The Band Perry Rocks the Resch
March 9, 2014
As The Band Perry came rocking into the Resch Center on February 27, I couldn’t help but think about how quickly they have erupted into the country music industry.
The band, consisting of lead singer Kimberly and younger brothers Reid and Neil, was formed in Mobile, Alabama, where the Perry kids moved with their parents after spending their childhood in Jackson, Mississippi.
According to the band’s website, at age 15, Kimberly started her first band, with her little brothers Reid, then ten, and Neil, eight, looking on. “When the drummer and bassist would take a water break, they would jump on their instruments,” Kimberly recalls with a laugh. “They caught the fever immediately.”
Reid and Neil started their own band, traveling with their family in a 36-foot motor home, playing modest shows in malls, campgrounds, and fairs. “Sometimes there’d be more people onstage than there were in out in the crowd,” Kimberly says.
She credits her parents for pushing them to not give up.
“Our parents, who had no legitimate experience in the music industry, said, ‘We’re not going to allow you to have a fallback plan. You were born to do music. We’ll support you.’ That was really the moment the three of us joined forces as The Band Perry. All the friends I had been playing with become interested in other things. I needed a band and Reid and Neil needed a lead singer.”
The siblings spent the next 10 years traveling and performing before signing with Universal Republic in 2009.
With the release of their self titled debut album in 2010, the band soared to new heights, with multiple hit singles. Their top single, “If I Die Young,” went quadruple-platinum, their single “You Lie” also went platinum, and “All Your Life” was a Country No. 1.
Beyond singles, the band has sold-out tours and received multiple honors, including ACM, CMA, and CMT Music Awards. They have also been nominated for Grammy, Teen Choice, AMA, ACA and Billboard Music awards. Keep in mind this has all occurred in the course of about four years.
Now they are nearing the end of their first headlining tour, We Are Pioneers, which began in November in Sweden. The title came from their second album, titled Pioneer.
Band member Reid says he hopes people don’t get the wrong idea when they hear the word “pioneer.”
“People hear the word ‘pioneer’ and they think of covered wagons or astronauts on the moon, but to us the idea of a pioneer is very modern,” he said. “It reflects the idea of putting one foot in front of the other when you’re unsure how to get where you’re going. It’s about marching forward and making noise.”
Sister and lead singer Kimberly added to Reid’s idea.
“We had so many questions about our future, both personally and professionally,” she explained. “You can hear it in the lyrics to the song , which asks, ‘Where are we going?’ ‘What will become of us?’ It’s truly about trusting that the songs we wrote would lead us where we were supposed to go.”
The trio has a country-rock feel, which is especially evident in the foot-stomping “Done,” a song that Kimberly explains is “about how you feel when you’ve given the best of yourself and it’s still not good enough.”
Yet the band also has a softer side, demonstrated in songs like “Pioneer” and “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely.”
They also take moments in between songs to address the audience and share personal stories. Kimberly shared that one of her teachers once told her that it was good she was smart, because she didn’t have looks going for her.
Reid has also been picked on because of his long hair. Neil has been asked if his instrument comes in a men’s size, to which he replies, “I put the man in mandolin.”
Senior Mary Lovell, who attended the show Thursday night, says she loves the band’s honesty. “Their stories of growing up and having people mess with them only led to inspiration,” she said. “You can’t put a price on that!”
After leaving the stage for about two minutes Thursday night, the band returned for an encore to sing “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” and their platinum selling first single “Better Dig Two.”
All in all, it was an incredible show put on by a very inspirational group that will still have singles on hit music charts for years to come.