Q & A Page

Question and Answer Session with Michael J. Perkins

Q. When did you initially realize you were passionate about music and that you had this gift?
A. I've always liked to sing. I learned my first song when I was 3 or 4 years old; “Kokomo” by the Beach Boys. I always enjoyed singing but never thought about it growing up. I thought that because I was a boy I should be into sports. So, I tried all the sports I could; hockey, football, soccer, baseball, but was never any good at them. However, when I was in the third grade my class used to march to choir twice a week, and one day my teacher pulled me aside and told me I had a very good voice and that I should try out for the fourth grade choir. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do that because I was always picked on and made fun of anyway, and I knew that being a choir geek would only enhance that. But I did it anyway and realized that I loved it! It was then that I knew that I would always sing, no matter what anybody thought or said. Singing has always made me feel good about myself, and it has helped me through a lot of hard times.

Q. When and why did you fall in love with the Standards?
A. When I was in high school, I was in a vocal jazz choir called the "Harmony Road Show." This Choir introduced me to the feel of jazz music and I seemed to have a knack for it. But it wasn't until the year 2001 that I finally heard Frank Sinatra. I heard him on the radio and was dying to hear more. So, I went out and bought a CD of his and it never left the CD player. I ended up memorizing it, as I seem to do with all the music I hear, and would sing it all the time. My friends and relatives could not believe it and they all said that I sounded just like him. So, I went to a small recording studio that had an eight-track recorder, and recorded a six-track demo CD. About a month later I got a call from someone my mom worked with that had heard the CD and wanted me to sing at a festival they were having and paid me for it. That was how I got my first paying gig.

Q. Why the Standards and not other genres of music?
A. The standards are timeless. They make you feel good. When I listen to the standards, I get a feeling that you can't find with other music today, mind you I listen to all types of music, anywhere from rap to metal, or classical to punk. However, the standards give me life. It's like there is feeling pre-written in the words. They have something for everybody; love, hurt, stories, and settings.

Q. What is your goal as a musician? What do you hope to accomplish in your future?
A. I know that no matter what I will be singing. If it's at a local bar or at Carnige Hall, it doesn't matter to me. I love being on stage and in front of people. It's who I am, and what I was put here to do.

Q. Describe how you realized you wanted to make music your career.
A. I've known I wanted music to be my career since the 3rd grade. Ever since I was in my first choir. I feel a strong sense of being when I sing. It it what I do. Failure is not an option for me. I can't fail. I love it too much.

Q. What was your family and friends’ reactions to your demo?
A. They couldn't tell the difference between me and the original artists.

Q. What sets you apart from other entertainers?
A. I have a personality like no other. If you don't believe me just ask my friends. I'm mostly just your average goofy guy. Don't get me wrong, I take my music very seriously. However, when I get on stage I am not the guy that gets nervous. I just go with the flow. If I screw up I make a joke out of it. If the audience yells at me, I yell back (in a playful manner of course). Basically I am more comfortable on stage than off, and the more people I have in front of me the better I feel!

Q. Describe what it feels like when you get on stage and sing.
A. It is a feeling like no other. Imagine if you had everything you ever wanted then take that feeling multiply it by two, then you've just one the lottery. That would be as close as I can come to describing it to you.

Q. What was your greatest compliment?
A. If I didn't know any better I would have thought it was old blue eyes himself.

Q. Musically, who is your biggest influence and why?
A. It's between Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, and Dean Martin. Frank with his amazing presence on stage. Bobby Darin with his ability to transform an audience into “goo.” And Dean Martin with his playfulness, and his ability to just fly by the seat of his pants.

Q. What is your goal as an entertainer? What do you want your audience to leave with?
A. I want to leave my audience wanting more. I want them to be filled with glee, and yet just longing for more. As an entertainer, well, just to make a few people happy.