Daily Inspiration: Meet Alicia Perkins

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Perkins

Hi Alicia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In terms of DJing and dance club hosting/promoting, my story started out pretty unexpectedly. Since the age of 19, I’ve loved frequenting alternative dance parties in the Los Angeles area (where I’m from), as well as in the San Francisco area, since I attended college at UC Berkeley. I received a double major honors degree in film studies and theater & performance studies there in 2014. Go bears!

My parents grew up in the 50s and 60s, so they introduced me to a ton of amazing oldies tunes. A little over 7 years ago (late 2017), my good friend, Phil Stuart, and I asked different local DJs if they would put on a variety oldies night since one didn’t really exist in the area at the time. None of them wanted to do it, so I asked the owner of the Grand Star Jazz Club in Chinatown, Los Angeles if we could. Since I had been attending his club for years, the owner gave us a chance. That’s when my first dance party, Club 96 TEARS, was born! So, basically, I fell into DJing because I really appreciate music from the 50s, 60s, and 70s and felt that I owed it to the community to host a retro night. And now, Club 96 TEARS just had its 7-year anniversary party at the Grand Star this past November!

As much as I love oldies, I adore 80s and modern goth, new wave, synth, darkwave, post-punk, indie, and alternative music! So, a couple months after I started Club 96 Tears, I started Club Disintegration, which is also having its 7-year anniversary at the Grand Star Jazz Club this January. These two dance parties are both weekly events, and I also host other indie and alternative nights—Club Tenderness and Club Nano—in the Los Angeles area. My DJ name is perksandkisses.

Around the same time I started DJing, I began my journey as a reiki master healer and life, spiritual, dating, and relationship coach. As a Christian ordained minister, I am a strong believer in the gift of healing and have always felt drawn to the helping arts. It’s incredibly rewarding to help my clients achieve their most desired goals by encouraging them to trust themselves and follow their intuitions. In 2020, I decided to go back to school to earn my masters in counseling psychology from California Baptist University. I am now very grateful to be a licensed marriage and family therapist. I enjoy working in mental health tremendously!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have encountered many challenges in all of my areas of work! It’s funny how when you tell people you’re a DJ, so many think it’s merely a side gig for fun and games, but us DJs know it can be a ton of serious work. DJing is my career—not a hobby. That’s why I seriously appreciate my patrons and fellow DJs who are savvy to this and acknowledge the effort required for DJs and promoters to host dance clubs. I am the DJ, promoter, event planner, and host of my events.

Currently, my biggest challenge is probably finding the time to manage all of my different jobs—from researching new music, editing playlists, and promoting—to keeping up with my therapy work and reiki and life coaching gigs—among other miscellaneous things that my wild schedule entails! Additionally, I joyfully became engaged over Christmas, so I will now be juggling planning a wedding with everything else! I am extremely grateful for everything I do, so even though it can be challenging, it’s all very wonderful.

One thing in regards to DJing that I always mention is that playing to the crowd and keeping them happy on the dance floor while every one has their own unique preferences is forever a challenge, for the vibe can be so different each night!

Lastly, you always get some people who are surprised to hear that a female works as a DJ. This is rather disappointing since throughout history, women have been abundantly talented in music. It shouldn’t be surprising! That’s why I always tell people to support their female DJ and artist friends because, sometimes, we don’t get taken as seriously, and that really needs to change. Conversely, many people are super supportive when they find out that I’m a DJ, which is awesome!

With my reiki, coaching, and therapy work, it can inevitably be difficult at times to find the balance between helping others and maintaining personal self-care.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
With my dance club events, I specialize in hosting alternative/indie nightlife parties. I am known for being not only the DJ, but the host and promoter. My last name is Perkins, and I’ve always been a very perky character, which is why I go by the DJ name perksandkisses! Patrons have told me that they appreciate me taking breaks from the stage to go down to greet and dance with them. I appreciate all of my patrons so much, so it’s important to me to get to know their names, especially the regulars! My events would not exist without them! It’s always been a huge goal of mine to create a welcoming community so that the vintage and goth/alternative scenes feel safe to come out and dance while meeting like-minded people who also enjoy terrific music! Creating an unpretentious, “come as you are” alternative scene is definitely my aim. The hustle and bustle of work life in Los Angeles can be a lot, so I think people appreciate having weekly events that they know they can attend anytime and enjoy great music with great people. I’m most proud of seeing these people come out regularly and make long-lasting special friends they can dance the night away with!

With my reiki and coaching business, I specialize in chakra cleansing and guiding clients to ways they can prevent their prone areas from becoming blocked again. As an ordained Christian minister, I also help clients strengthen and/or rebuild their connections with God. In therapy, I work with all ages and populations. It’s so beautiful to help diverse groups!

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
First and foremost, I attribute all of my success to my faith in Christ. He has supported me constantly through all of my good and tough times! Secondly, my ability to balance kindness and assertiveness is probably one of the most significant reasons for my success. In business, this isn’t always easy to do, but I think it goes a long way. I am fortunate to have overwhelmingly supportive friends and family, as well as an incredible fiancé, who are always by my side! People love that my family and friends attend my events and that my dad manages the door! This makes it so much easier to navigate the ups and downs that come with my work! Family, friends, and community mean so much! Thank you all for taking the time to read. God bless!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aliciaperkins.com
• Instagram: perksandkisses / perkupyourworld / club96tears / clubdisintegration
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thealiciaperkins
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/perkinsalicia
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@perksandkisses?si=WK15_7l24aV5JMCP
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/61yOb3jaFV

Image Credits
Photo by Phillip Inzunza