Parmalee bring their Carolina country to the Robins Theatre

The North Carolina band headlines downtown Warren's restored 1923 movie palace on Saturday, Nov. 14, in what we have on record as their first Youngstown-area show.

For 45 years, the Robins Theatre on Warren's main drag was a dark building people drove past. It's a working stage again, and next Saturday a country band from a very small town in eastern North Carolina plays it.

Parmalee play the Robins Theatre in Warren on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are sold through the Robins Theatre's own site. The theater holds 1,350. As far as our records go, this is the band's first Youngstown-area show.

The band is named for its hometown, Parmele, in Martin County, N.C. Matt Thomas sings lead and writes most of the songs. His brother Scott plays drums, their cousin Barry Knox plays bass, and childhood friend Josh McSwain plays guitar. Before Parmalee, Matt and Scott played in their father's group, Jerry Thomas and the Thomas Brothers Band, so this is a family act that came up the old way.

"Carolina" was their first No. 1, in 2013. Hits including "Close Your Eyes" and "Already Callin' You Mine" followed, and later radio singles like "Take My Name" and "Just the Way" showed up on the album *For You*. Their album *Fell in Love with a Cowgirl* kept the run going, and in December 2024 MusicRow reported the band's fifth No. 1 alongside the announcement of a new tour.

That tour became the Feels Like Home Tour. In January, Country Now reported the band coming off it and heading into 2026 with plans for a steady flow of new music and collaborations. The Warren date falls on a tight weekend run: Indianapolis the night before, then Raleigh–Durham on Nov. 20, with Detroit on Dec. 5.

The room is worth the trip by itself. The Robins opened on Jan. 9, 1923, commissioned by Daniel Robins, an early partner of Abraham Warner of the Warner Brothers. C. Howard Crane and I.J. Goldston designed it. It ran as a movie house and then sat empty from 1974 until Warren native Mark Marvin's Downtown Development Group bought it in December 2017 and committed to restoring it. The theater reopened in late 2019 with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on opening night, and the Vindicator's headline afterward said it all: "Robins Theatre earns raves." Sunrise Entertainment now books national acts there, and the building marked its 100th birthday a few years ago.

A band built on hometown pride, playing a theater a hometown fought to bring back.

For a band whose biggest song is about missing home, that's a good fit. Parmalee's audience tends to sing along to every word of "Carolina," and a 1,350-seat theater is small enough that the singing carries. It's a Saturday night, so plan dinner downtown before the 7:30 start and give yourself time to look around the lobby on the way in.

Warren waited a long time to get the Robins back. Saturday is a good night to use it.

Sources: Parmalee – Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org); Matt Thomas Parmalee Interview – "Take My Name," "Just The Way" – SongwriterUniverse (songwriteruniverse.com); Parmalee, Fell in Love with a Cowgirl album – Billboard (billboard.com); Parmalee notches 5th No. 1, announces new tour – MusicRow (musicrow.com); Parmalee Ready to Deliver a Nonstop Wave of New Music and Exciting Collaborations in 2026 – Country Now (countrynow.com); Robins Theatre – Warren, Ohio – After the Final Curtain (afterthefinalcurtain.net); Mark Marvin's company buys Robins Theatre building – Tribune Chronicle (tribtoday.com); Robins Theatre earns raves – The Vindicator (vindy.com); Robins Theatre Looks to Past, Future in Celebrating 100 Years – Business Journal (businessjournaldaily.com); Robins Theatre Returns to Its Roots with Opening Act – Business Journal (businessjournaldaily.com); Robins Theatre (robinstheatre.com)