Papa Roach facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Papa Roach
Papa Roach performing in 2023 at Rock im Park.
Background information
Origin	Vacaville, California, U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock rap metal nu metal alternative metal hard rock
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Eleven Seven DGC Interscope Geffen DreamWorks New Noize
Members	Jacoby Shaddix Jerry Horton Tobin Esperance Tony Palermo
Past members	Dave Buckner Ben Luther Will James Ryan Brown Anne Mikolajcik

Papa Roach is an American rock band. They formed in Vacaville, California in 1993. The first members were singer Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, drummer Dave Buckner, bassist Will James, and trombonist Ben Luther.

After releasing two shorter music collections called EPs, Will James left the band. Tobin Esperance took his place as the bassist. The band released two more EPs on their own. Then, in 1999, they signed with DreamWorks Records. They released their very successful album Infest in 2000, which sold millions of copies. They also released Lovehatetragedy in 2002 and Getting Away with Murder in 2004.

After their album The Paramour Sessions, drummer Dave Buckner left in 2007. Tony Palermo became the new drummer. Papa Roach then released many more albums, including Metamorphosis (2009), Time for Annihilation (2010), The Connection (2012), F.E.A.R. (2015), Crooked Teeth (2017), and Who Do You Trust? (2019). Their eleventh studio album, Ego Trip, came out on April 8, 2022.

The Story of Papa Roach

How the Band Started (1993–1995)

Papa Roach began in January 1993. Lead singer Jacoby Shaddix and drummer Dave Buckner met on a football field at Vacaville High School. Later, Jerry Horton from Vanden High School joined as the lead guitarist. Anne Mikolajcik played rhythm guitar, Ben Luther played trombone, and Will James was the bassist.

They decided to join their school's talent show. They played a song called "Fire" by Jimi Hendrix. However, they did not win the talent show. In March 1993, Ben Luther and Anne Mikolajcik left the band.

Papa Roach started practicing every day and playing as many shows as they could. Their first tour van was named Moby Dick. This inspired Shaddix to use the stage name "Coby Dick." The band was first called "Papa Gato," but Shaddix changed it to Papa Roach. This name combined his grandfather's nickname, "Papa," and "Roach" from his other grandfather, John "Grandpa" Roatch. Both of his grandfathers were musicians.

In 1994, Papa Roach released their first EP, called Potatoes for Christmas. Drummer Dave Buckner was away studying art in Seattle. So, Ryan Brown temporarily filled in as the drummer. In 1995, the band recorded a demo called Caca Bonita. Dave Buckner had returned by then. In 1996, the band replaced original bassist Will James with Tobin Esperance. Will James was busy with a church summer camp, which would have limited the band's practice and touring.

First Album and Record Deal (1996–1999)

On February 4, 1997, Papa Roach released their first full album, Old Friends from Young Years. The band continued to tour a lot. They opened for other bands like Incubus, Powerman 5000, Hed PE, Snot, Far, and Static-X.

In 1998, Papa Roach released an EP called 5 Tracks Deep. It sold over 1,000 copies in its first month. In 1999, they made another EP, Let 'Em Know. This was their last independent release. Its success caught the attention of Warner Music Group. They gave the band some money to make a five-song demo CD. The band wanted famous rock producer Jay Baumgardner to help. Baumgardner wasn't sure at first. But then he saw a video of them playing live. He saw fans going wild and knowing the songs. That's when he realized they had great potential.

Warner Bros. wasn't impressed with the demo and didn't sign the band. The demo included songs like "Infest," "Last Resort," "Broken Home," "Dead Cell," and "She Loves Me Not." Soon after, DreamWorks Records offered Papa Roach a recording contract.

Big Success with Infest and More (2000–2005)

The band in 2006. From left to right: Dave Buckner, Tobin Esperance, Jacoby Shaddix, Jerry Horton.

After signing with DreamWorks Records in October 1999, Papa Roach quickly went into the studio. They recorded their first major-label album, Infest. The album included older songs from their independent EPs, re-recorded for the new album. It also had three new songs: "Obsession" (later known as "Between Angels and Insects"), "Blood Brothers," and "Never Enough." Infest was released on April 25, 2000. It sold over 30,000 copies in its first week.

With their new album out and the music video for "Last Resort" ready, they joined the Vans Warped Tour. They also played on other big tours, like the Anger Management Tour with Limp Bizkit and rap artists like Eminem. They even had their own "Master Bay" tour in 2000, with Linkin Park and Hed PE opening for them. Papa Roach was nominated for "Best New Artist in a Video" at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards for "Last Resort."

In late 2000, they toured the United Kingdom, showing how quickly they became popular worldwide. In 2001, the band played at Ozzfest, a major music festival, on the main stage in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The song "Blood Brothers" was also featured in the popular video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.

