Paramore have parted ways with guitarist Josh Farro and drummer Zac Farro.

The official statement from the band’s official website reads as follows:

“Over the past six years, our band has been through some of the most intense and incredible experiences of our lives. None of these things have been without trial. We’ve worked so hard to get to where we are and the fact that you are all still here with us says something about you that we will never be able to truly understand. You have stuck with us through thick and thin and we are so grateful. A couple of months ago, Josh and Zac let us know they would be leaving the band after our show in Orlando last Sunday. None of us were really shocked. For the last year it hasn’t seemed as if they wanted to be around anymore. We want Josh and Zac to do something that makes them happy and if that isn’t here with us, then we support them finding happiness elsewhere. But we never for a second thought about leaving any of this behind. We really hope that you can be encouraged by the fact that the three of us who are still here are ready to take on another chapter of our journey together. You have always been what keeps us going so why would we stop now? We want to stick by you. Knowing that we have a unified passion and a clear vision makes us feel stronger than ever.

“The ‘blog’ that was posted regarding everything that is going on with our band was a fake. We aren’t sure who did it or why… And we aren’t sure how they timed it this way. This is the first time that we have spoken out about what’s going on and we wouldn’t have released an official statement that important through a personal blog. So, we’re sorry for any confusion and just to remain clear, this is the first time we have spoken out about this.

“We have some amazing things lined up for next year starting with our tour in South America. We are still coming to you and we are excited about who we are bringing with us! The tour is still on and we can’t wait to see you all.

“As we look back, and now as we look with excitement to the future, in all of this what truly matters are the good times. The pictures of us with our arms around each other, the long van rides, your faces while you sing along as we play. Thank you for getting us right here to this very moment. We look forward to our best times. And we hope you will go there with us.

“Love, Hayley, Jeremy & Taylor”

SOUNDWAVE 2010 PREVIEW

February sees the return of one of Australia’s most innovative and exciting music festivals for those who like their music fast and hard. With over 40 bands on the tour, the question of which acts to see will surely be at the forefront of the minds of Soundwave attendees, so here’s Music Vice’s guide to who’s who this year. We recommend:

The Creepshow
Bringing more to the psychobilly genre than most, the Creepshow’s keyboard-laden tracks and powerful vocal melodies owe as much to the Sunset Strip hair metal scene of the late 80s as they do to the Nekromantix. Sticking to the well-worn psychobilly subject matter of demons, scorned women and the undead, the Creepshow are sure to be a fun start to proceedings.
Related link: The Creepshow at Scene Music Festival 2008

The Aquabats
Perhaps best known for being the band in which Blink-182s Travis Barker cut his teeth, and being the guys behind kid’s TV show Yo Gabba Gabba, this group of goofy Californian ska-punkers are a must-see for Soundwave 2010.

Comeback Kid
For the hardcore fans in attendance, Comeback Kid brings to the table all that a hardcore band should be. Break-downs a plenty and a level of musicianship above par for the genre mean that Comeback Kid will more than likely win over a slew of new fans on this tour. Get there early to avoid disappointment.

The Weakerthans
Flying the Americana/folk rock flag on this tour are The Weakerthans. This group from Winnipeg, Canada proves that you don’t need a stack of Marshall amps and cookie monster vocals to move a festival crowd, though the rock n’ roll fans will also find plenty to like about The Weakerthans. A strange blend of Lucero, The Eels and Weezer; this is another band to look out for this year.

Anti-Flag
For the politically charged, activist punk rockers in attendance, you need go no further than Pittsburg, Pennsylvania’s Anti-Flag. While their lyrical content may be too much for some of the older, more jaded festival-goers to endure, there’s no denying Anti-Flag’s ability to pen a catchy hook and capture an audience.
Related link: Anti-Flag Interview

Reel Big Fish
Last year’s Soundwave festival was a veritable haven for late-90’s ska fans, with Goldfinger and Less Than Jake playing back-to-back sets. This year Reel Big Fish will be catering to that crowd, and with one of the best festival songs ever in their arsenal (1996’s “Beer”) they are sure to please.
Related link: Reel Big Fish Interview

Paramore
Equally sure to please a lot of people are Paramore, who will be the must-see for many of the younger crowd attending Soundwave. Of all the pop punk and emo bands that the last decade gave us, Paramore were a more-likeable cut above the rest and became one of the biggest bands around. With their third album Brand New Eyes topping the charts everywhere back in September last year, their popularity only seems to be growing – worth a look.
Related link: Paramore at Kool Haus, Toronto

Anthrax
If you don’t know why you should be seeing Anthrax then you don’t deserve to be going to music festivals. An absolute staple of 80’s heavy metal and more influential than the Bible, Anthrax know what they’re doing, and they do it well. Predictions are for a sweaty mass of hair and leather to contend with at the front of the crowd for this one, so if that’s not your thing it’s advisable to enjoy Anthrax from a distance.

Alexisonfire
Another one for the hardcore kids, this Canadian 5-piece have a strong following, which has been growing as of late thanks to their latest release, Old Crows/Young Cardinals which provides more crossover appeal than previous releases.

Anvil
As some of the elder statesmen of this year’s Soundwave, Anvil prove, in much the same way as Motorhead, that three old men can rock harder and better than the current trend of 5 or 6 piece heavy rock acts. Anyone who has seen the recent documentary Anvil! The Story Of Anvil will know that this band has well and truly done the hard yards over the last three decades and will be a solid bet for your festival-going dollar.
Related link: Anvil at Canadian Music Week 2009

Placebo
Brian Molko and pals return for what seems like their thousandth run of Australian festival shows. With an ever growing back-catalogue of hits to draw from, Placebo rank highly as one of Australia’s best loved rock and roll imports, being the soundtrack to so many happy summers, and this tour promises to be no exception. Again, crowds will be heavy for this set and pitty goes out to whatever unfortunate bands draw the short straw and have to play at the same time as Placebo.

