Michael Ross Perkins is a songwriter and recording artist from

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

History

Early years

Perkins grew up in

Fairborn, Ohio Fairborn is a city in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 34,620 at the 2020 census. Fairborn is a suburb of Dayton, and part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the only city in the world named Fairborn, a port ...

, a suburb of

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

. During his earliest years, his family lived on Titus Avenue in Dayton's Northridge neighborhood, a few houses away from Guided By Voices frontman Robert Pollard. Perkins has stated that his proximity and early exposure to Guided By Voices was influential, noting that Pollard's lo-fi production technique and uninhibited vocal approach gave him the confidence to "make weird sounds" with his voice. In 2002, Perkins began experimenting with a Tascam

Portastudio The TASCAM Portastudio was the first four-track recorder based on a standard compact audio cassette tape. The term ''portastudio'' is exclusive to TASCAM, though it is generally used to describe all self-contained cassette-based multitrack rec ...

4-track cassette recorder and amassed a catalog of original songs. In 2007, Perkins' early psychedelic material was discovered by

MGMT MGMT () is an American indie rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. Alongside VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, MGMT's live lineup currently consists of ...

, who offered him a touring support slot at the time of their debut release,

Oracular Spectacular ''Oracular Spectacular'' is the debut studio album by the American band MGMT, released on October 2, 2007, by RED Ink and physically on January 22, 2008, by Columbia. It was produced by Dave Fridmann and is the band's first release of new content ...

, on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. However, Perkins declined due to anxiety. During this time, Perkins worked as a roadie for

Buffalo Killers Buffalo Killers are an American rock band comprising guitarist and vocalist Andrew Gabbard, bass guitarist and vocalist Zachary Gabbard and drummer Joseph Sebaali. The band was formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2006 following the dissolution of Th ...

on multiple tours in support of

The Black Crowes The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984. Their discography includes eight studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer Geo ...

. Perkins later referred to this experience as his "formal introduction to the music industry," and in 2011, all three members of Buffalo Killers acted as his live backing band for a brief period.

2014-2018

Sofaburn Records approached Perkins with a recording contract in 2015, after Zachary Gabbard of Buffalo Killers presented the company with a collection of Perkins' home recordings. In January 2016, Perkins recorded the drum tracks for his debut release at Gabbard's analog studio, Howler Hills Farm, before completing the remainder of the album's instrumentation alone at his own home studio. The album, called ''M Ross Perkins'', was announced after the song "Humboldt County Green" premiered in

High Times ''High Times'' is an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the Legalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States, legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by ...

in July 2016. The album was released by Sofaburn on October 14, 2016. Critical reception of the record was enthusiastic, with

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide. History The early years The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...

calling it "a truly great album" and others drawing notable stylistic comparisons to solo artists such as Harry Nilsson and Emitt Rhodes. After touring in support of the debut, Perkins produced a follow-up EP entitled ''What Did You Do For Summer Break'', which Sofaburn released in streaming format in August 2018. Critics noted a shift to "a more sophisticated and precise," pop-oriented writing style throughout the EP. Brooklyn music critic Jack Rabid, publisher of The Big Takeover, described it as "dreamy" and called Perkins the "Brian Wilson to Pollard's Pete Townshend." While promoting the EP, Perkins performed the song "Amazing Grace (Grandma's Dead)" on the Jerry Springer Podcast, with Springer and producer Jene Galvin calling it the best song ever performed on the show.

Present

In 2020, Ohio-based soul label Colemine Records signed Perkins to their Karma Chief imprint and released the song "Wrong Wrong Wrong," both as a 7" single and on their 2021 ''Brighter Days Ahead'' compilation. Colemine/Karma Chief went on to release Perkins' second full-length album, ''E Pluribus M Ross'', in March 2022. The album had been recorded during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

of 2020, with Perkins again performing all of the instrumentation himself in his home studio. ''E Pluribus M Ross'' received critical acclaim, with Shindig! giving it 5 out of 5 stars and

Uncut Uncut may refer to: * ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship * ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997 * '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...

calling it "a record full of harmonic joy." American Songwriter called the album "an impressive and often extraordinary work," remarking that " erkinsacquits himself as well as, and arguably better than, aulMcCartney did on 2020’s also entirely solo

McCartney III ''McCartney III'' ("III" being stylised on the front cover as the three pips of a die) is the 18th solo album by English musician Paul McCartney, released on 18 December 2020 by Capitol Records. It serves as a continuation to his solo albums ''Mc ...

." After the release of ''E Pluribus M Ross,'' Perkins made guest appearances on a number of Colemine/Karma Chief releases by Andrew Gabbard, playing bass alongside Karma Chief labelmate Neal Francis on 2022's ''Live in Loveland'' and performing keyboard on 2023's ''Cedar City Sweetheart''.

Discography

* ''M Ross Perkins'' (2016) * '' What Did You Do for Summer Break'' (2018) * ''E Pluribus M Ross'' (2022)

Notes

External links

Official WebsiteColemine Records Official WebsiteSofaBurn Records Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, M Ross Neo-psychedelia Living people Musicians from Dayton, Ohio People from Fairborn, Ohio 21st-century American singer-songwriters Year of birth missing (living people) Singer-songwriters from Ohio