Papa Roach

PAPA ROACH

Formed: 1993, Vacaville, California

Members: Dave Buckner, drums (born Vacaville, California, 29 May 1976); Tobin Esperance, bass (born Vacaville, California, 14 November 1979); Jerry Horton, guitar (born Vacaville, California, 10 March 1975); Jacoby Shaddix, vocals (born Vacaville, California, 28 July 1976).

Genre: Nu-Metal, Rock

Best-selling album since 1990: Infest (2000)

Hit songs since 1990: "Last Resort," "She Loves Me Not," "Broken Home"

Packaging rap and hardcore-tinged rage into melodic pop structures made Papa Roach's brand of heavy metal stand out from contemporaries at the turn of the millennium. More immediate than plodding nu-metallers and more meaningful than posturing rap-rockers, the band's soaring anthems cathartically rallied millions of kids affected by the dissolution of the nuclear family. A decision to tackle more personal and adult topics by their third album, though, compromised Papa Roach's following.

During high school in the Northern California town of Vacaville, vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, drummer Dave Buckner, and bassist Will James formed Papa Roach in 1993. With San Francisco–based Faith No More's blend of progressive metal, funk, and rap as a primary influence, they developed a dedicated local following through explosive live performances and Shaddix's unpredictable, onstage behavior.

After self-producing and self-releasing two EPs, the band dismissed James due to his inability to commit to full time work with them. His replacement, Tobin Esperance, was a longtime roadie for the band. With this lineup they recorded their debut album, Old Friends from Young Years (1997), and released it on their own Onion Hardcore label. Tracks from the album ended up in heavy rotation on independent and college radio stations in the area, and the band was soon touring with up and coming aggressive rock acts such as Incubus, Powerman 5000, and Sevendust. The exposure eventually led to a deal with Dream Works Records.

Sales of their major label debut Infest (2000) were modest in the first month, as was rock radio response for the lead single "Last Resort." Then in June, the "Last Resort" video became a staple on MTV's Total Request Live, a teen-targeted daily video countdown. The song's lyrics explicitly deal with a youth expressing suicidal tendencies that began after losing his mother. With rap-like verses "Would it be wrong / Would it be right / If I took my life tonight / Chances are that I might," and a fiery sing-along chorus, "'Cause I'm losing my sight / Losing my mind / Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine," it was a runaway hit. The band's candid darkness and empathy for dys-functional adolescent situations garnered it a similar audience to Korn, whose gloomy terror had been balancing out the sugary pop on MTV's airwaves for the last couple of years. Though the album's next two singles "Broken Home" and "Between Angels and Insects" failed to match the success of "Last Resort," Infest sold 3 million copies.

During the group's multiplatinum run, front man Shaddix used the abbreviated name Coby Dick. He reverted back to his birth name Jacoby Shaddix prior to Lovehatetragedy 's 2002 release. The change was indicative of Papa Roach's new sound and lyrical approach. They chose to further downplay their already subtle rap tendencies and opted for more straightforward hard rock. Plus, Shaddix shifted the focus from teen angst to his own marital strife. The catchy "She Loves Me Not" was a successful first single, but the more mature direction was inherently less interesting to the legions of youth who identified with more adolescent topics. As a result, the album blended in with much of the current rock and failed to match the success of Infest.

Though not as wildly popular, for a brief time Papa Roach's unabashed dealings with childhood scars infiltrated American teens in the same way Korn, Linkin Park, and Eminem's music did.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

Old Friends from Young Years (Onion Hardcore, 1997); Infest (Dream-Works, 2000); Lovehatetragedy (2002).

WEBSITES:

www.paparoach.com; www.papa-roach.com.

dave powers