AFI
Doing their best to cheer up the emo kids this year will be California’s AFI. With the increasingly prominent electronica aspects to their recorded efforts, it will be interesting to see how this translates to a live setting. There’s no denying the charisma or vocal range of front man Davey Havock nor the band’s songwriting skills, even if their fashion choices can raise more than a few eyebrows.

Faith No More
And finally, your headliners. Securing the newly-reformed talents of San Francisco’s Faith No More has proven to be an absolute coup for the organisers of Soundwave. While partially to blame for the rap-rock nu-metal explosion of the early 2000s, FNM are so, so much more than that. Mike Patton is without compare as the mad scientist of rock and roll and drummer Mike Bordin is a sight to behold. This is guaranteed to be a truly “Epic” performance. Do not miss.

Dates:
Saturday 20 February – Brisbane, Qld
Sunday 21 February – Sydney, NSW
Friday 26 February – Melbourne, VIC
Saturday 27 February – Adelaide, SA
Monday 1 March – Perth, WA

For tickets, full lineup details and all sorts of other goodies, check out Soundwave.com.

Paramore at Kool Haus, Toronto, 15 October, 2009
Concert review, photos and setlist by Music Vice editor Brian Banks – October 18, 2009

Gig/Concert: Paramore
Venue: Kool Haus, Toronto, ON, Canada
Date: 15 October, 2009
Headliners: Paramore
In one word: Firecracker
Arriving late at this show – missing support acts Paper Route and Paramore’s new Fuelled By Ramen label mates The Swellers – it quickly became apparent to me that I was a visible minority inside the Kool Haus; just by being an adult. Helping to raise the average age inside the venue were all the mums and dads who were chaperoning their kids, but the majority of the crowd at this sold-out show were kids. For a moment I considered the possibility that if all these minors were to be suitably revved up by watching their idols on stage that they might just Riot! and usurp their chaperones. Alas, there wasn’t a riot, but there were a lot of beaming faces as the tweens and teens bopped to one of the biggest bands of their generation.

Paramore came on stage at 9.15pm, with lead guitarist Josh Farro playing in an intro that kick-started the crowd. Hayley Williams bounded onto stage to open up with Ignorance, the first single off of Paramore’s latest album Brand New Eyes. Hayley Williams recent struggles with laryngitis has been of the most talked about stories in music – Williams had difficulties on the first night of this new tour in Ponoma, CA on September 29th, leading to the band to do some rescheduling before recommenging the tour on October 10th. This break seems to have done the trick because tonight in Toronto Williams showed no signs of struggling.

Hayley Williams is a firecracker. Widely regarded as one of the sexiest rock chicks on the planer – and I’ll concur, she is absolutely stunning – but equally attractive is her boundless enthusiasm as a performer and frontwoman. With her microphone covered in safety tape, hardcore style, Williams made full use of its long snaking cord as she bounced around the stage with rampant energy: shoulders back, legs bouncing on her Nike’s for extra air, with her head banging, hair flailing wild, and all the while leaning in to the stage edge to eyeball her adoring fans. Williams ain’t no cardboard cutout popstar, she’s the real deal.

The energy that Paramore put into their music is exciting to see and it has been a big factor in their rise to the top. But another big thing that I feel is noteworthy is the special relationship that Paramore share with their fans – every band needs fans, but maintaining and building a fanbase doesn’t seem to be a chore for Paramore and in fact something that they make a wholehearted genuine effort with. Its true that most bands are appreciative of their fans – there aren’t actually that many moody and arrogant rock stars – but some bands just have a better communication and relationship with fans than others. Hayley Williams seemed completely sincere when she thanked her fans in Toronto for all their support and well-wishes following her recent throat problems.

Paramore barreled their way through a set which was a mix of old and new material, with the words to every song resonationg throughout the crowd. One of the biggest numbers was Decode, a song that helped catapult Paramore into the conciousnesses of even more through the attention it got as being part of the soundtrack to the original Twillight film that came out last year. (And as irritating as I find all the Twilight twaddle in the media, I’ve seen the tracklisting for Twilight New Moon and it’s a pretty damn impressive, including Radiohead and B.R.M.C.)

As I stood back at the edge of the crowd and watched Paramore close their set, a few thoughts were running through my head. I think my imagination was sparked by a sublimanal message from Hayley Williams’ T-shirt which read “more than this…”. I couldn’t help but wonder if Paramore will ever tire of playing PG-rated shows to their Hot Topic/West 49-shopping audience. I mean no disrepsect to the band or their fans with this statement, rather I just think its natural for a band to progress or mature. The band are the cream of the crop of the pop punk and ‘emo’ rock scenes that remain so popular in America and beyond, but eventually every movement in music comes to an end – or at least gets forgotten about for 10 years before being re-invtented. Rest assured, the tides will change, they always do, and whatever happens I’d fancy Paramore to still be around. For now they remain among the leaders of their scene and deservingly so.

© Brian Banks

Photos of Paramore at Kool Haus, Toronto, 15 October 2009

(click thumbnails to enlarge)

Setlist:
Intro
Ignorance
Caught Myself
That’s What You Get
Lookin Up
Emergency
Crush Crush Crush
Turn It Off
Here We Go Again
Careful
Conspiracy
Where The Lines
Decode
Outro
————–
Misguided Ghosts
Misery Business
Brick By Boring Brick

Links:
Paramore – MySpace