For Paramore, misery brings ‘Ignorance’

On the mend: Paramore, after canceling part of a tour last year, is back making music and opening No Doubt concerts this summer. (Courtesy photo)

SAN FRANCISCO —

The skies were darkening last year for Tennessee pop-punkers Paramore.

Led by 20-year-old spitfire Hayley Williams, the band burst onto the national scene with its platinum sophomore effort "Riot," has been nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy and even landed the track "Decode" on the top-selling "Twilight" film soundtrack.

But with such lightning rumbled ominous thunder. Citing internal band issues that required work, Paramore canceled most of its 2008 European tour and breakup rumors swirled. Could stardom have destroyed them so soon?

Williams, whose rejuvenated combo will open for No Doubt on two Bay Area dates next week, remembers the afternoon it all came to a head.

"I swear, it was the weirdest thing," she says of a recent writing session that birthed "Ignorance," their new single. "It was like the clouds parted."

"There had been some situations and things where it just felt like it would be worth it go home and call it a day," she says. "But Josh [Farro, guitarist and arranger] was like, ‘I’ll never write another riff like [breakthrough hit] "Misery Business" again, guys — I’m sorry, I just can’t do it.’ And then he starts playing this riff, and it’s ‘Ignorance.’ And we were like, ‘Well, what is that? Because that’s good enough!’ So we recorded it immediately."

Williams drove home, singing along to the quirky instrumental in her car. The lyrics — bristling with animosity toward her band mates — poured out of her.

"I was like, ‘Wow! I feel these things, still. This is a real situation that we have to deal with,’" she says. "When I finished it, everyone was like, ‘Ouch! Will we have to play this every night?’ But it forced us to lay everything out on the table, and it was really good for us."

Paramore penned the rest of the record — "brand new eyes," out in September on Fueled By Ramen — in a similarly cathartic fashion.

With cuts such as "Feeling Sorry," "Playing God" and "All I Wanted," Williams says, "There definitely is a sense of ‘Be careful what you wish for’ on the whole record. It’s a story that I’m really fond of, and why one of my favorite new movies is ‘Coraline.’"

Williams — a compulsive diarist and blogger — also had stacks of tour journals to read in retrospect.

Did she pinpoint what exactly went wrong? "I think that if I knew that, then I would know too much," she says. "But honestly, growing up is a lot harder than I thought."

Paramore

Opening for No Doubt

Where: Sleep Train Pavilion, 2000 Kirker Pass Road, Concord

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Shoreline Amphitheatre, One Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View

When: 7:30 p.m. July 25

Tickets: $25 to $90