August 14, 2025 • 8 mins
Parmalee is playing Baltimore on 8/15/25 at Power Plant Live. They are one of the nicest groups of humans I've ever come across and they write super catchy and fun songs. I hope you come out and join us for the show.
Matt Thomas, the lead siner of Parmalee, called in to join me on the show. Here's our full conversation.
Matt Thomas, the lead siner of Parmalee, called in to join me on the show. Here's our full conversation.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's up at Saint Pierre. Thank you for checking out
this episode of the podcast. Recently, I had a chance
to catch up with Matt Thomas. He's the front man
for the band Parmlee. He's been there since day one.
Parmaly's an interesting band. They've been together for over twenty
five years now. They've gone through a couple of changes,
but not by the lineup. The lineup has been the
same four dudes since the very beginning, and that kind
(00:22):
of thing doesn't happen very often. I think Parmalee is
kind of an anomaly, and in this conversation I have
with Matt Thomas, he also says the same thing. I
think he's right one hundred percent and anomaly in a
good way too, because they really have been putting out
some incredible music, and arguably their most successful music has
come more recently, nearly two decades into their career. So
(00:42):
it's pretty awesome. Parmelie's in Baltimore on August fifteenth. We're
so excited to have them at power Plant Live. Here's
my conversation with Matt Thomas. Hey is this Matt Man.
How's it going going?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Good to man? Good with you?
Speaker 1 (00:54):
I'm doing great, man. I'm looking forward to seeing you
here tomorrow night.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
I know we're getting excited, man, I can't wait. How's
the weather up there? Is it a cooling off a
little bit?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
You know, we've had some hot days and some cooler days.
I think your day is gonna be you know, all right,
it's gonna be humid and warm. But that's what you
expect in Baltimore in August.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Dude. I know, I'm actually in North Carolina and it
feels amazing. I can't believe it's not. It's been so hot,
it's been crazy, so I think we all deserved a
little break.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Yes, No, I commpletely agree. I completely agree. Yeah, dude,
I gotta tell you I have an apology that I've
been meaning to issue to you for like twelve or
thirteen years now. It was twenty thirteen. You guys played
a show in Baltimore, right on the water. It was
the same night that Keith Urban was doing like a
big thing for the NFL because the ravensn won the
Super Bowl earlier that year. And it was right around
(01:41):
when Carolina became a number one song, and you guys
played Carolina and then our DJ and I say all
this with love because I do love him. But our guy,
Michael J. Jumps on stage and like grabs the mic
from you. It's like, you guys want to hear that
song again. And I just remember in that moment being
horrified because I look, I know you know him, and
(02:03):
I know we all know Michael J. And again I
say all this would love, But like I saw all
the looks on your face that everyone's like, what do
we do? Right now? We have more of our set
to play? What do we do? I've always wanted to
apologize for that moment because now we have like a
leash on him. Every time somebody is performing, we're like, Michael,
sit down.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Sit down, It's all good man. You got to get
to people what they want. Sometimes he was just excited.
You can't have excitement. That's that's always good, you know
what I mean?
Speaker 1 (02:30):
No, that's true. He was very excited. That is true.
And you know what, I was just voting for the
CMA Awards, and I've voted for you guys for a group.
I know it's only second round voting, there's still more
to go. I'm genuinely surprised and I know that you know,
awards are their own entity. But I'm I'm genuinely surprised,
given the success that Parmally has had over the last
five or six years, in particular, that your name is
(02:51):
not popped up more on these awards shows.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah, I don't know what. I guess we're not in
that good old boy system or you know. Well now
it's just all internal and people trade votes for votes.
You vote for me, I'll vote for your art. I mean,
it's always been that way. I just I guess we
don't have enough votes in our camp to get it done.
I guess they don't consider radio anymore. That's that's really
(03:15):
what it bolts down too, because that's really where we
shine all of them, to be honest, I mean, just
being honest. I mean they sell more to gus of course,
and some have had, like you know, bigger platforms to
be on, and you know, have had some hits and
things like that. But I don't know what the internal
workings is. So whatever, it's all good. But we got
our fans and you guys at radio support us, and
(03:36):
that's our bread and butter, you know, that's where we live.
