‘Catch of the Day’ – Parmalee [AUDIO]

Today's Catch of the Day comes from a young band that had a cross-country adventure that led to their first album in 2002 and who almost lost a founding member in a gunfight in 2010.

Parmalee is named after the group's home town of Parmalee, North Carolina. The band was formed in 2001 and consists of brothers Matt & Scott Thomas (lead vocals/guitar and drums respectively), their childhood best-friend Josh McSwain (guitar) and the brother's cousin, Barry Knox (bass). They drew the attention of RCA Records and David Bendeth based on a three song EP the quartet produced themselves.

RCA invited them to Hoboken, New Jersey to re-record the EP, which led to a publishing deal with Los Angeles based Windswept Publishing and the band being invited to Nashville by RCA in 2003 to record the remainder of a 12 song album. The band spent the next two years on the road, touring to promote that debut album, Inside.

After releasing three albums that were considered artistically sound but failing to produce a top 40 single, Parmalee parted ways with Deep South Records (a division of RCA) in 2008. While on the road in September, 2010, the group were the victims of an attempted armed robbery. They had just finished playing at a local in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and were in their RV when two suspects entered the vehicle with handguns 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 one being killed and the second wounded. Thomas was in critical condition after the gunshot wound and was hospitalized in 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 a promised label showcase. He has since made a full recovery. The band soon signed with Stoney Creek Records and their first album for the label, Feels Like Carolina, has spawned 2 top singles "Carolina" (#2) and "Close Your Eyes" (#11). The fourth single from that album is today's Catch of the Day. "Already Callin' You Mine", new music you haven't heard, but you want to hear it again...