An acoustic guitar and electric bass group might seem like a quiet combination, but this duo fills out a sound the size of a full band.
“We’re just two guys, but we pride ourselves on having the sound and energy of a whole band,” said Mike Perkins, guitarist and singer for the duo. “It’s as big as a sound as you’ll hear from just two guys.”
The band’s high-energy acoustic sound will fill up Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery, 24 W. Union St., Thursday at 9 p.m.
“We’re not your typical coffee shop duo,” Perkins said, adding that the crowd is always up and dancing at the shows and the group strives to make the performance entertaining.
“I find that if you put your heart into it you’re going to get it back,” Perkins said. “I think after a song or two people forget that it’s just two guys on stage and they dance and sing just like they would for a full band.”
One of the ways they are able to generate a sound comparable to that of a full band is the addition of bass player John Zuck.
Zuck said that he started out on punk and hardcore-influenced drums in high school as well as dabbling with guitar playing. So when he picked up a bass for the first time, he said it was the best of both worlds.
“I started milling around on my bass player’s bass and was like, ‘Wow, this is like drums and guitar combined,’ ” Zuck said. “Bass playing can be a contact sport, but it can also sneak melodies in.”
Zuck uses a five-string Zon graphite neck bass, which he said allows the notes to jump off the bass. He also uses a high C-string instead of the traditional, low B-string as a fifth string, which provides a fuller guitar sound.
He added that he has been playing in Athens for more than 20 years and is excited to return to Jackie O’s.
“(Jackie O’s) has a good vibe and the people are there to have a good time,” Zuck said.
Perkins and Zuck both try to make each show uniquely fresh by using a lot of improvisation in their music.
“We consider it a playground up there,” Perkins said. “We never play the same song the same way twice, and we always try to breathe life into each song each night. It keeps it fun for us and it keeps it fun for the crowd because otherwise we might as well just press play on the jukebox.”
If You Go:
What: Mike Perkins and John Zuck
When: 9 p.m. Thursday
Where: Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery, 24 W. Union St.
Admission: $5
wh092010@ohiou.edu