So it's fine.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Yeah, I mean I just look back, you know, over
the last few years, and I mean I think there
were a couple of years. You guys are the most
played song on country radio artists like Man Parmally. The
the trajectory of your career has been so fascinating to
me because not a lot of bands have, you know,
Argua with their biggest hit almost twenty years into their career, right, Like,
it's so like you guys form than what two thousand
(04:00):
and one is that the official forming.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
I think two thousand and two was at first EPs,
I call it yeah one two sometime in there, I
think it might have been one changing the name from
our cover band to parmer Lee. But we've been playing
together even before then. We were a cover band called
slip Joint okay, and there it changed to Pamela. So yeah, yeah,
it's crazy, but you know what it is. It's it's
also exciting, and it gives us and and it gives
(04:25):
us we're still we're still, you know, just as excited
as we were back the end, you know what I mean.
And that's that's that's great, and it's uh, it makes
us want to get up and write songs and go
play shows and improve everything. You know.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Yeah, I mean, I guess that that kind of leads
me into a question, and you may have already answered it,
But I guess, how does it feel to be able
to do this job? Because I'm sure when you form
the band, you have these dreams of like, we're gonna
do this forever, but then in the back of your
mind you're like, it might not be forever. It's a band,
like it's always hard to tell how long this is
actually going to last. But here you are, your twenty
five years into it, and you guys are still out
(05:00):
there crushing it.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah. I mean, I think early on, having just not
really know anything about anything. Ignorance is bliss in a
lot of ways. You know, you're you're dreaming, you're shooting
for the stars, and and you are betting on that,
betting on the low percent in life because you're the
odds that you're gonna have you're gonna be a band,
(05:21):
same four guys the whole time, the odds that you're
gonna have a hit songs, that you're gonna have five
number ones. You know all that stuff is I mean,
he said, it's definitely attainable. The odds are extremely hard
and against you. I mean, I call this an anomaly,
but you know, hey, it can happen. So it did happen,
you know what I mean for anybody just just out
there doing something like yeah, I mean there's there's a chance,
(05:44):
you know, rhythm. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And another thing we
always did was and we still continue to do, is
is try to find that one positive thing to focus
on instead of all the negativity. And that really has
been shining light for us to like, man, everybody's talking
all this craft or saying all this past stuff. Let's
find one thing that this positive and this gis go
(06:05):
do that, you know, or find somebody to work with
it that decided a buy other stuff. And yeah, finding
a rhythm and uh, you know, learning from a big
part of it too, still learning from a state.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
The positivity thing though, I mean, I know it sounds
kind of cheesy sometimes to say it, but that is
such a key thing, especially in the world we live
in today because so much there's so many opinions out there.
I mean, you just open up your Instagram. I'm sure
you've got a lot of haters. You've got a lot
of lovers too, but you get a lot of haters
that have things. I mean, I I just can't even
look at comments anytime I'm involved in anything because I
can't handle it.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
I can't handle the I don't either, man. It is
it is. It is brutal. But you know, I will
say one of one of the things that kept me,
that really fired me up back in the day, you know,
like we were trying to get a record deal, and
we were, we were doing everything independently, and I saw
this one comment and this was like two thousand and
four or five, you know, and there's some guys, I
don't know who these guys think they are. They're living
(06:57):
a pipe dream. They might they should just hang it up,
you know, like, and we heard a lot of that
because we were we couldn't get signed, and we were
so that's what I'm saying. We were here, everybody was
we can't sign, you don't have it, you don't have it,
blah blah blah. And so instead of focusing on that,
we would find one person that wanted to work with us,
and we would go work for that person, you know,
then figure out how to do it. But yeah, you
(07:19):
just gotta you gotta let that negative stuff go, man,
as much as you can.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Well, you're gonna be here in Baltimore on Friday, August fifteenth.
We're very excited about this. Have you ever played the
venue power Plant Live? I can't remember if you've been
there before, I.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Don't think so. I can't remember. I think the last
time we were there we did the Street Festival. It's
been a minute. But either way that we're gonna We're
gonna bring the party. That's what we're coming for. And
I can't wait. I heard this is a great venue
and you guys, I know y'all throw down it there.
So it is and.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
It's a great venue and people are going to be
ready to party. But I will tell you this, it
is going to be hot in that venue. They it
holds the heat in so make sure you hydrate all
day before you take the stage. I'm just giving you
a warning.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
We can get we can do it.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Yeah, we'll work it out. And can I make a
song request for the playlist?
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Maybe?
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Come on? Okay, I know it's one that I don't
hear quite as often, but it's Mimosas. I love that
jam Mimosas.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Oh yeah, you know we were messing with that song
the other night. I'm glad you brought that up. That's
a good one, man, I do.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
I feel like it's a lost Parmelise song that I
personally was in love with, so I want to bring
it back.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Thank you, but I have to give you a little
snippet of it or something. All Right.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
I appreciate that, well, Matt, Listen, we're excited to see
you guys. Man, it's going to be good to have
you back in town. It's been a minute, so I'm
excited to have you back here in Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Likewise, Man, can't wait to see y'all. Appreciate it.
