Papa Roach

Californian rock band Papa Roach have been together for almost 20 years now; kind of hard to picture when you look at all the recent bands who break up so easily after a few years nowadays. With frontman Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, bassist Tobin Esperance and drummer Tony Palermor, this band has quite an extensive history from their early 90s debuts to their DreamWorks breakthrough to their recent switch to Eleven Seven Music.

Throughout this whole adventure, the band has released 7 studio albums, one live album and 4 EPS. They also technically released a compilations album but seeing as it was released against their will and they told fans not to buy it, might as well not consider it. On top of all of that, they have toured with  countless bands, big and small, and have basically made their mark in the world of rock music.

Despite all this, when I had the chance to chat with Tobin when the band stopped in Montreal last March, I was faced with a very down to earth guy; definitely not with a big rock star attitude that could come with all the success and glory the band has gotten throughout the years. When we were done talking about the cold weather and how he would probably get hurt trying to snowboard, we got down to more serious subjects. We discussed the band’s evolution,  the internet’s affect on the music business and a little advice he’d give to musicians everywhere.

CONFRONT: First off, what’s the band been up to these past couple of years?

TOBIN: We just released Time For Annihilation, which is half live with 5 brand new songs. It kind of just started off as an idea of just putting out a live record and attaching 2 bonus songs on it but then it turned into writing 5 brand new songs and putting them together. It ended up being a pretty good idea because we’ve been touring on it for over a year and a half now and people really love the new songs. And that was the first record we put out independently because we left the major labels; our contract was up and we’re in a position now where we don’t need major labels, we don’t rely on them and we can use our own resources. We already have our own fanbase and we can have more control. So that was the goal and now, we’re just kind of finishing up touring the world and then we’re going to go home and write.

CONFRONT: Write some more?

TOBIN: Yeah write some more for a new record.

CONFRONT: I noticed that you guys consistently release a lot of music despite the decline in music sales these past few years. Is that really important to you?

TOBIN: Yeah it is, it’s what we do and we’re still able to do it very well; people are still coming out to the shows, they’re still buying the records, they’re still into the songs, radio plays it. So it’s our job to keep going regardless of what is going in the music business or in the economy. It’s our job to still write music. People relate to it and they depend on it and so do we, so we’re not going to stop anytime soon.

CONFRONT: That’s cool because a lot of bands seem to write one album and then just tour on that one until they feel kind of forced to go back into the studio. Do you guys always have a creative flow going on?

TOBIN: It’s tough at the same time, to be honest. This is a job too; this is how we make a living. If we were to go home and just sit on our ass for a few years, we wouldn’t be able to feed the children. But luckily, we do have so much more to prove artistically. Creatively, we’re always thinking about what we’re going to do next and trying to top what we did last. And I think as long as we kind of maintain that fire, that intensity, then what we’re doing is going to be good and exciting and fresh.

CONFRONT: It’s a little push that’s always there.

TOBIN: Yeah. I mean, there’s so much changing too, in music, that’s influencing us as a band and makes us want to try new things.

CONFRONT: I actually heard in an interview that on your next album, you’re going to try to incorporate electronic sounds?

TOBIN: Yeah! We’re going to try it! If it doesn’t feel right, then we won’t do it. But we’ve tried it in different ways. We’re very careful and we try to do things as tastefully as possible. A lot of people have done it in the past and sometimes, it sounds very cool and sometimes it doesn’t. We just want it to be right, we want it to be real and we haven’t gotten to that part yet. We don’t know how great it’s going to be.

CONFRONT: Well good luck with that!

TOBIN: Thank you.

CONFRONT: And actually, could you describe the evolution your sound has gone through throughout the years?

TOBIN: I think at heart, we’ve always had this real rock, kind of punk rock energy to how we perform. We were always influenced by punk rock and early metal, alternative music from the 90s; stuff like that. That was kind of something that led to our sound early on. But then, we’ve always had this love for hip hop music, funk and reggae and just everything in between. And we’ve always incorporated it in some weird way to our music.

CONFRONT: Well it works! That’s what matters.

TOBIN: Yeah totally! We just kind of always kept our ears open and let new sounds creep in. Electronic music has just recently inspired some of us, not all of us but some of us in the band. And I think sometimes, it’s just undeniable and it might influence creatively where we go next with our direction in some weird way.

CONFRONT: We’ll just have to wait and see right?

TOBIN: That’s right!

CONFRONT: And when you write an album, is it in order? Is your album meant to be listened in a certain order?

TOBIN: I think we always have moments where we say “this would be a great opening song” and it just sets itself up for being the intro or “this has got to be the last song on the record”. But those things are never really decided upon until the later phase in writing. When you’re writing or especially for us, when you’re jamming, it’s just whatever comes out. We haven’t really done one of those records that have themes        …

CONFRONT: Concept albums?

TOBIN: Yeah. We would like to do that. We’ve done it in the past with our early releases and I think we might try to do something like that again. We definitely talked about it. Yup, we’re getting all conceptual now!

CONFRONT: And how do you choose which songs become your singles?

