Another day, another acknowledgement for country music hit band, Parmalee. The latest? A 2016 ACM nomination for New Vocal Duo/Group of the Year, alongside A Thousand Horses, Brothers Osborne, Maddie & Tae, and Old Dominion. The nod felt like a dream, and it almost was, because of how Parmalee’s Matt Thomas found out. “I was actually asleep, then my mom called and woke me up,” he laughed. “She was like, ‘you weren’t going to call me?’ And I said about what?” Matt, whose brother Scott is also a band member, soon found out the great news.
The hard work is evident through their last album, ‘Feels Like Carolina,’ which was released in 2013. Their latest single, ‘Already Callin’ You Mine,’ follows up other hits off Parmalee’s record like certified-Platinum ‘Carolina,’ ‘Musta Had a Good Time,’ and ‘Close Your Eyes.’ It also gave the band a couple of firsts, including their biggest first week add date and quickest-rising single. Being played on every country radio station, ‘Already Callin’ You Mine’ is typically the lead-off song at their high-energy shows. Fans all around the country never let Parmalee down as they come out in full force to all of their shows. Later this month, in fact, Rhode Island gets to show off just how loved the North Carolina group is up here in the northeast. “New England is awesome, it’s amazing, the country music fans out there,” gushed Matt, who had nothing but great things to say about teaming up with Cat Country 98.1 again. “Everybody comes out to support us. It’s a great area for us.”
Before the Providence show, Parmalee, who is comprised of Matt on lead vocals and guitar, Scott on drums, their cousin Barry Knox on bass, and life-long best friend Josh McSwain on guitar, had Sunday, February 7, circled on their calendars. The Parmele, NC, namesake were cheering on their beloved Carolina Panthers as they take on the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. It was a fun subject to talk about with Matt, despite the sensitive topic for Patriots fans. “Come on now, you guys have been to the Super Bowl so many times,” he laughed. “Everybody is so fired up. I will probably be at home for it because we’ll be on the road all week.” The guys have also shown their appreciation towards the hometown team on their social media, with well wishes and personalized jerseys.
Currently headlining their own tour, Parmalee has seen what it takes to be successful through their experience of opening for others. “Playing those big shows, you see what it takes to fill the arenas. Playing these shows of our own, you start working towards that.” One of those shows came in Washington at Gorge Amphitheatre, alongside Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Sam Hunt, and Frankie Ballard. Last year, the guys joined Brad Paisley’s Country Nation World Tour and in 2014 took on Jake Owen’s Days of Gold Tour. Now, it’s Parmalee’s turn to show fans what they’ve got.
Be sure to look out for Parmalee not only in Rhode Island at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel on February 26, but next month for their new single from upcoming sophomore album. More songs, more awards, and more shows will spell out the rest of 2016 for the group, and fans are already looking at what’s to come.
This was written by Lauren Rose, contributing writer for New England Country Music. You can follow her on Twitter here.