America didn’t learn about the Band Perry until late 2009, but the sibling trio will be celebrating their 14th year together this October. Neil and Reid Perry started off backing up their older sister Kimberly before she let them join the band officially. Jump forward to 2012, where you’ll find that the 2011 CMA New Artist of the Year is the hottest thing in Nashville, having just notched a fourth straight Top 10 hit from their self-titled debut album. 

All three members of the Band Perry took time to talk to Taste of Country Nights host Jeremy Robinson recently. If you thought the onstage camaraderie was just for show, you’d be dead wrong. Off-stage, there may be a few disagreements or tiffs, but the trio’s bond is real. During their chat, Robinson got them to open up about their private routines, iPod embarrassments and Kimberly’s secret crush on a boy with a rattail. (Questions and answers were shortened.)

Jeremy Robinson: I want to talk about the Teen Choice Awards. July 22 –

Kimberly Perry: Are we nominated, are we nominated for a Teen Choice Award [laughs]?

JR: I think you are! For best country group!

KP: We believe that music is, especially country music is the people’s music … so anytime these fan-voted shows come about it’s an exciting evening, so I don’t know, we’ll see.

Neil Perry: And for me Neil, the closest to still being a teen … I love that award show.

KP: (to Neil) Wow! You just dropped that on in there. [laugh]

Reid Perry: Which means he’s still immature.

KP: You’re not too close there kiddo.

JR: What’s your routine before you hit the stage?

RP: We gather the three of us, and the four guys that play with us and we get in a circle, and we put our hands out in a gun position … put all the barrels together, and then one of us comes up with a word of the night.

KP: Mostly based around whatever city we’re in or maybe a particular event.

RP: So we have the word of the night, and the way the show works is if it’s a good word of the night, the show’s usually great … We count off one, two, three … fire off our handguns, blow the smoke …

KP: It’s very scientific but as the word of the night goes, so goes the show.

JR: What’s your morning routine?

KP: Neil’s the slowest in the morning.

NP: I’m actually on the very top bunk on our bus, and so whenever I wake up in the morning I have to jump down probably four or five feet and that jolt really wakes me up in the morning. And then add coffee on top of that, it feels like the afternoon aleardy.

KP: I’m probably the grumpiest in the morning, and it’s probably because I’m the oldest of this bunch … I’m not really a coffee drinker, so I have a big party with green tea. And then I immediately head to the gym. Because if I don’t head to the gym and I’m not on a treadmill within the first 45 minutes of being awake, forget about it. Not gonna happen the rest of the day.

RP: I don’t really wake up until about lunch. Food really excites us in the Band Perry. It takes that whole five hours before I’m ready to start the day.

JR: How about ratting each other on “embarrassing songs on the iPod”?

RP: Neil’s embarrassing songs? It would be somewhere between ‘The Sound of Music’ soundtrack –

KP: And Celine Dion. He’ll start singing (all sing) ‘The Power Of Love.’

RP: And it gets really annoying because he just picks the most awkward places to do it.

NP: Like in the bowling ally, those little hand fans, right before you get the ball. I put my head over it and let the wind blow my hair, and then I’ll start singing a Celine Dion song.

KP: Except, that he’s not even embarrassed by it.

NP: Nooo…

KP: For Reid? He has really this goofy version of the ‘Mission Impossible,’ like the dance mix. I guess it’s because he’s the bass player and it’s this great, iconic bass line in that song. But still every time I hear it I’m like ‘Really, you know we’re living in 2012?’ [laughter]

NP: And Kimberly has New Kids on the Block on her iPod. Yes, that was her first show she ever saw. (She’s) still in love with New Kids on the Block (Kimberly sings ‘Hangin’ Tough). Which one do you like?

KP: I like Jordan. Yeah I was a big fan of his rattail, what can I say.

RP: Those were back in the ’80s.

NP: I love that picture of Kimberly with your perm when you went to go see them.

Kimberly: Okay, that’s enough ratting!

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