Excerpt from the June 2009 E-Town Magazine

Local guitar heroes Michael Hedges, Brad Richter, Billy Beck, Donnie Record, and George Davis all were or are from Enid. Greg Perkins a.k.a. Grey is from El Reno, OK originally and has lived in Enid since 1998. Enid guitarist-singer-songwriter Grey seemingly lives up to his name. His name – though not him or his music – is very much in the grey area of musical notoriety. None of the other guitarist around town had ever heard of a guitarist named “Grey”. Grey is the musical nom de plume of Greg Perkins. As he rarely performs live this not knowing would seem normal. Greg, or Grey, is a guitarist-singer-songwriter who the public should and have taken notice of. In early April of this year, Grey released his eighth CD, “Ice World”. He and all his accompanists record all their tracks at Perkins’ home studio in Enid, dubbed “Grey Havens Studio” This commercial studio sits at the back of his one acre plus property and is a magnificent site to behold. It’s the full meal deal in recording music. “We had the studio built by Darrell Boyd Construction of Enid. It then took my wife and I about a year to finish the interior. We did most of the work ourselves, “ Grey said. Walking into Grey Havens Studio is a wonderment to see. Inside there is a high-tech mixing board, associated high-tech recording , mixing, and mastering equipment. Perkins named “Grey Havens Studio” from the elven port of Mithlond, “the Grey Havens,” in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. “The Grey Havens was a place of rest and reflection used by the elves before they left Middle Earth, “ Perkins said. It is also a play on words because it’s Grey’s haven, “my ultimate man-cave,” as Perkins described it. Perkins offers all musicians the use of his studio at “less-than-normal” studio rates. Additionally he offers it to the general public for family oral history projects, modeled on National Public Radio’s “Story Corps” project. “I’m passionate about music in general,” Perkins says. I’d like to write the best song I have in me. I don’t know if I’d ever know when I did however. It’s not the end; it’s the journey that makes the experience.”

Published: May 07, 2009 10:14 pm

A new ‘Haven’ for local musicians

By Bridget Nash Staff Writer

Enid musician Greg “Grey” Perkins has put the finishing touches on his most recent album, “Ice World,” and now he’s ready to help others put together their own albums.

Perkins’ CD, his eighth, can be purchased at Enid’s local Hastings or at cdbaby.com. It was finished in his own studio, Grey Havens Studio.

“It’s probably along the lines of the Beatles-type style, into alternative,” said Perkins, with a laugh, as he tried to categorize his music. “It’s hard when it comes to labeling your own music.”

Perkins sings and plays several instruments and enjoys recording, mixing and mastering for others as well.

“I play the guitar and sing,” said Perkins. “The guitar is my first instrument. I do the keyboard, bass guitar and mandolin also.”

But for local musicians, Perkins is willing to lay his instruments aside and let each group work its own magic.

“I’m the engineer at that point,” said Perkins.

Perkins recently finished construction on his large music studio, which is comfortable and professional and perfect for recording clarity.

Perkins is looking for rock, pop and country music groups and is offering a reduced studio rate for those who want to rehearse and record at Grey Havens.

“You would get a final master CD,” said Perkins.

Perkins is not only interested in helping groups with their recording efforts. He is also interested in helping families preserve family history.

He calls it the Grey Havens History Project and for a fee of $25, a family could record an oral history, either by telling it themselves or bringing family members into the studio and interviewing them.

“What you get from listening and hearing is you get the inflection, you get the emotion,” said Perkins. “We could get that on a digital CD and you could pass it on to all your family.”

The $25 fee waives the studio rate and covers the cost of producing the CD for up to three hours of time.

Perkins began writing his own music in 1981, while he was still in high school, and has continued to develop as an artist since then. He teaches French at Enid High School and while French was his college major, he minored in history and always has had a passion for history.

Perkins will officially begin business at Grey Havens Studio on May 23. Musical groups and those interested in the Grey Havens History Project can set up studio appointments by calling 242-4980.

The new Grey CD ICE WORLD was released the 7th April 2009. It is at the Hasting's store in Enid and will be available soon through CD Baby for purchase or download. Thanks to everyone involved in my lastest effort and special thanks to all my fans for listening and telling others to listen also. Grey

The "Ice World" CD is finished. It has been recorded and mixed and mastered. There are just a few details to finish before it will be released. We have left to come up with the song order and then the copying of cd's and production of the art work and packaging. The art work was really just finding the right photos and then assembling the lyrics and liner notes to accompany it. Wappy and myself have done that. Dave Skinner, who mixed and mastered the project, will be doing the duplication services in his studio facility later this month. So it has taken once again 2 years plus some(Jan 2007 - March 2009) to come up with another Grey CD. However in the future, with the new Grey Havens Studio up and running, I hope to see the songs progress a little quicker. I'll post again when the CD is released on the various sites and locally also. Grey, 13 March 2009.

Grey always likes to have a mandolin part on his cd's and this cd will be no exception. Tonight he recorded that part on the song "I'm Here".

The lead vocals for the Ice World cd were completed tonight. Dave Skinner visited and worked as engineer. There will still be background vocals and acoustic instruments to record and even a few electric guitar parts to come yet. Keep yourself posted for more info.

The studio has finally been completed. We have heat and air and there is water to the studio. Now the job of putting in the final pieces of sound treatment has begun and getting the equipment set up has also begun. Grey Have's Studio only took a year but it has been worth it.

The studio is about finished. We have probably 2 months until it is finished. Most of July I'll be working on the keyboard and synth parts of the new CD "Ice World". Mikey Harbour and Steve Harwood are the usual suspects that will be helping me to accomplish those parts. Please be patient as I have no release date for the new CD yet. So much time has been put off from working on the CD to finish the new studio. It will be a commercial facility so it dwarfs all my other two smaller home studio sizes from the past. Enjoy music and life, Grey.

The latest on the production of the Grey Havens Studios is that we are 4-5 months from completion however Grey is continuing on the new Grey CD entitled "Ice World" .  There will be pictures of the new facility soon.