MusicRadar talked with Taylor York, guitarist of Paramore, about touring gear, songwriting, and starting out as a drummer for the band. We hardly ever get to have Taylor do interviews, so this is good to see him discuss something he's so passionate about. Read some of the interview below:
You have a number of strings to your bow - guitar, drums, songwriting, production. How did you set about adding these skills to your arsenal? Were they picked up by osmosis through spending time with other musicians, or did you specifically seek out these other avenues?
"I suppose I sought them out. I started as a drummer, however when we formed Paramore in the very beginning there was already a far better drummer, so I learned guitar so I could be a part of it. Songwriting came mostly because our main songwriter with Hayley left the band, so I did my best to fill in the gap. Production is just a lot of fun and is so interesting to me. So they all just sort of happened over time."
You played drums on the track Monster. How experienced a drummer were you at that time, and were you confident in your skills before going in to record it?
"Drumming is one of my favourite things in the world to do, so I was excited for the challenge, but I wasn't experienced and felt a bit unprepared. That EP was definitely a statement that we needed to make - that we could do it on our own - so no matter what I was determined to play drums on those songs. It was a lot of work and took longer than I wanted, but we eventually got it there! Now that we've proved that, though, it's nice to let a real drummer do that part and I can just be a guitar player."
You're a key songwriter in Paramore, and the latest album is the band's most mature yet. When did you first start writing guitar music, and what are the key lessons you've learned as you've developed?
"I've always been lucky enough to have been a small part of the songwriting process on every Paramore record, however this was the first record that the bulk of the music writing was in my hands. I had to learn to really let my heart and mind be open so that I was available when inspiration struck. It's not about trying to write a huge single or write what you think will be successful. It's just about showing up. Good songs will eventually show their faces in the midst of you just showing up every day. You have to be okay with failure and subpar songs, too. That's an essential part of the process, but a frustrating pill to swallow at times.
"Sometimes when I'm not feeling particularly inspired by the guitar I like to write melodies on the piano, then learn them on guitar. That's how the Still Into You and Ain't It Fun riffs both happened. The guitar gave both of those melodies such a different vibe and attitude that I loved, yet I never would have stumbled onto them writing with a good ol' six string."
Read more of the interview here.
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