Paramore
Talent shows are held all over the country. But it seems they particularly resonate in the South. There are kids who are run through the talent show mill from the time they are able to walk, talk, sing, dance or act. Some talent show teens have spent more time on stage than veteran Rock stars. The lucky ones might end up in broadcasting, fronting a covers band or making a run at American Idol. Usually though, the ribbons, trophies and newspaper clippings are stuffed in a closet when the "real world" of jobs, rent, food and credit card bills takes over. It's rare that a talent show queen ends up fronting a Rock group.
Hayley Williams was raised in Meridian, Mississippi, where her talent show experience led to commercials. And that might have been the end of it. But the Williams family relocated to Franklin, Tennessee. Moving is always a traumatic, life altering experience, especially for a thirteen year old girl. But it was even more so for Williams, since it was in Franklin she came across Josh and Zac Farro. The brothers played guitar and drums respectively, and invited Williams to join their effort.
Seeing Paramore perform only once, Fueled By Ramen's head honcho, John Janick, decided to sign the group. He shipped them down to Orlando, closer to Fueled By Ramen's headquarters. The group also picked up bassist John Hembree.
Debut album "All We Know Is Falling" arrived in '06. Having appeared on The Fueled By Ramen & Friends Tour and Taste of Choas, Paramore graced the '06 Vans Warped Tour.
Paramore plays engaging, accessible pop-Rock. The guitars spurt and churn as they roll through catchy riffs. For her part, Williams, with help from the Farro brothers, finds the lyrical passion and glazes it with a slight pop sheen. On "All We Know Is Falling," Paramore presents a strong set of songs leading off with "All We Know." That song is followed by a pair of good Rockers, "Pressure" and "Emergency;" the latter features male/female vocal trade-offs.
The songs are lean and to the point. "Here We Go Again" is about as majestic as Paramore gets, and even then they don't get pretentious or overblown. Lyrically, Paramore is topical and straight-ahead. "Never Let This Go" has the line "I don't feel like I know you." The usual girl/boy stuff. But Williams, by virtue of her age (still a teen) and gender, gives her vocals a top-of-mind urgency.
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