'Just the Way': Country's Parmalee finding its groove with 'For You 2'; plans stop in Albuquerque
Sep. 28—Matt Thomas is working hard to make sure that everything is wrapped up at home before he heads out on tour.
As his schedule gets more hectic, he realizes how comfortable he has to keep home life.
"I'm trying to button everything up before I hit the road," he says during a recent interview. "The first 10 years of making music, we didn't do it for a living. We got a little more than 10,000 hours before we got a paycheck. Now we're afforded to travel the world performing music that we make. It's a huge difference."
Thomas is the lead vocalist in the country group Parmalee.
The band released "For You 2," on Sept. 22, and is on tour in support of it. The tour makes a stop at Dirty Bourbon Dance Hall & Saloon on Saturday, Sept. 30.
Brothers Matt Thomas and Scott Thomas, along with their cousin Barry Knox and Josh McSwain, who has been a best friend since childhood, formed Parmalee in 2001.
They are signed to the Stoney Creek division of BBR Music Group and have released three studio albums with the label — "Feels Like Carolina," "27861" and "For You."
The band has made eight entries on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, with three No. 1 singles on the latter: "Carolina" in 2013, "Just the Way", a collaboration with Blanco Brown, in 2021, and "Take My Name" in 2022.
Two more singles have reached the Top 10 — "Close Your Eyes" and "Already Callin' You Mine."
This year also marks the 10-year anniversary of "Feels Like Carolina."
"It doesn't feel like 10 years because the time flew by," Thomas says. "If you dissect it, it's like riding a bolt of lightning. We've traveled all over the country and seen the world with this music. It's a blessing."
Thomas says when the band was writing the single, "Girl in Mind," they decided instead of a new album, they would put out a deluxe album.
"The three albums so far are kind of a trilogy to the history of Parmalee," he says. "We just kept working on writing songs, and then we found the best four tracks. We put them on the deluxe as a treat for the fans."
Thomas says when curating a set list, there are a lot of details to think about.
Yet, there's one thing that remains the same.
"It's about creating moments," he says. "We built the set around our biggest songs and figure out how to fill the space with the songs that we have. If we do cover songs, we have to love them to put them into the set."
Thomas is proud of all the music the band has released, and he's happy to see material from "27861" get its due.
"I think when we released that album, it was ahead of its time," he says. "It's been a few years since its release and is now starting to connect. It's all about timing in this business. That album is adding to our musical legacy."
It's also been a few years since Parmalee performed in Albuquerque, and Thomas is looking forward to experiencing more.
"I love the outdoors and food," he says. "We'll have more time in the city this time around and can't wait to experience what Albuquerque has to offer."
