band, and the Dustin Perkins Band against one another. It was a mutual-respect competition, with each band appreciating the others from the sidelines.
Each band has 30 minutes to get on stage, get their equipment installed, perform one cover and the remainder original songs, and get off, complete with leaving the stage cleaned up and ready for the next band.
The Dustin Perkins Band is moving on to Round 2.
Dustin, on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, is also the songwriter for the group. He formed the band about 15 months before, and that is a story in itself. Dustin opened up, solo, for Zane Williams one Tuesday night at a show hosted by KHYI on-air personality Brett Dillon. After the performance, Dustin, always one who wants true critique input, asked Brett what he thought. Brett’s answer, as his always are, was truthful. He said that if Dustin would get a band and a CD, he would be on the way. That was in March 2010. Within two months, Dustin had put it together.
Working with Dustin are Michael Waitt on bass, Colton Gilbreath on lead guitar and back-up, sometimes lead,vocals, and Nathan Brown on drums.
The Dustin Perkins Band covered the Chris Knight song, “Don’t Put a Bridle on a Bull” and surrounded that with six originals, utilizing every minute of stage time they were offered.
At critique time, it was Brett Dillon who spoke first, saying, “I think you came to win this competition.” He commented on the Chris Knight cover song and on Perkins’ newest release, “Luckiest Man Alive,” saying that was good songwriting. Plus, he said, the band had a great look about it.
Another KHYI radio on-air man, Alan Peck, started his critique by saying, “ditto” to everything Dillon said. Then, he told a story. “Long ago, one of the neatest concerts that Gloria and I eve saw was Fats Domino, and you modeled your show after his presentation, whether you knew it or not.” He explained, “All these people paid to come and see and hear you. You respected them. You had show flow. There was no hesitation in the show.” He further said that they didn’t pay to hear tuning or talk, but to “hear you music and see you perform. That’s what we got.”
The third judge for this round was guitarist Merrol Ray, whose previous band “Miles From Nowhere” won the contest a few years back. “You didn’t disappoint. You kicked ass..” Merrol commented especially, also, on Colton Gilbreath’s guitar and backup talent. ”You all have a good look, a good mix, good everything,” Ray said.
Coby McDonald Band’s choice of cover was Johnny Paycheck’s “The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised,” and the band’s originals were straight hard county, if one can imagine, with a rock influence.
Band members wee David Norris on steel guitar, Lance Gray on lead guitar, Kevin Bray on bass guitar, Mario Calderon on drums, and Coby on lead vocals and rhythm guitar. Dillon later pointed out that each band member had played with others in the past, including Gary Stewart, Sonny Burgess, and Spur 503.
Brett also pointed out, during critique, that the Coby McDonald Band is a house band at Southern Junction, and that showed in their comfort level on the stage. “Awesome, solid band, solid songwriting,” Dillon said.
Peck said about the set, “We saw and we had showmanship, first class, professional showmanship. We also heard flow, and in radio we are very careful about having songs at different tempos, so we don’t bore our listeners. You are not boring, You are terrific.”
Merrol Ray called The Coby McDonald Band “refreshing.” He said, “You didn’t get up there and sound like everybody is trying to sound. You did your own thing, and didn’t apologize at all for it.”
It was at 9 a.m. in the Friday morning, Chuck Taylor, radio hour that Taylor announced the band going on. “The Dustin Perkins Band”
Kicking off the night was the Jessica Brooks Band, which had a little trouble with the sound system, and which timekeeper Big Gus Samuelson took into account in the 30-minute timing. Joining Jessica was Bob Nunn on bass, Travis Franklin on guitar, Keith Millican on guitar and mandolin, and Jeremy Pantuso on drums. Most of them also provided backup, harmony vocals.
Jessica herself, when she wasn’t adding depth with a tambourine, played an acoustic guitar almost as big as she. Her long blond hair swished, tossed, and framed her constant smile as she packed her 30-minutes with song after song.
Brett began the critique again. “Great vocals, good musicianship, solid, and you moved around, and had a lot of fun.” He called her choice of cover, an Axl Rose rock song delivered country-style, “good. I think it worked.” He even commented on her glitzy shirt, calling it “very shiny.”
Peck, again, dittoed Dillon, adding, “Jessica, your enthusiasm is straight professional.”
Merrol Ray, still the performer with his new band, The Regulators, understood the sound problems. “It’s tough to kick off and be the first one and work all the mess out of the P.A. and get the sound going. You all did good. I liked your energy.” He also commented that Jessica is “very pretty and marketable, with a very nice voice.”
Moving into Round Two are Sidekick Mafia, Twisted Pistols, Jeremy Phifer & the Badwater Band, Pearl Street Riot, and now the Dustin Perkins Band. There are three more weeks in Round 1.
This upcoming week, Thursday, Sept. 1, the contest moves to the Last Chance Saloon , 1410 K Avenue, in Plano. Competing are the Lauren Alexander Band, the Manny Trevin Band, and Blackbird Sing. Music starts at 8 p.m. each night.