Seit über zwei Jahrzehnten sind Papa Roach bekannt für energiegeladene Shows und Hymnen, die zwischen Nu-Metal, Alternative Rock und Hard Rock Brücken schlagen. Die Band aus Vacaville, Kalifornien, gehört zu den prägenden Größen des Nu-Metal um die Jahrtausendwende. Gegründet 1993 von Sänger Jacoby Shaddix und Gitarrist Jerry Horton, stieß 1996 Bassist Tobin Esperance hinzu, Schlagzeuger Tony Palermo komplettiert das Quartett. Ihren internationalen Durchbruch feierte die Band mit dem Debütalbum „Infest“ (2000), das bis heute als Genre-Meilenstein gilt. Im Rahmen des Wacken Open Airs sprach unsere Redakteurin Jacky mit Tobin und Jerry über 25 Jahre „Infest“, die Entwicklung der Band zu gereiften Rock-Veteranen als unabhängige Band mit eigenem Label. Was das ganze mit Schweineköpfen zu tun hat, erfahrt ihr im Interview.
Frontstage Magazine: This year you are celebrating 25 years of your debut album „Infest“, which started The Rise of the Roach. What do the songs still mean to you as a band?
Tobin: I think they still hold up, they still mean the same thing now as 25 years back. Even though we’ve changed so much, we just grown up and matured. It’s nice to be able to look back at a record and still be proud and owning every song on that album. It was full of teen angst, but now we’re mature rock daddies, if you know what I mean.
Jerry: Our songwriting style changes, and what we want to try. When we go back, we really appreciate the simplicity in some respects, and then also the complexity of some of the songs and kind of how everything fits together. I think it was really indicative of that time for us.
Tobin: The lyrics of „Infest“ always sticks in my head: „It’s what is wrong with the world today, the government, the media, or your family?“ And I’m like, yep, nothing’s changed.
Frontstage Magazine: That’s true, even though it appears in a different kind of light today? Do you have any song that you really have the strongest personal bond with from the first album?
Tobin: Probably „Between Angels and Insects“ or „Infest“ like we just mentioned.
Jerry: (laughs) That’s so crazy. Those two? Same for me! „Infest“ was just kind of what we imagined to be the self-fulfilling prophecy, which came true, and we’re on a good run right now.
Frontstage Magazine: You are a headliner at Wacken for the very first time. Does it change expectations or does it hold more pressure for you?
Jerry: I don’t think it’s more pressure, it’s just more excitement.
Tobin: When the intro starts and we’re getting ready to start the show you will see the excitement. We’re already excited now, as we wait all day to do that one thing, to get on stage and exchange energy with the crowd.
Frontstage Magazine: Do you have a special ritual that you’re all doing?
Tobin: Yeah, a lot of bands do it, but I think it’s important to just huddle up. We have our own little secret thing that we say. It’s just one of those things that’s really important to do, because whatever negative energy or whatever is going on throughout your day, that’s the moment when you just have to let it go and just focus on the show.
Jerry: It’s the focus. It brings us all together and puts us all on the same frequency.
Frontstage Magazine: You can really feel it. Going back in time once more: Imagine yourself 25 years ago. Is there anything you would say to your younger version as a good advice? Maybe something that you need to prepare for?
Jerry: I probably would say, pay closer attention to the money. We were a band and we had people around us that said, just be a band, don’t worry about the money. Focus on the band, that’s what we did. We found ourselves where some money was gone here and there.
Tobin: Now we have to be better songwriters and better businessmen, which is good, because we finally have reached that.
Frontstage Magazine: Do you have a thought beforehand that it would be so much of organization?
Jerry: No, you’re so excited, you’re so young, you’re just looking at what’s right in front of you. We didn’t even expect that it would last this long.
Frontstage Magazine: Oh really?
Jerry: I think it was something we hoped for, but it didn’t need to happen necessarily. When you’re 18 or 20 years old, you’re not thinking that far ahead.
Frontstage Magazine: Probably. Is there anything in the future now for what you are thinking ahead?
Tobin: I think we’re in a place right now where we are an independent band now and we have our own label. We literally do everything ourselves. We’re in such a good place. There’s a lot of opportunities for us to sign other artists, be more creative with merch or how we want to tour. The different types of tours we can do, whether it’s a big arena tour or we want to do a small acoustic tour. We can reimagine anything that we want and there’s nobody telling us that we can’t do it or shouldn’t do it.
Frontstage Magazine: What is your favorite format of touring that you just mentioned?
Tobin: I love both, but I think it’s just having the freedom to choose.
Frontstage Magazine: That’s good. We have time for one last question: What was the most bizarre thing that was ever thrown on stage?
Tobin: A prosthetic leg. And somebody threw a pig’s head when we played in Hawaii. That was weird.
Frontstage Magazine: I guess so. Thank you so much for your time. It was a pleasure to meet you.
Jerry: Thanks, it was fun.
Fotocredit: Bryson Roatch (Titelbild) und Papa Roach in Wacken by WOA FESTIVAL GMBH (Patrick Schneiderwind)
