Abbey Kimball of the local pop rock band 4 Mile has performed at several venues in Nashville.

On Sunday, Abbey and her band will open for a Nashville star Kellie Pickler as part of Sunday’s St. Mary’s PATH to the Cure Concert at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.

Moving to the Music City is something Abbey and her mother, Robin, have thought about since a country music executive urged the family to take that step.

“Going to Nashville and performing is a really fun time,” Abbey said. “Music is so important to Nashville and I love that.”

But Abbey loves where she’s from, according to Robin, and really wants to stay home.

“Abbey performed at the PATH concert two years ago,” Robin said. “She truly believes in the cause.”

Abbey, 17, and her sister, Anna, 13, both of Proctorville, are half of 4 Mile. Abbey plays guitar and sings and is the principal songwriter of the group. Anna plays the drums and sings while Anthony Pino, of Huntington, W.Va., plays bass and Kyle Ingle, of Ashland, Ky., plays guitar.

“Being in a band with my sister is a lot of fun,” Abbey said. “We are very different. We are night and day. Anna is so immensely talented and being so different from me adds to the dynamic of the group.”

The band’s genre is described as pop rock but seems to appeal to the modern country audience as well as others and Abbey is fine with that.

“We started off as country but seemed to evolve into rock as I got older,” she said. “We seem to appeal to a lot of different audiences, and that’s our plan.”

The band has performed at venues across the region as well as North Carolina and Tennessee, but Abbey says opening for Pickler is one of the band’s biggest performances to date.

“This opportunity is definitely up there with our biggest performances,” Abbey said. “We are very honored to be able to do this.”

Pickler chose the band as her opening act after receiving a press package. The band has previously opened for country music superstar Jamey Johnson and performed on the plaza at Big Sandy Superstore Arena before a Miranda Lambert concert.

Abbey had difficulty comparing 4 Mile’s sound to that of a mainstream band.

“Our sound is different. It’s difficult to really say,” she said. “But if I had to compare it to a band I’d say Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.”

4 Mile is currently working on a new project and plans to release new songs by this winter.

The PATH to the Cure 5K walk/run will begin at 3 p.m. Sunday and 4 Mile will perform at approximately 3:45 p.m. Tickets are $27 for those not participating in the walk/run and can be purchased at the arena’s box office or by calling (304) 696-5990. To learn more about the band, visit www.4milemusic.com.