MusicRowPics: The Band Perry Talks Their Brand of Modern Country
The Band Perry with MusicRow Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson.
Members of The Band Perry say they have learned to “work smarter, not necessarily harder” during the making of their upcoming album. “This third album is the only time we’ve taken time off the road to actually be in the studio,” Kimberly Perry told MusicRow on Tuesday (Sept. 1) during a visit to the publication’s offices.
The sibling trio has been performing together for more than 16 years and has barely slowed down since the release of their debut album five years ago.
Elaborating on the upcoming project, Reid Perry said, “Recording this third album we weren’t really thinking about genres as much as honesty, and being true to who The Band Perry is, and being excellent at whatever we produced. We weren’t necessarily chasing a particular sound, other than what The Band Perry normally does, which is three-part harmony, a narrative in a song, Neil’s mandolin, and acoustic guitar. But we did incorporate a lot of modern sounds as well, like bigger drum beats.”
“Country music is very interesting and has changed a lot in the past five years,” said Kimberly. “Our genre is steeped in tradition. You’ve got everything from the tradition of the Opry, to the tradition that it is a narrative genre. Sometimes it’s about mandolin and banjo, sometimes it’s about family three-part harmony. So for us, that’s our brand of modern country.
“This umbrella of country seems to be more widespread than ever before. I think it’s a really cool day when there’s not a creative glass ceiling for country artists, because I don’t like the idea of having to shed your country skin just to be able explore something else creatively. I love to be able to be a country artist but still grow. Songs and creativity are organisms and they’re ever growing and ever changing. That’s why we went back to home plate to put out ‘Gentle On My Mind’ to radio and honor the tradition, but then we put out [new single] ‘Live Forever’ after that, with more of a modern spin.”
Reid agreed, “With The Band Perry, people expect us to do the unexpected.”
MusicRow staff with The Band Perry pictured (L-R): Kelsey Grady, Eric Parker, Neil Perry, Sarah Skates, Sherod Robertson, Kimberly Perry, Jessica Nicholson, Reid Perry, Robert Oermann, Troy Stephenson
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