Perri Ink. Cartel Opens One-of-a-Kind Rock ‘n’ Roll Lifestyle Store on Melrose Avenue

by Dana Feldman

In true rock ‘n’ roll style, Perri Ink. Cartel celebrated their Grand Opening with an exclusive launch party on Friday, November 11th. With their doors finally opened on the historic Melrose Avenue in the heart of Los Angeles, this one-of-a-kind spot sells premium, American-made and handcrafted motorcycle parts, as well as custom apparel. Described as a lifestyle destination, ‘The Cartel’ as it has been nicknamed, merges rich Americana style with refined rock ‘n’ roll culture. The first of its kind, this hybrid retail destination includes a guitar shop, tattoo and piercing parlor, barber shop, clothing boutique and photo studio, successfully bringing together the next generation of world class artists as well as bringing to its clientele an authentic, full-service experience for all.

The 1,300-square-foot store, created and founded by husband and wife, Nick and Misi Perri, is a haven of all that is rock ‘n’ roll. It’s no surprise as Nick Perri spent over a decade as a lead guitarist and songwriter for Silvertide, Perry Farrell, Shinedown, Matt Sorum and SINAI. The rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle runs in the family as his sister is “Jar of Hearts” singer Christina Perri.

Perri describes the idea behind his store as follows, “I basically just wanted to combine all of my favorite things and put them under one roof because I know I’m not alone in my love of all artistic expression.” He goes on to further explain his store as the first-ever one-stop shop for anyone who values artistic expression the way he does and refers to ‘The Cartel’ as a lifestyle experience. “We know a person’s artistic expression is rarely limited to one aspect of life. We are a family of modern day misfits and old school realists who believe in the freedom to follow this expression. We live life on our own terms and encourage others to do the same. It has been a dream for our customers to experience it all under one roof.”

Misi Perri manages the store and uses her vast experience as a graphic artist and clothing designer to design the store’s custom apparel. Though they opened in early October, they’ve broken new ground as the only store of its kind – and we thought LA had everything, right?

Decorated to represent edgy American style, the inside walls are embellished with custom Perri Ink guitars which are all handmade by Perri himself, deconstructed garage doors, American flags, and sculptures of vintage motorcycle engines. In the barbershop section there is a statue of Jack Daniels against a back wall that is designed to replicate a shop entrance from the early 1900’s. Michael Marisi Ornstein, visual artist and actor on FX’s top-rated TV series, ‘Sons of Anarchy’, will also have his artwork on display throughout the store and available for purchase. Taber Nash sells his custom leather saddle bags as well as other motorcycle accessories and builds custom motorcycles from the ground up which start at $30,000.

The Cartel includes several expert artists who are each notable in their own right. One of the most fascinating characters at the shop is Richie the Barber, whose handlebar mustache and expertise in performing the old-school “Gentleman’s Cut” have made him popular amongst his Hollywood clientele. The photo studio is run by LA-based photographers Tiffany Rose and Austin Bauman, whose works collectively have been featured in Rolling Stone, US Weekly, LA Times and USA Today. The photo studio is set up for band photos, headshots, fashion and PR. Also included in the mix is Tattooist, Adam Daniel, who has been a staple artist on Melrose for the last three years. The next plan is to expand into a garage within the next six months. If all of this wasn’t enough, Perri Ink. is also a record label. One-stop-shop is an understatement, but the best idea is to see it for yourself.

To learn more, come meet the Cartel at 7303 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, CA. For further information including store hours, call (323)424-3778 or visit www.perriink.com.

Post Jar of Hearts, Christina Perri song The Lonely on SYTYCD

by Bill Palmer

Christina Perri’s music is set to return to the show which launched her music career, as her new song The Lonely will be used this Wednesday on So You Think You Can Dance. A year ago the show used a studio recording of the song Jar Of Hearts from the then-unknown Perri as accompaniment to a dance routine, which instantly sent the song into the stratosphere on iTunes and landed her a record deal. Having released her debut album Lovestrong this spring, she’s recently embarked on a string of sold out headlining tour dates as well as a Lollapalooza appearance this summer.

