Nashville

PORT ROYAL – Less is more to country band Parmalee, which hails from Parmele, N.C.

While the American country music band might be all about fun onstage with the toe-tapping hits that dominate the radio dial, Parmalee had other ideas offstage when it came to crafting their latest album, “Fell in Love With a Cowgirl,” which they released in early April.

“We wanted to give everybody a break,” Parmalee lead singer Matt Thomas said during an interview about the seven-track album.

“We wanted different stuff – not putting three versions of the same song on an album just to fill up the album,” Thomas added.

Parmalee drummer (and Matt’s brother) Scott Thomas explained, “And we just wanted to pick the best of what we had and do songs we love, and love to play live.”

More than 10 years, five No. 1 hits and a billion streams into the country music odyssey, Parmalee is still showing its Carolina swagger with its latest album and finding its way for a stop in Juniata County at Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal for a performance on the Grandstand Stage at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 31. The opening act is Mount Union native Chris Woodward and Shindiggin, who take the stage at 7:30 p.m.

The brothers, alongside bandmates – cousin Barry Knox on bass and longtime friend Josh McSwain on guitar and keys – are also tasked with extending their hot streak of chart hits.

Over the past four years, Parmalee has earned three No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hits — “Just the Way,” “Take My Name” and most recently, 2024’s “Gonna Love You” — as well as the No. 3 hit “Girl in Mine.”

This year, they balance out the serious-minded ballad “Gonna Love You” by veering into up-tempo territory with the new album’s first release, “Cowgirl,” the danceable number that certainly picks up on the “cowgirl” vibe that has swept culture over the past year.

They launched their headlining Fell in Love With a Cowgirl Tour in February, and “Cowgirl” is already making its impact known. “Man, to see (the audience) already know the song is pretty exciting,” Matt said.

A range of sounds from rock-oriented songs, such as “Miss Me When You’re Drinkin'” to pop-tilted love songs like “Day One,” “God Knew Better” and “Feels Like Home” have found their way onto the album and showcase the group’s strong harmonies.

“We know our lane and what our fans expect from us,” Matt said. “The easiest thing to write about is love, and I think that’s kind of a thing that works for us. So, it always ends up coming back to that. We like to make people feel good.”

Listening to Parmalee’s carefully sculpted harmonies which surround Matt’s lead vocals conveys the influence of groups from the rock, R&B and Americana worlds.

“Growing up in North Carolina, you go in any gas station, and you hear Motown and beach music and soul. Classic rock, and the Temptations,” McSwain said. “We still play Boyz II Men on the bus sometimes, all the ’90s R&B stuff. And you had the bluegrass with the high harmonies.”

Parmalee has seen its share of successes and lulls since releasing its Stoney Creek debut, Feels Like Carolina, in 2013. Debut single “Musta Had a Good Time” cracked the top 40 on the Country Airplay chart, but the group followed it with their first bona fide Country Airplay chart-topper, “Carolina.”

Prior to the formation of Parmalee, the Thomas brothers performed with their father in the group, Jerry Thomas and the Thomas Brothers Band. When their father retired, they wanted to continue playing music so they started Parmalee.

Their first EP was titled “Daylight,” which got them an invitation from to record the remainder of the 12 songs that comprise the band’s full-length debut album, “Inside.” Following the release, Parmalee spent nearly two years touring and promoting their album.

Parmalee also released a live acoustic album, “Unplugged,” and a documentary-style DVD, Inside Live. In 2006, they went to Los Angeles to begin recording, splitting their time between touring the East Coast and recording in California.

They recorded the majority of the tracks for the EP “Complicated” in Los Angeles then travelled to Nashville to write, produce, and mix the remainder of the record released in 2008.

“We’re good-time guys,” Matt said. “We love to have a good time, and that’s what we’re all about. We just hope people can sing along, smile and ride the roller coaster of emotions with us.”

They hope to leave fans in the Juniata River Valley smiling after their concert.