John Perkins’ “On the Move” but Still On-stage in Bigfork for His Seventh Concert

Song writer, singer, and musician, John Perkins is “one of our own,” and will be on stage at The Edge Center in Bigfork for his seventh Edge benefit concert this month.  John always keeps his shows fresh, with this one revolving around “The Passage of time”.  He will include a story about where and when some of his songs originated along life’s journey. There will be stops to enjoy nature and life in the north woods of Minnesota. Since he spends part of his time in North Carolina look for some insight into that part of the country too. The show will be on stage, possibly with a dock and sailboat this year, at The Edge Center in Bigfork Saturday August 29 7PM. $10 adults. $5 children.

John again will be joined for part of the concert by Jerry Hagen on bass (Jerry left and John right above), along with other friends. John plays a large variety of instruments including six, eight and twelve string guitars, a Resonator Steel Slide and even a six-string banjo. There might also tambourine, jug, washboard and cajone. John’s wife, Sandy, will play the spoons and may perhaps do a bit of clogging. There will be a lot different sounds for the audience to enjoy. His music is “Americana/folk” that is an easy to listen style and all of it original work by John.

A fishing dock is always important to water adventures. Some folks use a log laying in the water and some huge cement piers that reach far out for better fishing. Whatever you use, it can be the start of stories and wonderful things to see and do. John’s dock, in better shape than the one above, will be recreated on the stage of The Edge Center and from the end of that dock John will being us into the wonderful lakes and woods of northern Minnesota.

He will pay tribute to the lake his grandfather introduced him to more than 55 years ago. The audience will hear about “The Voyageurs” important to this part of our great continent that was just opening to a new world of people and commerce.

There will be new songs including “Going Fishing,” a humorous and introspective take on one of our favorite pastimes.  If you ask most Minnesotans what they do for fun, fishing will probably be somewhere on the list. And everyone can tell you his or her fishing stories and funny adventures. Come and hear some of John’s

Everyone around here loves trees, and they can tell you a story too. As we know, each year a tree’s rings mark another season. One song, “My old Friend” marks the passage of time and connects rings of a big old Oak to important times in our history.

Ice out is always an special event for everyone who spends winter in Nothern Minnesota. On rivers ice out is often a little louder than on lakes which usually makes it more interesting. Many of us have watched and waited for the ice and snow to leave the our cabins and fishing dock, we will revisit that Minnesota event in song. Keep in mind that "ice out" can be very dramatic even on lakes, as the above picture of highway 169 during a recent spring ice out on lake Mille Lacs shows.

Since John spends winters in the Blue Ridge Mountains, he will flavor his north-woods repertoire with a couple of songs that transport us to beautiful Western North Carolina. You can think of that part of the world as Minnesota with less water and more “bumps”….big huge bumps as we can see in above photo.

John will remind all of us of the joy there is this world as he remembers some dear friends that have been lost to us this past year. John’s songs and stories speak to all of us.

There will be lots to see, hear and learn at this year’s John Perkins concert for the Edge Center for the Arts. And it turns out that the attached art gallery is showing another completely different kind of wilderness…bogs, with an exhibit of art titled "Bog Tapestries: Elizabeth Blair Photography." Now there is a wilderness with lots of water and no “bumps”. Also in the gallery, the ten years plus of volunteer work for the arts in this community done by hundreds of you earned the Edge a special "Sally" award from The Ordwary in St. Paul. The award is on display (above photo) and you'll be able to read the details. Come early before John's performance and and see what's happening in the gallery. Remember the John Perkins concert on stage at The Edge Center in Bigfork Saturday August 29 7PM. $10 adults. $5 children.