Enjoying the ride, reunions

Barry Knox, bass player for Parmalee, strums a tune on the Country Thunder main stage Friday. Parmalee consists of Knox, Josh McSwain along with brothers Scott and Matt Thomas (Jason Arndt/The Report).
Barry Knox, bass player for Parmalee, strums a tune on the Country Thunder main stage Friday. Parmalee consists of Knox, Josh McSwain along with brothers Scott and Matt Thomas (Jason Arndt/The Report).

Parmalee, Bryant both had a blast at Country Thunder

By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer

While the Country Thunder Music Festival in Twin Lakes brought in key headliners last weekend, some members were inspired to continue plugging away, courtesy of fan support.

Parmalee, a country bluegrass group that features brothers, a cousin and a childhood friend converged on the annual festival for the third time in the midst of a whirlwind summer tour.

The group consisting of Scott and Matt Thomas along with their cousin, Barry Knox, and friend Josh McSwain are originally from Greenville, North Carolina.

“It’s been huge, it’s like coming back home,” said Matt Thomas, who reflected on his first two appearances at Country Thunder.

According to their website, Parmalee started strumming along when the brothers watched their father, Jerry, emerge as a popular frontman for a southern rock blues band.

Chase Bryant signs autographs in the Meet and Greet tent at the Country Thunder Music Festival grounds Thursday. Bryant, who fielded an interview with the Report, had his show cancelled due to weather (Jason Arndt/The Report).
Chase Bryant signs autographs in the Meet and Greet tent at the Country Thunder Music Festival grounds Thursday. Bryant, who fielded an interview with the Report, had his show cancelled due to weather (Jason Arndt/The Report).

Knox witnessed his cousins’ passion and joined, with McSwain jumping in later. Since then, Parmalee produced a half-dozen albums, most recently “Roots” in April.

McSwain, who plays the guitar, stated the fans were the driving force behind the recent album and strength to continue touring all summer.

“Our fans are our inspiration, and we want to continue to tour and play for our fans,” he said.

Matt Thomas agreed, adding the recent album was a memorable production.

“We had such a great time, such a life-changing experience,” Matt Thomas stated.

The group, who arrived into Twin Lakes Friday, said their summer journey is not done.

Following Parmalee’s appearance at Country Thunder, they headed to Indianapolis Saturday, before a return trip to Wisconsin July 28 at the Rock County Fair in Janesville.

“It’s been busy, we’ve been touring our butts off,” McSwain stated. “Just glad to here.”

Parmalee, who appeared before headliner Florida Georgia Line Saturday, said the experience has been “a blast.”

While Parmalee recently released an album, 23-year-old Chase Bryant hopes to do the same in the beginning of 2017.

Bryant, from Texas, said this is the first year where he has aggressively toured the country, including stops with notable country music stars.

Stops included Tim McGraw’s Shotgun Rider Tour, Bradley Gilbert’s Let It Ride Tour and recently participated in Kip Moore’s Wild Ones Tour.

“This is our first summer we have done a ton of fairs, festivals, stuff like that,” Bryant said. “Otherwise, we were on the road with (Tim) McGraw over the summer.”

Additionally, Bryant released “Room to Breathe” about two weeks ago, and hopes to add it to an upcoming album.

“We released Room to Breathe about two weeks ago…this is the first song that will come off the new record,” he said. “Which we are hoping to have out in the New Year, we are just waiting to finish.”

Despite Bryant’s concert getting cancelled, he said it was a joy to reunite with others scheduled ahead of him on opening night, including headliner Chris Young.

“It’s been great, it’s been hot, of course,” Bryant stated. “But we are having a blast, good to be back with Chris and the guys.”

Along with the Young and Bryant cancellations, Dallas Smith’s performance was also scratched.


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