Recently, Christina Perri spoke with Beatweek and opened up about the song The Lonely. “The Lonely is about loneliness personified,” she says of the ballad. “It’s really about my relationship with no one.” In contrast, other songs on the album such as Arms and Penguin have offered more upbeat takes on love and relationships. Asked if she views life differently now than a year ago when she was working at a coffee shop at the time SYTYCD first used her song and set off instantly on a new path, Perri explains “I don’t, but I feel like that’s my path right now and I feel like it’s probably a good thing for me because so many things are so crazy and so scary because I’m just this little human who gets crazy nerves and I’m full of emotions and fears and stuff. If I stop and think about everything, I’m going to totally freak myself out, I’m going to possibly pass up on an opportunity because of my fear. I feel so lucky that the universe kind of nailed it with me. They’re like you know what? This girl, we’re just gonna go with it and she’s not gonna have the chance to stop or to get scared or to say no. And that’s been my experience. I feel like from day one everything’s been crazy, but if I had stopped to think about it, A) I think I’d have said no to certain things and missed huge opportunities, and B) I think I would have changed. I think what’s so cool is I’m the exact same girl that made you coffee a year ago.”

The full Beatweek interview with Christina Perri can be found here, while the studio recording of her song will appear on So You Think You Can Dance on the FOX network tomorrow at 8pm eastern time.

Beatweek Magazine’s 2011 Rising Stars issue, volume one: Christina Perri, Lenka, Sick Puppies and more

Beatweek Magazine’s 2011 Rising Stars issue, volume one:

• Christina Perri interview: Jar of Hearts singer talks new album Lovestrong

• Lenka interview: singer-songwriter takes bold leap with Two

• Sick Puppies interview: Australian rockers reinvent their sound on Polar Opposite

• Interviews with The Belle Brigade, The Material, Katie Costello, Alyssa Bernal, 2AM Club, and Sky Ferreira

Read this issue now

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Christina Perri interview: Beatweek 2011 Rising Star talks Lovestrong

by Bill Palmer

“I’ve tried so hard to be more closed or more private or more discrete,” says Christina Perri, “and I just can’t be that way.” That explains why her debut album Lovestrong, which includes Jar of Hearts and eleven other songs about the ups and downs of love, is drawn directly from her own personal experiences with little to hide. Nine months after scoring her first radio hit while working in a coffee shop at the time, her full album finally sees release today. The album represents a journey which has seen her sign a major label deal, craft new songs, and polish up existing favorites.

“It’s what I aspire to be and what I aspire the listeners to be,” she says of the term Lovestrong, a title which offers a hopeful take on love despite her songs spanning the spectrum from the hopeful to the cheerfully in love to the lonely. The album in fact connects the dots of her love life. “I feel like you definitely can map out my entire adolescence up until today, because that’s definitely the wide range that I’ve chosen from. They’re not all about one person, they’re not all about one thing. The Lonely is about loneliness personified. It’s really about my relationship with no one. So yeah, there’s a very clear timeline if you totally look into it. For people who know me, I think they giggle at pointing out which song for which era. But I want to be that way.”

Those expecting the defiant pain of Jar of Hearts to permeate the entire album are in for a surprise when they get to songs like the soaring Arms, which sees her clearly in love (“You put your arms around me and I’m home”) and the wistful Miles (“Don’t count the miles, count the I love yous”). Catch phrases like that have become Christina’s signature, and she admits that there are times when she knows she’s got one. “There are moments where I’ve written a line like that,” she says, “and just been like oh shit, I feel goosebumps. I know that I’ve nailed it or something, and then I go and explore that. I feel like my songs, there’s always a window in the beginning where they can kind of go either way. It’s never like today I’m going to sit down and write a song about this. It always kind of surprises me every time.”

