Music: The Band Perry

Family acts have been a staple of country music for decades - the chemistry and camaraderie of having your relatives onstage just lends itself to singing country songs. Carrying on the tradition of groups like the Carters and the Judds are the sibling trio of Kimberly, Neil, and Reid Perry, who formed "The Band Perry."


Their self-titled debut album is a cross between Janis Joplin, Loretta Lynn, and David Grisman; practically every song has blues, rock, rockabilly, or bluegrass elements. In the main, though, "The Band Perry" employs the country-pop sound that dominates today's airwaves, ensuring that they'll have a broad appeal.

I watched TBP perform at the South Florida Fair recently, and it was a fun time. The setlist included most of their debut album, along with a smattering of covers and new material. Thanks to relentless airtime on local country radio, most of the crowd was familiar with TBP's #1 hit, "If I Die Young":



The Perrys were also quite friendly; they stayed after the show for two hours to sign autographs and take pictures with the fans, including yours truly:


As a final note, I leave you with my favorite TBP song, "Independence." It's a song about leaving home to find your fortune, and it describes my current situation pretty succintly. Methinks it's time to borrow a posting style from my fellow gunblogger Borepatch - here is the music video and a few of the lyrics:

Emancipation or paper chasing
Leaving with question marks and Momma's blessing
Put her picture in my pocket along with her rosary
Oh, some say I'm crazy, a little loco
and most of my friends will live and die in this zip code
It might be for me but until I go
How am I ever supposed to know?

I gotta get gone, gone, gone
shooting like a gun, a gun, a gun
skipping like a stone, stone, stone
Far as I can run to where freedom is free
There's a road like a long gray ribbon far as I can see

I'm busting out of Independence
Independence busting out of me