After touring around the world, the band returned to the studio. They recorded their third album, which was first called Born to Rock. It was later renamed Lovehatetragedy. The album came out in the United States on June 18, 2002. While it didn't sell as much as Infest, it reached higher spots on album charts in the U.S. and U.K. It has sold over 500,000 copies and is certified gold. This album focused more on singing than rapping, but still kept their nu metal sound. It had two singles: "She Loves Me Not" and "Time and Time Again." Both songs included rapping and the rap metal sound from Infest. The music video for "Time and Time Again" was even in a Pepsi Blue commercial. That same year, the band toured to support Lovehatetragedy. They also played on the second Anger Management Tour.

Drummer Dave Buckner, who was in the band from 1993 to 2007

In late 2003, Papa Roach wrote and recorded their third album. It was first called Dancing In the Ashes but was released as Getting Away with Murder. The band worked with famous producer Howard Benson. After finishing the album, they made a music video for the title track, "Getting Away with Murder." They then went on a small tour to get ready for bigger tours. This album was different for the band. It was their first album without the nu metal style of their earlier work. It was also their first album without any rapping. Getting Away with Murder sold more copies than Lovehatetragedy. This was mainly because of the popularity of the album's second single, "Scars." So far, the album has sold over one million copies and is certified Platinum. On November 9, 2004, the band released their fifth EP, Rolling Stone Original, which was only available online. On November 22, 2005, they released their first live album, Papa Roach: Live & Murderous in Chicago.

In 2005, the band spent a lot of time touring. This included tours across the United States and Europe. They played with bands like Dead Poetic, Trust Company, Chronic Future, Skindred, 311, and Unwritten Law.

New Album and a Change in Drummers (2006–2008)

The previous Papa Roach logo, used from 2006 to 2012

On September 12, 2006, Papa Roach released their fourth album, The Paramour Sessions. The band named the album after the Paramour Mansion, where they recorded it. They got the idea to record in a mansion while making Getting Away with Murder. "...To Be Loved" was the first song released from the album. It became the official theme song for WWE Raw from 2006 to 2009. The album reached No. 16 on the Billboard 200 Charts.

The band started touring to support the album in August 2006. They had an American tour, then a European one. In October 2006, Papa Roach toured with Guns N' Roses. They were also special guests on the Zippo Hot Tour with Hed PE and Stealing December.

On April 25, 2007, it was announced that drummer Dave Buckner would not be joining the band's tours for a while due to personal matters. He was expected to return soon. Later, Jacoby Shaddix confirmed that Dave was taking time to focus on his health. Unwritten Law drummer Tony Palermo filled in for him.

In the summer of 2007, the band went on the Bad Boys of Rock tour, supporting Hinder. Frontman Shaddix and Hinder's singer Austin Winkler became good friends. This led to the bands touring together multiple times later on.

In 2008, Papa Roach officially announced that Dave Buckner would no longer be their drummer.

Metamorphosis and More Tours (2008–2010)

In February 2008, Jacoby Shaddix said the band was working on their next album. It was first going to be called Days of War, Nights of Love. However, the album was renamed Metamorphosis. This name marked the band's ten-year anniversary of signing with DreamWorks Records in 1999. It also showed all the changes the band had gone through.

On April 15, Papa Roach announced they would tour as part of Mötley Crüe's Crüe Fest. Other bands on the tour included Buckcherry, Sixx:A.M., and Trapt. The tour started on July 1 in West Palm Beach, Florida. The release date for Metamorphosis was set for August 26 during Crüe Fest.

The band also toured with Seether, Staind, and Red later that year. They changed the release date of Metamorphosis to March 24, 2009, during that tour.

The song "Lifeline" was released on the band's MySpace page on January 9, 2009. The band also toured with Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold, and Burn Halo in early 2009. The Crüe Fest DVD came out on March 24, the same day Metamorphosis was released. The second single, "I Almost Told You That I Loved You," was released on June 1. On June 23, they released their ninth EP, available online.

Metamorphosis reached the top 10 on the Billboard 100 chart, getting to number 8. This was the band's first top ten album since 2002.

Papa Roach toured with Nickelback on their Dark Horse Tour in the summer. They also toured with Hinder, Saving Abel, and Breaking Benjamin.

"Lifeline" was nominated for Fuse TV's Best Video of 2009 contest. It won against songs by Metallica and Paramore. It finished second to Britney Spears's song "Circus" in the final round.

Time for Annihilation (2010–2012)

Papa Roach performing in 2010.

On January 8, 2010, Jacoby Shaddix announced on Papa Roach's official Twitter that the band was starting to work on new music. On February 8, 2010, Jerry Horton said he was in the studio writing.

On February 23, 2010, Jerry Horton officially announced a new album. It was recorded during their 2009 tour with Shinedown in Binghamton, New York.

