Paramore is said to have risen fast in the music charts. Having been formed just in 2004 and with three best selling Paramore albums to their names, they have literally stormed the world and grabbed everyone’s attention with their music. They are now at the forefront of alternative rock. And while the band is still relatively young, there is indeed more to expect from them.

The band was formed in the state of Tennessee in the United States. The members of the band are: Taylor York with the rhythm guitar, Hayley Williams at the vocals, Zac Farro at the drums, Josh Farro as the lead guitarist, Jeremy Davis at base guitar. There are now three albums under their belt, with each album enjoying much success in sales. In addition to this, there is a great demand for their band merch wherever you go.

The Paramore History

The brothers Josh and Zac Farro were attending a private school when they met Hayley. Their future vocalist was only 13 years old back then but she was already very much serious with her music. She as already writing songs and also taking singing lessons. Hayley and Jeremy Davis were playing together with a band called The Factory which was into funk rock. Soon afterward the four decided to form their own group. However, the guys were a bit apprehensive with the idea that a girl would be their frontman. They soon agreed because Hayley was writing most of the songs they were playing. Hayley’s songwriting skills soon gave rise to the unique sound of the band.

Are you thinking where did they get their name, Paramore? It was the maiden name of the mom of a former band member. They all liked the name, especially since it is a variation to the spelling of the word “paramour” which simply means secret lover.

The 3 Paramore Albums

The band’s first album was titled “All We Know Is Failing” and it was released on July 24, 2005. The album eventually reached the 30th spot on the Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart. It also reached the number 8 spot on the UK Rock Chart. Because of these fast rise in the music charts, they soon converted many fans who started looking for original Paramore merch.

Just before the album was even released, Jeremy Davis had a change of heart and decided to leave the group. However, he was able to contribute on some of the songs and was even present in the recording of a few music videos for the album. But soon afterward, he realized he made a mistake and decided to come back.

The second of the Paramore albums was title the Riot! and it was released on the 12th of June, 2007. Just a year after its launch, Riot! became a platinum record and was certified by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA). The album produced four hit singles from it, namely: “That’s What You Get”, “Misery Business”, “Crushcrushcrush” and “Hallelujah”.

The third and the latest of their albums is Brand New Eyes. It was released on September 29, 2009. It was also the most successful of the three Paramore albums.

There is more to the current successes of Paramore. With their own brand of music which is said to be a mixture of emo and pop punk, it is great alternative music nonetheless. And with their continuous writing of their own hit songs, Paramore fans the world over have so much more to expect from them including more great music videos in the future.

The Best $600 Acoustic Guitar, Period.

Not too long ago I decided to purchase a new acoustic guitar. I’d grown tired of my 7-year-old Ovation Celebrity Deluxe – the shallow-bowl Lyrachord backing makes for a plastic-sounding attack. I gave myself a budget of $1500 and set out to find an all-wood guitar that would meet all of my criteria: a natural, woody sound; even tone between strings and throughout the higher registers; and a great playability. My main buy targets were Martin and Taylor guitars, both well-respected guitars.

Down in Florida for Memorial Day weekend, I decided to hit the local guitar center to sample some guitars, figuring I would get a taste of what I wanted and refine my search later back in my home state of Tennessee. I found the acoustic section and began to look around. Since a clearly deranged individual occupied the “expensive” room, yowling and banging away on a two thousand dollar guitar, I decided to sample the budget guitars first just to get warmed up. The first guitar I picked up was a Taylor 110 acoustic guitar, which I eventually took into the classical guitar room in hopes of escaping the sounds of the Lithium-deprived individual and some nu-metal kid playing the same riff over and over.

What struck me right away, even before moving out of the noise, was how easy it was to play the Taylor 110 Acoustic Guitar. I knew the strings were mediums (I had played custom lights on my Ovation), and I had been out of practice, but it was still easy to play all my songs, even the technically difficult ones. Jumps from 1st to 5th position were just as easy as on my Ovation, and the narrower neck kept my hand from getting fatigued when playing hand-stretching chords.

After playing the Taylor for a little while, I picked up a Martin of a similar price and went back to my sanctuary. I was surprised to notice that the build quality of the Martin seemed inferior to the Taylor – there was a fair amount of buzzing on the frets (although the intonation was fine), and the Martin just felt more clunky than the Taylor 110 acoustic guitar for some reason. The strings unfortunately were rather dull – Martin strings their guitars with their own strings; Taylor uses Elixir Nanowebs, which in combination with the Martin’s darker, woodier tone made it difficult for me to get even sound on the higher strings, particularly in higher positions on the fretboard. I tried a more expensive Martin ($1100) that had less of the same issues but enough that I felt a bit disappointed.

By this time the psycho’s girlfriend or sister (or maybe his parole officer) had convinced him to leave, and I was able to venture safely into the “expensive” room. Unfortunately there was only one guitar in there below my budget of $1500, another Martin. I played it for a bit, but it just didn’t have the same feel as the Taylor 110 acoustic guitar and suffered from dull string syndrome as well. I went back to the Taylor, having fallen for its simple beauty, nice sound, and excellent craftsmanship.

I was a little shocked that the Taylor sounded and played better than a guitar more than twice the price and pretty excited about shaving $900 off my budget. The store sale actually pushed the price down even further on an already on-sale guitar, so when I added an SKB hard case, the total came close to $600 including tax – a steal by any definition.

To be fair to the other acoustic guitars, the Taylor 110 Acoustic Guitar isn’t perfect – it’s got a Sitka spruce top with Sapele laminate sides and back, which combined with the Elixirs creates a tone that’s almost a little too bright. The finish and inlays are really plain, and for this price you don’t get a preamp. However I couldn’t argue with the sound – I had a friend play the guitar for me, and it was “that sound” – the sound I’d come shopping for.

For around $600, you simply can’t buy a better guitar than the Taylor 110 Acoustic Guitar.