Of the dozen songs on Lovestrong, only four are ‘new’ in that they were written after she signed on with Atlantic Records; the rest are from her pre-label days spanning back nearly a decade. “I’ve been writing songs since I was fifteen when I first fell in love. The first song I wrote was called The Perfect Man, and the second song I wrote after he cheated on me was called Tragedy, which happens to close the album. So that’s kind of how it went for me from day one, real stuff I’ve gone through, real relationships and I’ve collected this arsenal of songs. So when it came time to pick the album, I fortunately have such an amazing label that they just said do whatever you do, it’s working, it’s you.”

But even with two-thirds of the album written beforehand, the past nine months have been a whirlwind of recording, television performances, and touring, all while the ever-increasing popularity of Jar of Hearts has pushed her progressively more into the spotlight ahead of her album release. So does she have time to reflect on the changes in her life? “I don’t, but I feel like that’s my path right now and I feel like it’s probably a good thing for me because so many things are so crazy and so scary because I’m just this little human who gets crazy nerves and I’m full of emotions and fears and stuff. If I stop and think about everything, I’m going to totally freak myself out, I’m going to possibly pass up on an opportunity because of my fear. I feel so lucky that the universe kind of nailed it with me. They’re like you know what? This girl, we’re just gonna go with it and she’s not gonna have the chance to stop or to get scared or to say no. And that’s been my experience. I feel like from day one everything’s been crazy, but if I had stopped to think about it, A) I think I’d have said no to certain things and missed huge opportunities, and B) I think I would have changed. I think what’s so cool is I’m the exact same girl that made you coffee a year ago. Anybody in my life will tell you that. I didn’t float away to some other planet, I didn’t grow a huge big ego, because I just feel so in the moment and so grateful for everything. If I had gone to think about stuff, who knows what could have happened.”

There’s seemingly little that Christina Perri isn’t willing to talk about candidly. On the serious matter of whether she’s currently in love, she doesn’t hesitate: “I am madly in love, yeah.” And when it comes to the comparatively trivial matter of fans on the internet pondering what her middle name might be as they can’t seem to track it down, she’s happy to reveal that as well. “It’s Judith. I kind of feel like it’s an old lady name, and when I’m sixty I’m gonna switch my middle name and my first name and be Judith The Beatles Historian when I’m an old lady. That’s kind of in my plans when I have grey hair.”

In the video for Arms, she’s seen flying out of bed before crashing into the ocean and then ultimately driving her beloved Mini Cooper back to reunite with her love interest. She says the shoot for the video “kicked my ass so hard” and quips “I don’t know why I think I’m an action hero.” So which one would she be if she could? “Superman,” she says, as if all the flying in the video didn’t give that away.

Lovestrong is expected to debut in the iTunes top ten today, and she already has a spate of high profile television appearances lined up this week. But with one massive hit song under her belt, does she feel any pressure to score another hit amongst the rest of the songs on the album? “Jar of Hearts was what blew up and took off and had its own life, but I’ve been working as a songwriter and musician for awhile, and collecting a group of songs. If I worry too much about anything else, I think it would just be totally different. I think there was definitely a window where I could have just bloop-bloop and up and down and out, you know? I feel so lucky to have gotten ahold of people who believe in me and stick with me. I’m so humbled and so blown away by how I just get to have this little career now. As long as I work my ass off I get to keep doing this thing.”

And as to the ups and downs of it all? “That’s just the way it is, and if I complain about it, you should punch me in the face.”

ChristinaPerri.com • iTunes • Twitter • Facebook

Christina Perri talks “action hero” Arms video, wants to be Superman

by Bill Palmer

“I don’t know why I think I’m an action hero,” jokes Christina Perri when teasing the upcoming music video for her new single Arms – and she says she wants to be Superman. The pop singer, who is set to release her debut album lovestrong on May 10th after bursting onto the scene last year with the song Jar of Hearts, told Beatweek today that the Arms video shoot was “a two-day shoot that kicked my ass so hard.” Perri says she doesn’t yet want to give away the full plotline, and admitted that she hasn’t yet had the chance to see “one ounce of footage” from the shoot despite having co-written the video treatment herself. As far as the physical pummeling she took in her attempts to play an action hero for Arms? “I really just pray that it was worth it.”

