By K.D. Norris (kdnorris.com)
Patty PerShayla, lead singer and driving motor behind Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps, has been moving fast and almost always under control since the Michigan native hit the West Michigan scene in 2019.
The singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist blasted through the starting line by winning the 2019 WYCE Jammie Award for Best Rock/Pop Album for her solo EP, Oracle Bones, but then took a more power-trio rockin’ blues turn with the formation of the Mayhaps. Not long after, she started to make her presence felt — at least in the winter — in the Nashville music scene as well.
PerShayla has continued to move forward, fast, on several different tracks including playing with The Accidentals and YYNOT in addition to the Mayhaps, which released their “blues-infused, riff-driven” debut album, Cheap Diction, in 2021.
Fast track to today and her Aug. 1 EP release of the appropriately titled Perpetual Motion Machine, a 5-song release all about the power pop, with a fair amount of rockin’ blues blasting through.
And she and guitarist Lucas Powell have no intention of putting on the breaks anytime soon. With a busy summer and fall of touring gigs in full swing and plans for a winter back in Nashville.
While she enjoys the touring paychecks and, sometimes, the lifestyle — “I think my favorite things about summer touring are getting to stay at host homes with adorable pets, getting to eat at the best local restaurants, and returning to Lake Michigan,” PerShayla said in an email interview in early August.
She also admits that being in the “Perpetual Motion Machine” can be a bit draining, as she had in mind when she wrote the title track of the new EP.
“I wrote that song while I was still performing regularly with three separate bands (Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps, The Accidentals, YYNOT) and it’s more about burnout than anything,” she said. “I’m definitely still in a touring mindset but I am also trying to grow roots in Nashville. We’ve lived there for a year and I still feel like a newbie most of the time.
“I love touring, I do, but I am also really committed to being home for most of the winter. Lucas … and I will be working on my next solo record and writing the next Mayhaps songs, so still creatively moving forward, but physically trying to be more present.”
Live before studio; studio before live
Different bands do it different ways, but PerShayla’s song writing and performance lifecycle — dealing with the musical “chicken and egg” issue of whether to road test songs before recording, and/or making recorded songs work live — is an evolving adventure for her these days.
“We have played about half of these songs (on the new EP) live leading up to the release,” she said. “Now that we have a longer list of original songs, the process has gone: writing, recording, and then performing.
“We’re still figuring out how to make most of these songs stand out (live) from the recordings,” she added. “I always love to make our performances breathe a little more than the recordings. It is nice to get to add layers of guitars and vocals to a track, but with the three-piece band (and only one vocalist) we have to change things up live to make sure the energy is still there, or to elevate the vibe for a crowd.”
Keeping her voice; keeping her vibe
As PerShayla’s career and life has been moving forward a beak-neck speed, she is also well aware of not falling into he trap of sounding like someone else “expects” her to sound, of being put in some artistic box.
Spill, a song and available video from Perpetual Motion Machine, speaks to her understanding of that pitfall — one line of the song, “I’m not the doll that you might think”, stands out.
“That line, to me, is more about somebody making an assumption about my boundaries and my abilities,” she said. “I really try to avoid having a persona as a writer and performer. I think I’m just multi-faceted and I’m enjoying the freedom of being an independent artist.
“As artists, we’re encouraged to work on our ‘elevator pitch’ and try to marry ourselves to a genre. I do prefer there to be some continuity on a record but as far as what’s next, or for a live performance, I’m just feeling where my energy is flowing.”
For more information about Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps, and a video of the song “Spill” from the new EP, visit pattypershayla.com.
K.D. Norris 