Lily Kazemi
Reporter
It’s official: Paramore guitarist Josh Farro and his brother, Zac, have been replaced. For those of you who, just like me, were wishing that the brothers would change their mind and return to the band, prepare to be heartbroken: As reported by the Washington Post, guitarist Justin York, along with drummer Josh Freese who is best known for his work with bands such as Guns N’ Roses and Nine Inch Nails, have been welcomed to the band temporarily.
Paramore was founded by the two brothers when they were still in high school, and lead singer Hayley Williams joining the band later. This departure isn’t the first time that the band has ended their disputes by dropping members: After they first signed with recording company Fueled by Ramen, guitarist Taylor York, who would later rejoin the band during the recording process of Riot!, Paramore’s second studio album, was asked to leave. Bassist Jeremy Davis also had a few conflicts with the band, leaving briefly before reuniting with them.
Hayley released a statement for the band on Saturday, December 18, announcing their departure. The brothers then released a joint statement the following Tuesday via Josh’s blog, promising fans that they wanted to make the announcement themselves. But can Paramore survive the impact of losing two of their important players? Most die-hard fans don’t think so.
Paramore has always been a favorite of mine; in a time devoid of true rock music on mainstream stations, they were a breath of fresh air. Even though I’ve loved them from the start, their newest album, Brand New Eyes, was phenomenal. It featured the perfect mix of slow ballads and hard guitar solos, leaving something for fans of all types of music. Brick by Boring Brick was a song that embodied everything I truly love about Paramore – it has great guitar solos, a fast beat, and, most importantly, meaningful lyrics with a message. The Only Exception brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it, making one thing clear: Paramore is the only exception, from the depth of their lyrics to the way they strum their guitars. Hayley does a majority of the writing, but what will the band be like without Josh, a major co-writer?
There are several bands that have replaced their members without destroying the integrity of the band. Take Van Halen, for example. One of the biggest bands of the 70s, they’ve changed lead singers so many times that it’s hard to keep track of them all. Van Halen, releasing their first studio album in 1978, saw singer David Lee Roth leaving in 1985 citing “control of the band’s sound and image” as his reason. While they were a major success with Roth, his departure saw no damage to the band. After replacing him with Sammy Hagar, Van Halen went on to release three Billboard Top 30 songs. Hagar left the band in 1996, leading to a brief reunion with Roth that lasted for a year, and then eventually being replaced by Gary Cherone in 1999. If there’s one thing that Eddie Van Halen has taught us, it’s that when the rest of the band is amazing, a member can leave without hurting the overall success of the band. Compare these different eras of Van Halen: Jump with Roth, Why Can’t This Be Love with Hagar, and Without You with Cherone.
Will Paramore make a come-back following this? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
This is such sad news! I am a huge Paramore fan as well, and loved Brand New Eyes. Here’s hoping that they can carry on and keep making more albums like their last without Josh and Zac.