By Jim Roberts
The Band Perry had a remarkable start in 2010, releasing a self-titled album, selling 5 million copies of their single, “If I Die Young,” and winning three Country Music Association Awards.
While the sibling trio went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance in 2015, they’ve been relatively quiet since then—even going on an official hiatus in 2022.
But after flooding from Hurricane Helene devastated their hometown of Greeneville, Tennessee, last September, Kimberly and Reid Perry decided to reunite for a benefit concert.
“That was really the catalyst that brought us back on stage together,” Kimberly told Veer Magazine in May. “We had so much fun doing that, we decided to open up the calendar. So it’s been a really fun year to dip our toes back in the water. … I think we’re just kind of in a posture to be creative and see where it goes from here.”
Kimberly and Reid will perform on Saturday, June 21 at the Virginia Arts Festival’s Williamsburg Live event. “Neil is working on solo music,” she said of her youngest brother, “and was super passionate to continue to do that. So we’re championing him from afar and all living our music dream together and separate.”
In the meantime, Kimberly’s husband, Johnny Costello, has joined the band.
“We’ve written a ton together since we’ve been married,” she said. “Reid and Johnny have worked on some other side music projects as well, so they just really bonded like brothers from the beginning as well. So to have him in here feels like a really natural fit and truly feels like home—definitely for me and also for Reid.”
Kimberly promised “a little bit of everything” in their Williamsburg set.
“We celebrate 15 years since our first country album came out and ‘If I Die Young’ came out,” she said. “So the set is a compilation of, obviously, all the hits from our first two albums, a couple of our favorite deep cuts, and then we’re trying out a couple of new ones live as well.”
She said her songwriting has matured as she’s lived through a divorce, a second marriage and the 2023 birth of her son, Whit.
“I think my songwriting has gotten more efficient because I have a lot less time to do it,” she said. “My emotion is like 95% toward my family and my son and 5% toward the energy to write. So it definitely has sharpened my skill set when it comes to songwriting, but I think also the confidence of going from just sister and daughter to wife and mother—adding that to my life pedigree just has added a different level of confidence too, and I definitely see that in my writing.”
The Band Perry concert falls on Day 2 of Williamsburg Live. The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA will play on Friday, and the Beach Boys will close it out on Sunday. Kimberly cites the Beach Boys as an influence.
“Especially when it came to arrangements,” she said. “I remember listening to ‘Pet Sounds’ and just being really mind-blown. I mean, so much of that is really avant garde too, but obviously, as a songwriter and as somebody who loves production and really researching how records got made, that was a super interesting and impactful record to listen to.”
Asked for final thoughts, Kimberly expressed excitement to be touring again.
“I think we’ve done four shows so far this year,” she said, “and each one just feels more and more like getting back on the bike—like we haven’t missed any time.”
The Band Perry will perform at 7:30 p.m. June 21 on the lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. Celeste Kellogg will open. Ticket prices start at $38. For tickets or more information, visit vafest.org.
