The Band Perry: LP Field Press Conference CMA Music Festival 2010

The Band Perry: LP Field Press Conference CMA Music Festival 2010

Q: Was tonight the largest crowd you have ever played before?

Kimberly: Yes, it was. We played for about 20,000 last weekend and we will guess that there are about 25,000 out there just now.

Q: Could you talk about your new single, “If I Die Young”?

Kimberly: We are so excited. “If I Die Young” was actually the first single we had in for the album. In a lot of respects, we built this first chapter of our country music careers around it. We wrote it on a cloudy day in East Tennessee where we do our best thinking and it came out of a very “carpe diem” “seize the day” sentiment from the three of us. It talks about making the most of whatever is happening whether that is two years or 20 years or 200 years. We are one week at radio right now and in the top 40 thanks to all love at country radio. It is amazing how many fan stories are already rolling in and what that song has meant to people.

Neil: For some people, it is a song of healing if they have had recent losses and for others, it draws them to live each day to the fullest.

Q: As an act with a record label, I think this is your first CMA Music Festival but is it your first as just fans? Have you been here before?

Reid: This is our first as fans and as artists.

Q: Can you talk about the experience?

Kimberly: We played celebrity softball on Monday, actually tried to. Reid is 21 and Neil is 19 and I am 26—not terribly young although I look 18. At these young ages, you can’t be totally well rounded at the sports thing but what we did here was interesting! We ran as a unit, I got hit in the head with a softball, it was a great night. We played the Opry on Tuesday and got to do our very first signing at a booth today. We also did the River Stage today at 11am and just a few minutes ago, sang the National Anthem.

Q: The past year has been such a whirlwind. If you could go back a year and talk to yourselves, what advice would you give yourselves?

Kimberly: I would have prepared myself for very little sleep. Reid, Neil and I have been playing music together and have worked the last eleven years. We aren’t really brand new artists. Bob Doyle said when we signed our record deal, that we were going to get real busy now and we thought “are you kidding me”?? It took a lot of work to get to this point.

Neil: I probably would have started learning “The Star Spangled Banner” a long time ago.

Reid: We got five hours of sleep a few weeks ago and we were so excited because that just never happens.

Q: What has the fan reaction been like and what have you gotten from it?

Kimberly: We really saw a “fan fervor” turn around when we hit the top twenty with “Hip To My Heart”. We have seen that carry over this week during the CMA Fest. Folks actually know who we are and not just “oh there is an artist signing, let me grab an autograph”.

Neil: They also know multiple songs of ours, not just “Hip To My Heart” and “If I Die Young”. They know the other cuts from the EP as well.

Q: You recently wrote a blog about your “firsts” that you are experiencing. Can you tell us about your favorite “first” so far or one that you are looking forward to?

Kimberly: I think we are united in this decision; the first time we played on the Opry. We debuted at the Ryman last year in November on Friday the 13th. It was on the Ryman stage and a pinnacle moment for the three of us.

Reid: Another first is when the audience in Des Moines Iowa, actually sang “Hip To My Heart” back to us. It was a really great moment.

Kimberly: We weren’t expecting it either. We were doing a show with a bunch of new artists, Easton Corbin and Love and Theft were there, so everyone knew one single per artist and we weren’t expecting that at all. I wanted to tear up during “purr baby purr”.

Q: What is the best piece of advice your Father has given you?

Kimberly: I remember, when I was a kid, and this really comes in handy now since we travel together as adults, they would always carry us to the window if we got into a “sibling spat”, we call them discussions. He would carry us to the window and tell us that it is a big world, it’s a tough world you will have to fight through every day; you’re not going to fight here in this house. Our parents always taught us to be really gracious to each other and we try to follow that. Except for 14 days on the road, it is funny how we can revert back to petty sibling disagreements. Reid starts it.

Q: This week, you are here as fans as well. Have you met any of your heroes?

Kimberly: We just met Keith Urban wandering around the press room and I was so excited. We got to meet Reba during the CMT awards. She was the big artist that we were most excited to meet. It was pretty cool when Dave from Lady Antebellum gave us a shout from the red carpet in front of all the fans.

Reid: We are still waiting for Loretta Lynn hookup.

Kimberly: We got to meet Vince Gill, he actually pitched us the softball and we got a crack on the first pitch.

Neil: We are dying to meet the Zac Brown Band, we love them.

Kimberly: We have a Zac Brown Band crush.

Q: What is the message you want to get across to your fans?

Kimberly: We have different things for different folks on our album. I would say our overwhelming Band Perry theme is just “stick-to-it-iveness”. After 11 years of blood sweat and tears; it will definitely give you a lot of life lessons. Half of this battle is outlasting everyone else so we hope that in our way, we can keep our noses to the grind stone and keep working.

Q: Can you give some career advice for aspiring music professionals?

Kimberly: First, seeing all these kids walk through the lines with their guitars has been such an amazing experience, because there are so many folks hashing and honing their artist chops. I would say the advice we got was good. Play anywhere and everywhere possible whether there is one pair of ears or a thousand.

Reid: You always learn something. We have had shows where there were more people on stage than in the audience and you learn how to play for a few people.

Kimberly: Just stick to it, half the battle is outlasting all the rest.

For additional photos of CMA Music Festival LP Field Backstage visit http://MomentsByMoser.zenfolio.com/lpbackstage


Transcribed by Pam Stadel for Digital Rodeo