Parmalee

Parmalee
Parmalee performing live for WKML 95.7 at the Cumberland County Fair on September 11, 2012.
Background information
Origin	Parmele, North Carolina, United States
Genres	Country
Years active	2001 (2001)–present
Labels	Stoney Creek
Associated acts	New Voice Entertainment
Members	Barry Knox Josh McSwain Matt Thomas Scott Thomas

Parmalee is an American country music band consisting of brothers Matt Thomas (lead vocals, guitar) and Scott Thomas (drums), along with their cousin Barry Knox (bass) and Josh McSwain (guitar), who is a best friend since childhood. They are signed to the Stoney Creek division of Broken Bow Records and have charted on Country Airplay.

Prior to the formation of Parmalee, Matt and Scott performed with their father in a group entitled Jerry Thomas and the Thomas Brothers Band. When their father retired, they wanted to continue spreading the gift of music so they started Parmalee, consisting of Matt and Scott Thomas, Josh McSwain, and Barry Knox. All members are able to play multiple musical instruments. Their first EP was titled Daylight. The band drew attention from producer David Bendeth of RCA. Bendeth invited them to record three songs at Water Music Studios in Hoboken, New Jersey, which led to a publishing deal with Los Angeles-based Windswept Publishing. Then came an invitation from Bendeth to record the remainder of the 12 songs that comprise the band's full-length debut album, Inside. Following the release, Parmalee spent nearly 2 years touring and promoting their album.

Parmalee also released a live acoustic album entitled Unplugged and a documentary-style DVD, Inside Live. In 2006, they went to Los Angeles to begin recording with producer Stevo Bruno. They split their time between touring the East Coast and recording in California. They recorded the majority of the tracks in Los Angeles (Nikki Sixx, bassist of Mötley Crüe, collaborated with Parmalee on several tracks, both writing and producing), then travelled to Nashville to write, produce, and mix the remainder of the record with producer Kevin Beamish. Parmalee released the EP Complicated in 2008.

In September 2010, they were the victims of an attempted robbery. They had just finished playing at The Money, a local bar in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and were in their RV when two suspects, Dytavis Hinton and Demario Burris, entered the vehicle with a handgun demanding money. At this time, drummer Scott Thomas came out from the back of the bus with his own gun and told them to leave. The gunman, Burris, opened fire and Scott was shot in the leg, stomach, and shoulder. Returning fire, both suspects were hit, with Burris being killed and Hinton wounded. Thomas was in critical condition after the gunshot wound and was hospitalized in Charlotte, North Carolina for 35 days, 10 of which he spent in a coma. By May 2011, Scott was well enough to get behind a drum kit for the first time and the band finally performed their promised label showcase. He has since made a full recovery.