What's up at Saint Pierre. Thank you for checking out
this episode of the podcast. Recently, I had a chance
to catch up with Matt Thomas. He's the front man
for the band Parmlee. He's been there since day one.
Parmaly's an interesting band. They've been together for over twenty
five years now. They've gone through a couple of changes,
but not by the lineup. The lineup has been the
same four dudes since the very beginning, and that kind
(00:22):
of thing doesn't happen very often. I think Parmalee is
kind of an anomaly, and in this conversation I have
with Matt Thomas, he also says the same thing. I
think he's right one hundred percent and anomaly in a
good way too, because they really have been putting out
some incredible music, and arguably their most successful music has
come more recently, nearly two decades into their career. So
(00:42):
it's pretty awesome. Parmelie's in Baltimore on August fifteenth. We're
so excited to have them at power Plant Live. Here's
my conversation with Matt Thomas. Hey is this Matt Man.
How's it going going?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Good to man? Good with you?
Speaker 1 (00:54):
I'm doing great, man. I'm looking forward to seeing you
here tomorrow night.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
I know we're getting excited, man, I can't wait. How's
the weather up there? Is it a cooling off a
little bit?
Speaker 1 (01:02):
You know, we've had some hot days and some cooler days.
I think your day is gonna be you know, all right,
it's gonna be humid and warm. But that's what you
expect in Baltimore in August.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Dude. I know, I'm actually in North Carolina and it
feels amazing. I can't believe it's not. It's been so hot,
it's been crazy, so I think we all deserved a
little break.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Yes, No, I commpletely agree. I completely agree. Yeah, dude,
I gotta tell you I have an apology that I've
been meaning to issue to you for like twelve or
thirteen years now. It was twenty thirteen. You guys played
a show in Baltimore, right on the water. It was
the same night that Keith Urban was doing like a
big thing for the NFL because the ravensn won the
Super Bowl earlier that year. And it was right around
(01:41):
when Carolina became a number one song, and you guys
played Carolina and then our DJ and I say all
this with love because I do love him. But our guy,
Michael J. Jumps on stage and like grabs the mic
from you. It's like, you guys want to hear that
song again. And I just remember in that moment being
horrified because I look, I know you know him, and
(02:03):
I know we all know Michael J. And again I
say all this would love, But like I saw all
the looks on your face that everyone's like, what do
we do? Right now? We have more of our set
to play? What do we do? I've always wanted to
apologize for that moment because now we have like a
leash on him. Every time somebody is performing, we're like, Michael,
sit down.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Sit down, It's all good man. You got to get
to people what they want. Sometimes he was just excited.
You can't have excitement. That's that's always good, you know
what I mean?
Speaker 1 (02:30):
No, that's true. He was very excited. That is true.
And you know what, I was just voting for the
CMA Awards, and I've voted for you guys for a group.
I know it's only second round voting, there's still more
to go. I'm genuinely surprised and I know that you know,
awards are their own entity. But I'm I'm genuinely surprised,
given the success that Parmally has had over the last
five or six years, in particular, that your name is
(02:51):
not popped up more on these awards shows.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Yeah, I don't know what. I guess we're not in
that good old boy system or you know. Well now
it's just all internal and people trade votes for votes.
You vote for me, I'll vote for your art. I mean,
it's always been that way. I just I guess we
don't have enough votes in our camp to get it done.
I guess they don't consider radio anymore. That's that's really
(03:15):
what it bolts down too, because that's really where we
shine all of them, to be honest, I mean, just
being honest. I mean they sell more to gus of course,
and some have had, like you know, bigger platforms to
be on, and you know, have had some hits and
things like that. But I don't know what the internal
workings is. So whatever, it's all good. But we got
our fans and you guys at radio support us, and
(03:36):
that's our bread and butter, you know, that's where we live.
So it's fine.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Yeah, I mean I just look back, you know, over
the last few years, and I mean I think there
were a couple of years. You guys are the most
played song on country radio artists like Man Parmally. The
the trajectory of your career has been so fascinating to
me because not a lot of bands have, you know,
Argua with their biggest hit almost twenty years into their career, right, Like,
it's so like you guys form than what two thousand
(04:00):
and one is that the official forming.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
I think two thousand and two was at first EPs,
I call it yeah one two sometime in there, I
think it might have been one changing the name from
our cover band to parmer Lee. But we've been playing
together even before then. We were a cover band called
slip Joint okay, and there it changed to Pamela. So yeah, yeah,
it's crazy, but you know what it is. It's it's
also exciting, and it gives us and and it gives
(04:25):
us we're still we're still, you know, just as excited
as we were back the end, you know what I mean.
