Most people remember Papa Roach by the band’s nu metal lyrics detailing one’s “suffocating last resort” on its triple-platinum album that received stale radio air time years ago.
But Papa Roach wasn’t always mainstream. Once a garage band in Vacaville, Calif., the band members borrowed the $700 needed to create a demo tape from their friend who dealt drugs in the northern California cattle town, said lead singer Jacoby Shaddix.
Since 1993, the band has pushed its way into the nu metal buzz and finally found success in 2000 with the Infest album.
Now, seven years later, Shaddix, who used to dislike the band’s name but now realizes it only serves to represent their music, said it’s a constant struggle to savor fans’ musical taste buds, but he is thankful for the fans who have made his music “the soundtrack to their lives.”
Going into a tour, the excitement is palpable among the band members, who can be found watching comedy DVDs, including Chappelle’s Show and Carlos Mencia and the cult classic Pulp Fiction, Shaddix said.
The band has been working its new CD, The Paramour Sessions, “down to the mother-fucking bones,” Shaddix said.
Papa Roach kicks off its tour Jan. 23 in Eugene at the McDonald Theatre at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $25 at the door, $20 in advance. To listen to Papa Roach’s new CD, visit www.paparoach.com.
– Lindsay Funston