Hampton Beach Country Fest 2024: What to know about free Parmalee concert
HAMPTON — Country band Parmalee, the most streamed country group in 2023, is headlining Country Music Fest at Hampton Beach on Thursday, July 11.
The band will be performing the free concert at 7 p.m. on the Seashell Stage as part of the three-day festival that "brings country stars to the beach."
The festival kicks off Tuesday, July 9, with April Cushman followed by the award-winning Stefanie Jasmine Band on Wednesday, July 10.
"We are trying to turn Country Music Fest into an annual event that people look forward to as much as the Sand Sculpting Classic," said Hampton Beach Village District marketing director Lisa Martineau of this year's lineup.
How much is admission?
Country Fest, like all the other nightly music shows on the Seashell Stage, is free and paid for by the taxpayers of the Hampton Beach Village District.
Martineau said they are expecting a large crowd for Parmalee, and she recommends people come early if they want to be close to the stage.
"The turnout for Chris Janson last year was phenomenal and I think we may top it this year," Martineau said. "We highly recommend you get there early."
This is the district's sixth Country Fest. The first two years were headlined by Nashville star William Michael Morgan. In 2022, Rodney Atkins, known for such hits as “If You’re Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)” and “Watching You,” was the main event, and in 2022 Maddie & Tae, fresh of their CMT Music Awards win, took center stage.
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What we know about Parmalee
Parmalee was the most-played group/band on Country Radio in 2023.
The group comprises brothers Matt Thomas (guitar/lead vocals) and Scott Thomas (drums), their cousin Barry Knox (bass) and lifelong friend Josh McSwain (guitar).
The North Carolina natives first topped the charts with “Carolina” in 2013 followed by their Platinum-certified No. 1 single with Blanco Brown, “Just the Way” in 2021.
They followed that with the love song “Take My Name,” which was Billboard’s Most Played Country Song of 2022.
The group recently scored their fourth No. 1 single with “Girl In Mine,” which is Billboard’s 8th Most Played Country Song of 2023.
In 2010, the band was a victim of an attempted robbery, where Scott Thomas was shot in the leg, stomach and chest.
According to published reports, the band had just finished playing The Money, a bar in South Carolina, when two masked men entered their RV and demanded money. Scott Thomas shot and killed one of the robbers, and wounded the other, as he sustained multiple gunshots that nearly took his life.
Scott Thomas spent 10 days in a coma, had three lifesaving surgeries, including one on his leg to save it from amputation, and endured months of physical rehab to learn how to walk again.
The ordeal is depicted in their music video for the song "Gonna Love You," with the tagline at the beginning stating, "This is a true story." The video was in the running for Video of the Year at the CMT Music Awards but did not move on to the second round of voting, which narrowed the 16 nominees down to six.
Who is opening for Parmalee?
David J, according to his bio on his website, has "been singing, songwriting and performing for nearly a decade."
And according to Martineau, he was hand-picked to be the opener by Parmalee.
David J says he was inspired to have a career in music after watching Justin Bieber’s documentary concert film “Never Say Never.” His influences, according to his bio, range "from Kane Brown and Sam Hunt to Bieber and Drake," walking a "fine line of country lyricism over a bed of pop-laced sonics."
His Sony Music Nashville/Runner Music debut EP Commitment Issues dropped on March 22. The eight-song EP features co-writes with Ryan Tedder, Grant Boutin, Danny Majic and more.
“There’s a song for everybody on the EP— it perfectly describes my musical taste, how I grew up listening to country but always liked hip hop," he stated in a release. "It embodies the music I like to make, and it’s a really good representation of who I am.”
David J takes the Seashell Stage at 7 p.m.
Who is kicking off Country Fest?
Cushman, who was recently named the 2023 New England Music Awards' Country Act of the Year, will take the stage at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 9.
Cushman was named the New England Music Awards' Country Act of the Year in 2022 and 2023.
The Swanzey native said she has a "passion and love" for country music that started at the age of 5.
"I have been singing and playing for as long as I can remember," she told Country 102.5 in a 2022 interview. "I was heavily inspired going to and singing in the children's choir at church when I was really young."
Some of her favorite artists include Terri Clark, Wynonna Judd, Ashley McBryde and Lainey Wilson.
Cushman, according to her website, is described as a "blend of Ashley McBryde with the storytelling of Lori McKenna."
Her debut album "The Long Haul" was released in November 2021, and was funded via a Kickstarter campaign raising $11,000 and reaching No. 16 on the iTunes Country Album charts.
Cushman has opened for artists like Kip Moore, Rodney Atkins, Scotty McCreery, and Lonestar. Other career highlights include performing the American and Canadian National Anthems at Gillette Stadium for the New England Revolution and at the TD Garden for the Boston Celtics.
What we know about Stefanie Jasmine Band
Stefanie Jasmine will perform at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10. While she has played Wally's at Hampton Beach, this will be her first time performing on the Seashell Stage.
Jasmine has shared the stage with big names in country music such as Lee Brice and Jerrod Neiman. She now splits her time between Nashville and New England and, according to her bio, continues to record and release music.
Inspired by artists such as Gretchen Wilson, Miranda Lambert and Wynonna, Jasmine states on her website, "I love country, but my style of music definitely has a rock element as well.”
When are free line dancing lessons?
Before each concert, free line dancing classes taught by Nashville Line Dance will be offered to get everyone ready for the shows.
Line dancing will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 9-10. On Thursday, July 11, it will be from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton Beach Country Fest 2024: Parmalee headlines free event
