Matt Thomas: Crafty Celebrity Stories

Country band Parmalee's lead singer Matt Thomas joins The Beer Connoisseur for the next installment of Crafty Celebrity Stories, which features the best tales of ale (and more) from leading actors, celebrities and persons of interest.

Thomas is in Parmalee with his brother Scott Thomas on drums, cousin Barry Knox on bass and Josh McSwain on guitar. The group has released six albums, including Feels Like Carolina, which hit #10 on the US Country charts in 2013.  The group just released their newest single "Just the Way" and are currently on a mini-tour of the U.S.

1. Beer drinkers like to laugh. What’s the funniest drinking story you can share with us?
We were on the set of our Musta Had A Good Time video shoot, and we kept the party rocking until the mini horse decided to take a dump on the floor of the house we were renting for the shoot... (Yeah, there’s a mini horse in the video). Needless to say, the owner of the house shut the party down right then.

2. Who's the coolest person you've had a beer or drink with and why?
That's easy, my dad. When my brother and I were younger, we used to work with our dad in the logging business. We would stop at the local country store on the way home and he would always know the right beer to pick out of the coolers: an ice cold Bud Light on the drive home was always a ritual of ours.

3. List us a few of your favorite craft beers.

-Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing
-Bearded Iris Homestyle
-SweetWater 420 Extra Pale Ale
-SweetWater 420 G13 Strain IPA

All of these have a fruity, hoppy lightness to them. Love how refreshing and delicious they all are!

4. Do you have a favorite (craft) brewery or breweries?
I would have to say my favorites are Sierra Nevada, Bearded Iris and SweetWater. But I am always down to try a local brewery when we are on the road traveling to different places.

5. Have you performed at or attended any beer events/festivals that you particularly enjoyed? What made them stand out?
Yes, The Grand Minnesota Taste-Together. It was an awesome show, and afterwards, the promoters and vendors loaded us up with all kinds of craft beers. When we got home, it was like a lottery on who got to take home what!

6. What new projects does Parmalee have brewing?
We have a lot of pretty cool projects in the works right now. We just released a new single with our buddy Blanco Brown called 'Just the Way' and it has been a pretty big project to say the least. We also just released the official music video for the song and went and played it live on The TODAY Show in NYC. In the middle of all of this we also announced our 2020 tour, which we are really excited about.