And that's that's that's great, and it's uh, it makes
us want to get up and write songs and go
play shows and improve everything. You know.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Yeah, I mean, I guess that that kind of leads
me into a question, and you may have already answered it,
But I guess, how does it feel to be able
to do this job? Because I'm sure when you form
the band, you have these dreams of like, we're gonna
do this forever, but then in the back of your
mind you're like, it might not be forever. It's a band,
like it's always hard to tell how long this is
actually going to last. But here you are, your twenty
five years into it, and you guys are still out
(05:00):
there crushing it.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah. I mean, I think early on, having just not
really know anything about anything. Ignorance is bliss in a
lot of ways. You know, you're you're dreaming, you're shooting
for the stars, and and you are betting on that,
betting on the low percent in life because you're the
odds that you're gonna have you're gonna be a band,
(05:21):
same four guys the whole time, the odds that you're
gonna have a hit songs, that you're gonna have five
number ones. You know all that stuff is I mean,
he said, it's definitely attainable. The odds are extremely hard
and against you. I mean, I call this an anomaly,
but you know, hey, it can happen. So it did happen,
you know what I mean for anybody just just out
there doing something like yeah, I mean there's there's a chance,
(05:44):
you know, rhythm. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And another thing we
always did was and we still continue to do, is
is try to find that one positive thing to focus
on instead of all the negativity. And that really has
been shining light for us to like, man, everybody's talking
all this craft or saying all this past stuff. Let's
find one thing that this positive and this gis go
(06:05):
do that, you know, or find somebody to work with
it that decided a buy other stuff. And yeah, finding
a rhythm and uh, you know, learning from a big
part of it too, still learning from a state.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
The positivity thing though, I mean, I know it sounds
kind of cheesy sometimes to say it, but that is
such a key thing, especially in the world we live
in today because so much there's so many opinions out there.
I mean, you just open up your Instagram. I'm sure
you've got a lot of haters. You've got a lot
of lovers too, but you get a lot of haters
that have things. I mean, I I just can't even
look at comments anytime I'm involved in anything because I
can't handle it.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
I can't handle the I don't either, man. It is
it is. It is brutal. But you know, I will
say one of one of the things that kept me,
that really fired me up back in the day, you know,
like we were trying to get a record deal, and
we were, we were doing everything independently, and I saw
this one comment and this was like two thousand and
four or five, you know, and there's some guys, I
don't know who these guys think they are. They're living
(06:57):
a pipe dream. They might they should just hang it up,
you know, like, and we heard a lot of that
because we were we couldn't get signed, and we were
so that's what I'm saying. We were here, everybody was
we can't sign, you don't have it, you don't have it,
blah blah blah. And so instead of focusing on that,
we would find one person that wanted to work with us,
and we would go work for that person, you know,
then figure out how to do it. But yeah, you
(07:19):
just gotta you gotta let that negative stuff go, man,
as much as you can.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Well, you're gonna be here in Baltimore on Friday, August fifteenth.
We're very excited about this. Have you ever played the
venue power Plant Live? I can't remember if you've been
there before, I.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Don't think so. I can't remember. I think the last
time we were there we did the Street Festival. It's
been a minute. But either way that we're gonna We're
gonna bring the party. That's what we're coming for. And
I can't wait. I heard this is a great venue
and you guys, I know y'all throw down it there.
So it is and.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
It's a great venue and people are going to be
ready to party. But I will tell you this, it
is going to be hot in that venue. They it
holds the heat in so make sure you hydrate all
day before you take the stage. I'm just giving you
a warning.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
We can get we can do it.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
Yeah, we'll work it out. And can I make a
song request for the playlist?
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Maybe?
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Come on? Okay, I know it's one that I don't
hear quite as often, but it's Mimosas. I love that
jam Mimosas.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
Oh yeah, you know we were messing with that song
the other night. I'm glad you brought that up. That's
a good one, man, I do.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
I feel like it's a lost Parmelise song that I
personally was in love with, so I want to bring
it back.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Thank you, but I have to give you a little
snippet of it or something. All Right.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
I appreciate that, well, Matt, Listen, we're excited to see
you guys. Man, it's going to be good to have
you back in town. It's been a minute, so I'm
excited to have you back here in Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Likewise, Man, can't wait to see y'all. Appreciate it.
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