Christina ‘Superman’ Perri also told Beatweek all about her new album (we’ve heard it and it’s a winner), her songwriting process, whether new songs like Penguin mean that she’s now in love, and other goodies. More to come. Stay tuned.

Christina Perri performs on Jay Leno show tonight

Christina Perri has just announced that she’ll be performing on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show tonight (apparently a late addition, as television listings show Stone Temple Pilots as the musical guest). The singer rose out of obscurity literally overnight when a demo of her song “Jar of Hearts” was used on So You Think You Can Dance earlier this summer; she since returned to that show to perform the song live. Perri recently signed a major label record deal with Atlantic Records, with as of yet not publicly stated plans for a release date for her debut album. Other guests listed for the Tonight Show tonight are Jennifer Aniston and Jason Schwartzman. We’re still not sure what the story is with Stone Temple Pilots, but Christina Perri has offered photographic proof that she’s really going to be on the show. NBC.com also now lists Perri as the musical guest.

Christina Perri “Jar of Hearts” singer signs on with Atlantic Records

Christina Perri, who literally shot from obscurity to fame overnight last month when her song “Jar of Hearts” was used on So You Think You Can Dance, has announced that she’s signed a deal a record deal with Atlantic Records. Perri tweeted that she had signed “the best, most supportive, amazing record deal” after traveling to New York City to do so. Jar of Hearts, her only song officially released thus far, is currently at number seven on the iTunes pop singles chart. Perri was on duty as a waitress in Los Angeles at the time her song was first played on television in June.

Christina Perri performs Jar of Hearts live on SYTYCD

Christina Perri, whose music career was launched a mere three weeks ago when her independently recorded “Jar of Hearts” was used on the popular television show So You Think You Can Dance, will appear on the show tonight to perform the song live on the show, which is at this point a chart climbing hit. Perri has said that she wrote the song after she went home to her native Philadelphia late last year for the holidays and found herself hiding from the from the local guy whom the song ended up being about. So You Think You Can Dance airs tonight at 9:00pm.

Christina Perri reveals story behind the writing of Jar of Hearts

Christina Perri, an unknown singer who has swiftly risen to fame this past week after her song “Jar of Hearts” appeared on television, has posted the background behind the story (along with the piano chords to the song) on her Tumblr page. Perri reveals: “i am so touched + speechless over your overwhelming response to jar of hearts. i wrote the song after i went home to philadelphia for the holiday last december. i sat in my childhood bedroom and hid from the boy (with the jar of hearts) who wanted to see me.” She also stated that while she knows piano chords, she doesn’t read or write music. Jar of Hearts thrust Christina Perri into the national spotlight after it was played on So You Think You Can Dance.

Christina Perri posts live acoustic version of “Jar of Hearts”

Christina Perri has posted a live acoustic piano rendition of her sudden hit song “Jar of Hearts” to YouTube less than forty-eight hours after the tune made its national debut on the television show So You Think You Can Dance. “Jar of Hearts” has become a national sensation this week after newcomer Perri, who is unsigned and was working as a waitress in Los Angeles at the time the song first aired on TV, has suddenly been thrust into the spotlight and the song has raced up the iTunes charts to the number eight spot among pop singles. The live acoustic version of Jar of Hearts was recorded at Village Studios.

Christina Perri ballad “Jar of Hearts” dances into iTunes top ten

Christina Perri’s song “Jar of Hearts” has found its way into the top ten on the iTunes pop singles chart on a day in which most people buying the song had never even heard of the singer-songwriter until her song was featured last night on So You Think You Can Dance. The piano-driven ballad is epic and we expect much more to come from her.

In the mean time, who is Christina Perri? The twenty-three year old Philadelphia native is an unsigned musician who resides in Los Angeles and just happens to be the kid sister of former Shinedown guitarist Nick Perri. From what we’re told, when Christina isn’t making music, she’s an employee at a cafe in Beverly Hills – but we’re guessing not for much longer, if “Jar of Hearts” is any indication.