Wednesday, March 7, 2012

The visual importance of Paramore


Images
Song:
Misery Business, Riot Album, 2007

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

A little bit of History


What is it that makes a band successful? Some say that it is how many records they sell or how quickly their shows become sold out. Others might say it is the number of followers they have on Facebook or Twitter; For Paramore, it’s not about the glitz and glam of fame but more of the raw talent that comes from within them. It is the energy they have every time they go out on stage and perform, whether it is a room of 20 people, or twenty thousand people. Paramore has achieved great success in the past few years and they are currently working on their fourth album, but right now we are going to travel back to the beginning of the band, from their humble beginnings in Franklin, Tennessee to where they fit in to the music industry today.
The group, which originally consisted of vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, guitarist Taylor York, and the Farro brothers, drummer Zach and guitarist josh, was formed in Tennessee back in 2004. Jeremy Davis, who was good friends with both Hayley and the Farro brothers, was the one that introduced everyone in the beginning. The group started hanging out after school and started to realize that they all had a talent and a love for music. The boys were unsure at first about welcoming Hayley into their group because they didn’t know about having a female lead vocalist. Soon Hayley started writing some songs for the group and the boys quickly caught on to the idea of having her lead the group. Hayley said of the guys when she first met them, “They were the first people I met who were as passionate about music as I was.”[1] Hayley was originally signed to Atlantic Records as a solo artist with the labels hopes of turning her into a chart toping pop princess, however, Hayley refused to be a single artist claiming that her vision was always to be part of a group. Hayley once stated in an interview to HitQuarter’s, “She wanted to make sure that she and her band got the chance to show what they can do as a rock band writing their own songs."[2]
After being signed to the record label Fueled by Ramen, Paramore started working on their first full length album titled All We Know is Falling. During this time, band member Jeremy Davis decided to leave the band for personal reasons; the remaining members decided to write the album around his departure from the group.[3] Even the album artwork was based on his departure with the empty couch and the shadow of a figure walking away representing Jeremy leaving.  After five months of being gone, Jeremy was asked by the band to return…He agreed. The band released “Pressure” as the first single of the album with a video directed by Shane Drake.
In 2007, Paramore started on their second album Riot. The name had been chosen because it meant a sudden outburst of uncontrolled emotion and it was a word that summed it all up. [4] This album definitely had and outburst of emotion ranging from lyrics written from personal encounters that the band members had gone through in their personal lives to how the band was coping as a band, to the emotions that they wanted to share with their fans. Musicomh.com interviewed the band about all things Paramore and Hayley had this to say about the Riot album, “I think our goal was to put more energy into this, to put more youth into this record, but at the same time to show how much we've grown, and to show what we can do if we spend time on a record."[5]
In January of 2009, Josh Farro talked about the bands third album Brand New Eyes. In early 2008, the band announced the cancellation of several shows and a looming hiatus due to issues within the band. Fortunately, the band eventually decided to remain together and record a follow-up to their breakthrough album, Riot! Out of that inner turmoil came most of the inspiration for their third album, which has been described by the band as heavier and more emotional, with the lyric writing process being especially difficult for Hayley Williams who had to write about her feelings with tensions in the group still flourishing. [6] In early December of 2010, Josh Farro sent out a statement taking about his and his brother Zac’s plans to leave the band, he claimed the band had become a manufactured product of a major label and also claimed that Hayley had been manipulated by the label and now saw the other members as nothing more than back up to her stardom. The three remaining members posted a response to all of the turmoil on their website saying that for almost a year it seemed like the brothers had lost interest in the band and the importance of their music. Even with the news of the brothers leaving, they wanted to make sure the fans knew Paramore is still going to be a band and will not give up for the fans. [7]
 Today the three remaining members, Hayley, Jeremy, and Taylor, are still going strong creating music that is more powerful lyrically and emotionally than ever before. They are winning awards left and right and are still staying connected to the fans that got them here in the first place. They said that no matter what happens; they will stay together and keep doing what they love to do.
               


[1] Wikipedia contributors, “Paramore.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramore (accessed Feb. 20, 2012)
[3] Tony Pascarella, “The Trades-Interview with Hayley Williams and Josh Farro,” Published August 8, 2005, http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=3440
[5] Alex Nunn, “Paramore Interview” 6-2007, http://www.musicomh.com/music/features/paramore_0607.htm
[6] Ivan Mitchell, Accessed February 20, 2012, http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/paramore/brand-new-eyes/30046/
[7] Hayley Williams, Jeremy Davis, Taylor York, “Announcement” Posted December 18, 2008, http://www.paramore.net/blog/announcement/

The Journey Begins...


                My passion, although some might call it an obsession, for music is what brought me to writing this blog. However, music is such a broad topic that I can go on endlessly about,  so I have decided to focus on one of the bands that have changed my life and truly make me believe in the power of music.
                This is a band from the small town of Franklin, Tennessee called Paramore. Let me tell you the story of how I discovered them and how they have become the number one band on my playlist. Back in the summer of 2007, I was going to a huge concert festival known as the Van’s Warped Tour with a few friends. My friend Phil was going on and on about a band that was going to be performing later in the day that he was in love with. None of us knew the band so no one really gave it much thought. The day progressed with us going from stage to stage, watching all of our favorite artists perform the songs we know and love. Now the thing I love about Warped Tour is they have tents set up all over that the bands hang out in to meet the fans and take the most memorable pictures that these diehard fans will never forget. Well Phil was one of these diehard fans and had hunted down the Paramore tent.  We were standing in line to meet the band when all of a sudden my sight became blurred and I felt as though I was spinning. The heat of the day had caught up to me and I needed some cool air, fast. My friend took me into the bathroom to get a cool towel and grab some water while Phil wouldn’t budge from the line. He was determined to meet the lead singer, and what he called the red headed rocker, Hayley Williams.
                If I could rewind time, I would go back to that day and make sure that I was in that line to meet Paramore because by the end of the night I was a fan and I was kicking myself for not being in that line. Once I got some water and food in me I was ready to continue on with the festival.  We wandered around for awhile and Phil was trying to get the group to walk over to one of the stages to watch Paramores performance but no one in the group new them and so they all said that they would pass. I on the other hand, am always up to discovering new music and open to anything so I agreed to go with him to watch them play. We eventually made our way over to catch the end of Flyleaf’s performance and wiggled our way up to the front of the stage.
                This moment still gives me chills when I think about it. This is when I knew that this band was going to have a big influence on my life. We are standing at the front of the stage when the three boys of the band walk out and take their places on the stage. Then Hayley comes bouncing out full of energy and ready to put on a show.  The first few notes of the song I found myself dancing along. It was infectious. The energy from the crowd was mirrored in the energy of the band and I only had to listen to a few seconds of the first song to know that I was in love with this band and their music. The sun was setting, the energy was high, and they were performing their newest song Misery Business and I was completely wrapped up in the moment.  They went on to play a full set involving old and new songs and I realized I didn’t want them to stop playing, and neither did the rest of the crowd.
                Coming back to present day I can confidently say that I am a huge fan of the group and their music. Their music does help me when I am down and I find that I will get lost in their lyrics and every time I hear Misery Business my mind will wonder back to that hot summer day in 2007 when I first discovered the intensity of their performances and the power of their music.