The Dustin Perkins Band
This article is a little long, sorry ’bout that, but I wanted to make it chock full of information on the Dustin Perkins Band. There’s three links to photographs taken each of the three nights.
There’s a group of musicians who are running around, not in circles, but in spiral mode, getting farther and farther outward from their Grayson County home base with every new gig.
The Dustin Perkins Band is spent last week in complete celebration of just how far they have come in their two years together, and in anticipation of just how far the ywill continue to go.
Two years ago in March, Dustin acted on the advice of KHYI D.J. Brett Dillon to get himself a CD and a band. First, Dustin, who had been performing for nearly a decade solely as a solo, hired studio musicians and a producer and came out with his first CD “I Wrote You A Song.” At the same time, he was gathering together a group of the best musicians in this county. In May, Dustin premiered his band at Smitty’s, which was then called T-Bones, in Denison. Joining him was Nathan Brown on drums, Colton Gilbreath on lead guitar, and Jason (Fuzzy) Smith on bass. That foursome played together for a while, and then were signed with an agency that more often worked as agents for athletes. With NvrDul, they began working together on their second CD, “The Next Step,” and it was about that time that Fuzzy left the band to concentrate more on his “real” job.
Nathan Brown
Michael Waitt joined this motley little group on bass, and so did Chris (Jett) Romain, but as mercy man, road man, everything-else-that has-to-be-done man. The deal with NvrDul didn’t work out like everyone hoped, and so the band parted ways with them, but with portions of the new CD intact. Jett then joined the music side of the group, on keyboards, and Alex Witt came on board in his place.
Photos from Friday night at The Rialto Theater
Most recently, 6-man The Dustin Perkins Band signed with Periscope Music Group, based out of Dallas, and these guys seem to be pouring a lot of know-how and pizzazz into the group.
The first weekend in May was a complete, non-stop celebration of these two years.
Dustin Perkins
Friday night, May 4, Denison’s The Rialto Theater featured The Dustin Perkins Band in a premier showing of that “Dashboard Lights” video. But it wasn’t all on the menu. First, the band played a full set for those in attendance. Following that, they showed a 30-minute video which Jett had put together, a compilation of so much of the video footage they had taken during the past two years. A sort of “how we got to this point” production. Good job, Jett! Then, lastly, the “Dashboard Lights” video, which they played twice.
After the crowd met with the band in the foyer and around, Greg and Garrett Guymon (Rialto Theater owners), played it once more for KHYI’s Lisa Hooks, who drove up from Dallas a bit too late to catch it the first two times. But, then, that’s just how the Guyman guys are, always wanting to do the right thing!
Michael Waitt
Saturday night, May 5, it was back to Smitty’s, and its new outdoor stage, for their two-year anniversary celebration. Dustin asked Durant’s Mark Shelton to bring his band as an opener, and Mark and his guys knocked the proverbial socks off the crowd. As did the Dustin Perkins band.
One shining moment was before the DP band began playing. Suddenly, like Santa’s sleigh just kind of appears out of nowhere, there was a large RV-type bus that pulled up behind the tall Smitty’s fence. That was the Periscope Music Group trio, coming to help Dustin and the guys get used to the fact that they are now a touring group, not just a local favorite band.
It seemed to be quite a learning experience. The Periscope folks took care of tuning guitars, making sure the staging and sound equipment was plugged in, and gathered the band together inside the bus for a “band meeting.” Then, when the band finished its set, they headed straight back to the bus.
Dustin said that was an awesome feeling, for each of them to get their thoughts, feelings, and ideas together about the show and unwind for just a few minutes, and then they were more freed up to go back out and join their friends, fans, and loved ones in the celebration.
Chris (Jett) Romain
Matt Ayers, with Perioscope Music Group, said that they are keyed up about working with Dustin and the guys.
“Dustin’s got heart,” Matt said. “That’s something so many musicians don’t have, and it’s something you can’t teach.” That’s going to give him the edge over the countless other bands out there.
Photos from Saturday night at Smitty’s
Colton Gilbreath
Each band Sunday had about 20 minutes to perform, no judges there, but with 5 video cameras pointed at them from every angle. The set done, each band got to select the one song to be mastered for the contest. DP selected his “Too Late To Turn Back Now.” They competed against some prime-time bands, i.e.: Shy Blakeman and Jason Meadows, both national television contest finalists; Randy Brown and his band of renown, Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward, and 5 many others.
That video is up and running, now, (click here), and the voting has begun online, LiveAtBillyBobs.com. Vote often.
Dustin and the band have been diligent on their own through these couple of years too, thinking of ways to promote the band so that the club owners do well when they play, and so that the audiences want to come back for more. Just a few examples, sans the two CDs, which are great, but which so many bands also have. They keep their merchandise line fresh and new. There’s always a new designed kookie available, or T-shirts with different logs on them, or well, it’s always different. They also, for the Saturday night at Smitty’s, printed up their own little roadside signs and placed them at high-traffic areas all across the county. Dustin, usually with Colton by his side, goes to any and every radio station he can for interviews. They’ve hired professionals to take their band photos for, duh, professional use.
And it’s not over yet. The last weekend in June, the band is playing CenterStage at Choctaw in Durant and the Event Center in the Grant, Okla., Chocktaw venue. These are the same stages where, between now and then, Lorrie Morgan, Thompson Square, and Clint Black are playing between then and now. Joining the DP Band on those nights are Chance Cody & Spur 503, and Chase Sanford & Swamp Rat Jackson, and together they are billed as the Rebels of Southern Country. Appropriate, huh, high-five.
That spiral these guys are in right now does exactly what spirals do, it also winds right back into center. And center, for The DustinPerkins Band, is Grayson County. Matt Ayers said they definitely will be returning and playing at home a lot, but they are definitely going to be a ‘road band.’ OK with these guys, they’re ready. They have the get-up and drive and know-how and talent.