TOBIN: Sometimes, we’re the ones that choose and sometimes other people. As a band, you get so invested in what the songs are to you, what went into the song and what you think is right that it’s hard for you to remove yourself from it as an outside listener. So sometimes we trust the people that work around us and we just play it for friends and family who help.

CONFRONT: So you keep an open mind.

TOBIN: Yeah absolutely!

CONFRONT: You talked about having an outsider point of you. How has your view of the music industry changed from being a simple listener to being a part of it?

TOBIN: For me, I remove myself from the thought process of what the music business wants or needs in order to play the game. I know that sometimes, people try to do things a certain way for other people and it’s never going to feel right for me. I don’t let any of the negative effects get to me from what people say about the music industry changing and not doing the kind of business that it used to with the economy and everything. People need good music. They need an outlet and we’re still here; people still want to listen to us. That’s the most important thing.

CONFRONT: Does that have anything to do with why you didn’t renew your contract with the major label?

TOBIN: It’s definitely part of it. I just think we got to a point after 10 years of doing this, where we had our own fanbase and we’d learned so much, we had our relationships, we just needed our own resources. We definitely didn’t need anyone telling us what to do or getting in our way of doing what we wanted to do as a band. And that happens sometimes with a major label so going independent was just the most natural thing for us and we were definitely looking forward to it. And now we’re at the right home.

CONFRONT: And I think it’s better too because nowadays, the big companies are losing control over everything because they can’t adapt to the new evolving era.

TOBIN: They’re still trying to figure it out. They think they know but they don’t know yet.

CONFRONT: And also, you guys started in the old days where you had to give out flyers and everything to get your music out there and now it’s changed with the internet. How do you think that’s affected the music industry?

TOBIN: I think it’s great. There’s definitely a lot of people who are being discovered through all the different media outlets. It’s a completely different era than it was when we came out. I only know what we come from. I totally embrace what’s going on now in music, but it’s completely different. It’s taken a while for me to get used to it but I think it’s cool; whatever it takes to get people interested, entertained and into an artist. No matter what, you always got to maintain that hustler spirit.

CONFRONT: Yeah for sure! And do you guys use the networking tools a lot?

TOBIN: Oh yeah, we do all that stuff. Not me personally. We kind of appoint who does what in the band. And Jerry and Jacoby are definitely the tweeters. I’m more behind the scenes.

CONFRONT: There’s gotta be someone behind the scenes right?

TOBIN: Yeah, there’s gotta be a mysterious aspect to it, always!

CONFRONT: Actually, throughout the years, do you feel the need to put up a mask or are you always yourself, onstage and off?

TOBIN: Always pretty much just me, even if it’s an uncomfortable thing. But part of entertainment is putting on that vibe; even when you don’t want to, you got to remember that you are an entertainer. If you’re pissed off and you’re angry or you’re sick, when you go onstage, you don’t want to be completely bummed out. You gotta entertain, that’s just how the business is. Even when you’re having your worst day and you don’t want to be up there, once you do get up there and you interact with the crowd and their energy, you always feel better.

CONFRONT: You get to forget everything for those couple of hours?

TOBIN: Exactly.

CONFRONT: That must be amazing. And what is a valuable lesson that you’ve learned as a musician that you would like to pass on to future musicians?

TOBIN: Just to not ever expect anything to just happen. You really gotta go for it. Not to give up. If you feel like you’ve made it, maybe you just got a record deal or something, it doesn’t end there. It just begins and you really got to use that moment and continue with that same passion but you have to e really smart and you have to pay attention to what’s going on. Not only is it your creative art, but it’s also your business and your life. You just gotta be smart and maintain that passion. Keep your ears open to what’s going on around you and you have to treat people the way you want to be treated because the same people you see on the way to the top are the same ones you’re going to see on the way to the bottom! *laugh*

CONFRONT: That’s all really good advice! And to you, when has a band made it?

TOBIN: As long as you have fun and you are enjoying whatever it is that being in a band is. It’s challenging, there’s definitely struggles. It’s a completely different lifestyle that is not realistic and a lot of people have a hard time dealing with that. As long as you’re able to realize that it’s not easy but maintain having fun doing it, and playing music that makes people happy, it’s just going on; it’s going to be the best job in the world.

CONFRONT: So have you made it?

TOBIN: Yes. I think we’ve made it in a sense because we have this amazing opportunity to travel the world to play music. And that was my dream growing up; it was my lifetime goal. I just keep making new ones.

CONFRONT: That’s great, a way to keep pushing yourself.

TOBIN: Yeah!

CONFRONT: For my last question, I’m going to ask you to draw something that represents you. Then, you have to explain to me how it represents you.

TOBIN: I’m the worst artist in the world! Can I email you a picture?

CONFRONT: You could but then it kind of defeats the purpose because it’s supposed to be a spur of the moment thing!

TOBIN: Ok don’t ask me why though, this is just how I feel right now. I feel like a dog right now!

CONFRONT: It’s definitely a spur of the moment! Thanks for your time and your drawing!

TOBIN: Thank you! Nice meeting you!

To check out the band, head over to http://paparoach.com/.