For the first few years following college, Brett Perkins spent a lot of time flexing his singer-songwriter muscles inside the back rig of a drugstore delivery truck. Perkins says he was blessed with a boss who didn’t mind if he retreated to the back of the truck with his acoustic guitar on slower days.
Perkins, a Southern California native who’s lived in Copenhagen, Denmark since 1996, began with poetry before penning his first song at 14. He was motivated to write “I Don’t Want You” by a girl who he actually “desperately wanted” at the time.
Last June, Perkins released Put a Fork in Me, I’m Done, featuring the lighthearted honky tonk/retro Hawaiian mashup “She Loves My Belly & My Bald Spot.” On it fiddle and slack-key guitar sound like they should always be played side by side.
Perkins’ life has centered on songwriting and performing for four decades. In 2002, he founded Listening Room Retreats, week-long gatherings where 20 songwriters of all abilities and walks of life convene to write songs with each other in a “very focused listening environment.” Perkins refers to the experience as “community through co-writing.” So far, Listening Room Retreats are held in around 10 countries every year, from Estonia to Sweden.
Last week, the U.S. iteration of the Listening Room Songwriters Retreat took place in Ben Lomond, and the songwriters involved will debut their new collaborative work Saturday at Caffe Trieste in Monterey. Perkins calls this phase of songwriting the “open stage.”
“‘Open stages’ are important ground for a lot of songwriters,” he says. “I experience a very intense connection.”
Perkins continues to rely on the “open stage” when he has new material.az
“I’m in love with every song I write,” he explains. “So for me to get in front of a group of songwriters and listeners who aren’t writers, to feel whether they’re getting the song or not is an important part of my writing process. It’s very risky to follow your heart, but I think it’s even more risky not to.”
BRETT PERKINS’ LISTENING ROOM INTERNATIONAL “TOUROPEANS” SHOWCASE 6:30-9:30pm Saturday, Jan. 13. Caffe Trieste, 409 Alvarado St., Monterey. Free. 241-6064, caffetriestemonterey.com
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