While going thru a recent AltPress magazine I came across a review for a Christian Punk band with a 16 year old female lead singer, and with having a 15 year old daughter, it definitely caught my eye as a band that she may be interested in. A quick search on the internet, and I found both their site and their MySpace site. (side note for the older readers out there: MySpace has turned into what MP3.com wanted to be, a place for people to go and find bands that you will not find on your local radio). I gave the band a quick listen, and to my surprise, the band was actually really good. Well, really good is an injustice to the band. They are incredible. From Hayley Williams’s great voice, to great musicianship, it is hard to believe that the oldest in the band is only 22 (the youngest is 15, the drummer). Because they have a female lead singer, and have a more punk/alt sound, it is hard not to want to compare them to Avril Lavigne, but that is another injustice you would commit against the band. Avril Lavigne would love to be as good as this band (and I mean band, not just Hayley). Can you tell I’m not a big fan of Avril? IMHO, she single handledly ruined Butch Walker, who used to be one of my favorite artist, but that is another story. Where Avril is very goth and deperessing, Paramore is the exact opposite, punk, but uplifting and feel good, in a Ramones sort of way. I think the producer has Paramore sounding a little too much like fellow Christian Alt Rock/Punk Yellowcard, but these kids are young, this is their first CD, and they will learn to develop their own sound. But the overall sound is very good, and seems to capture the band pretty well (comparing the CD to the live acoustic video the band has on their site). Paramore was on the Warped Tour for a while, and now that is over, they are out on tour with Bedlight For Blue Eyes. I’ve lucked out, and the tour will make a stop at a local all ages theater, Bloomfield Ave. Cafe. I’ll be sure to blog about the show. Odds are that you will not find the Paramore CD in your local store, yet. So you will have to order it online. I got my copy from Amazon, but you can also get it from Napster (and I’d expect iTunes carries it too, but I haven’t checked). If you are into the alt scene, and are looking for something new to get into, go out and buy this CD. I will be very disappointed if Paramore hasn’t hit the big time within a year, and I can only see good things ahead for this band. But, when time comes to record their next CD, I’d suggest that they approach a guy like Roy Z. to produce the album. He is known for working with the best metal vocalists around (Bruce Dickenson and Rob Halford) and adding his non-metal background to really extend and expand the sound of the band, and I think he can help the band really break new musical ground.