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What to Know About Your Spring Concert Performers: Parmalee

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Julia Arneson
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Miranda Soukup
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Winona chapter.

Winona State is about to get a little country when Parmalee takes the stage on Saturday, March 28th for the spring concert. I hope everyone is getting as excited for the concert as we are, but I’m sure you’re asking yourself, “who exactly is Parmalee and what songs do they sing?” We are here to give you some answers.

Parmalee is a country rock band from North Carolina consisting of two brothers, Matt and Scott Thomas, their cousin, Barry Nox, and their childhood friend, Josh McSwain. If you are a country fan, there is a good chance you have heard one of the their three chart topping hits. The bands most popular songs are “Close Your Eyes” and “Carolina”. “Close Your Eyes” has been on Billboards Top 100 Chart for 12 weeks and has peaked to number 69. “Carolina” has been on the charts for 13 weeks and has rose to number 36. Their most recent song “Already Calling You Mine” is also sneaking its way up the charts. These chart toppers might be new to the country charts, but thanks to their fan base and talent, it looks like they will be sticking around for a long time.

 

Close Your Eyes 

Carolina 

Already Calling You Mine 

The band wasn’t always on the top 100 charts. They struggled their first ten years before getting the recognition they wanted. The band practiced everyday in a barn in Parmale, NC. Parmale was a tiny town, with a population of only 268 people. They named their band after the town but added an extra ‘e’ to it to make it easier for people to pronounce.

“Tuesdays and Thursdays were the only nights we could all get together and rehearse; the rest of the time we were each out working to fund Parmalee,” Matt said. “Every person in the town could hear us practice in the barn, so we had to stop at 11:00 p.m. to be considerate of the neighborhood.”

The band started off slow in the beginning, playing in small venues and clubs, for free. Their journey took them all over America, including New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas, as they tried to find their musical niche and fan base. All of the producers and labels said the same thing: “you guys need to be in Nashville.” The band moved to Nashville and began networking, promoting, and playing shows in town. In 2002, they released their first EP and they released their second EP in 2008. Parmalee finally got signed by Stoney Creek Records in 2012 and recently became more popular in 2013 with their hit song “Carolina”.

“We borrowed money from our mamas and lived off of peanuts,” said Matt Thomas. “We spent nine or 10 years playing all over the country and taking any opportunities we could find to get us to the next level. It was a matter of getting our music to the people. We’re just glad to be here.”

The bands recently toured with Jake Owen and have been known to put on a great show!  If you haven’t yet, make sure to grab your tickets at the UPAC office in the lower hyphen of Kryzsko Commons and watch Parmalee perform at the McCown Fieldhouse on Saturday, March 28th. Bring your student ID and buy a ticket for only $10.00. If there are extra tickets, they will be sold the night of the show for $20.00. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Parmalee will go on stage at 8:15 p.m. after special guest Chris Lane performs at 7:30 p.m. For more information about the band, make sure to check out the official Parmalee Facebook or their offical website. For more information about the event, check out UPAC’s page. All information was found on http://pamalee.com

 

 
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Meet Julia Arneson. She is a junior studying public relations and marketing. She loves being able to utilize her writing skills and creativity in the classroom. In her spare time you could find her sipping on Franzia with her roommates or playing with her hedgehog Jonas, named after her favorite boy band, the Jonas Brothers. Julia is always the first to lend a helping hand. She is the treasurer of a community service club on campus and strives to serve the Winona community as best as she can. Other than getting hitched to a Jonas brother; her future goals consist of working for a large public relations agency and living in New York or Chicago.
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Miranda is currently a Winona State University senior studying mass communication with an emphasis in advertising and is also pursing a graphic design degree. In addition to being Winona State’s Campus Correspondent, she is also the president of WSU’s Advertising Federation club. When she’s not busy binge watching One Tree Hill for the umpteenth time, you can find her working on her longboards, which she creates from scratch. She is a Diet Coke addict and indie music enthusiast filled with passion and imagination. She plans to get out of chilly Minnesota to find internship opportunities after graduation.