In April, the band played two new songs. They played "Burn" at the Chili Cook Off in Richmond, Virginia on April 17, 2010. They played "Kick In the Teeth" on April 30, 2010. In May, Jerry Horton said in an interview that the album would be called Time for Annihilation. It would have nine live songs and five new songs. This made it a mix of a live album and an EP. He also said that "Kick In the Teeth" would be the first single. The band also switched record labels to Eleven Seven Music. Later, Shaddix added that the album would be released on August 31. "Kick In the Teeth" was released as a single on June 22, 2010.

On June 29, 2010, the band's old label, Geffen Records, released a collection of their greatest hits. It was called ...To Be Loved: The Best of Papa Roach. However, the band told fans not to buy it. They said they were not making any money from the sales. The label released the album against the band's wishes. The band no longer owns the rights to their old songs, but they can still play them live.

Time for Annihilation was released on August 31, 2010. The band announced that the next songs from the album would be "Burn" and "No Matter What." They also said they wanted to release another live DVD. But they wanted to wait until they had a big show in Europe. In October 2010, Papa Roach started the "Monsters of Annihilation" tour with Skillet. From November 15 to December 13, 2010, the band toured with Disturbed, Buckcherry, and Halestorm on the Taste of Chaos tour. From March 1 to 18, 2011, Papa Roach co-headlined the Canada part of the Jägermeister Music Tour with Buckcherry. Special guests were My Darkest Days and Bleeker Ridge.

In an interview, guitarist Jerry Horton said the band would release a new album in 2012. He also mentioned that Papa Roach would try out "electronic sounds" for this new album.

Tobin Esperance talked about Time for Annihilation in an interview. He said, "We put out five major label, full-length records, and we were transitioning from a major label, going independent, and we wanted to do something different." He added, "we'd always talked about doing a live record, and it turned into 'let's add a couple of bonus songs' [...] and now it's half live, half new songs and it's kind of the past and present of Papa Roach." He felt it showed what the band was about and where their sound could go.

Starting April 25, 2011, Papa Roach headlined the Raid The Nation tour. The first part of the tour included Finger Eleven. The second part had Escape the Fate. Both parts of the tour also had special guests Pop Evil. On June 23 and 25, the band co-headlined the Sonisphere Festival with Linkin Park.

Papa Roach played two smaller shows in London and Sheffield in July 2011 with the band Yashin. They also co-headlined the Rock Allegiance Tour from August 24 to September 25, 2011, with Buckcherry. Other bands on the tour included Puddle of Mudd, P.O.D., Red, Crossfade, and Drive A.

The Connection (2012–2013)

Papa Roach went into the studio in November 2011 to work on their next album. They aimed for a mid-2012 release. While recording, the band released the song "Even If I Could." This song appeared on The Avengers movie soundtrack.

On June 15, 2012, the band announced in a live chat with fans on YouTube that their next album would be released on October 2. The album was later named "The Connection."

Papa Roach started touring in 2012 by co-headlining shows with Shinedown. Other bands supporting them included Adelitas Way and In This Moment. After this short co-headlining tour, Papa Roach went on a short headlining tour. They brought out bands like In This Moment, Art of Dying, and Mindset Evolution. Papa Roach also played on the main stage of the 2012 Uproar Festival.

The band released their first music video for the album on August 30, 2012. The idea for the "Still Swingin'" video came from Jacoby's eight-year-old son.

On September 8, 2012, Papa Roach announced tour dates in many countries. These included Belarus, Russia, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK. They played two shows in London (December 10 and 11) with Stone Sour on their UK tour. They only played those two dates. They then toured the United States with Stone Sour starting on January 20, 2013. They also played at the 2013 Download Festival in the UK on June 14. In September, the band was joined by original drummer Dave Buckner for one special performance of "Last Resort." In October 2013, the band performed across Canada and the US. They were supporting The Connection with Pop Evil and Age of Days also on the bill.

F.E.A.R. (2014–2016)

Papa Roach live in 2015

On February 3, 2014, the band announced they would go into the studio to record a new album. On February 18, 2014, Jerry Horton said on Twitter that the first song should come out "somewhere around July." They did a live studio chat on YouTube on February 25, 2014. In the chat, they said they had already written four songs. They shared the titles of three songs: "Just as Broken as Me," "Gravity," and "War Over Me." On April 24, 2014, in an interview for Loudwire, Jacoby revealed a few more song titles: "Never Have to Say Goodbye" and "Face Everything and Rise."

On July 10, 2014, it was announced that the band would release their new album, called F.E.A.R., in early 2015. On October 9, 2014, it was announced that the new album would be released on January 27, 2015, through Eleven Seven Music. During an interview, bassist Tobin Esperance said that the new album is heavier than their previous ones. He also mentioned that F.E.A.R. was the first time they allowed other artists to be featured on their songs.

On May 19, 2015, the band announced a co-headlining North American Tour with their long-time friends Five Finger Death Punch. In This Moment joined as special guests, with support from From Ashes to New for the tour.

Crooked Teeth (2016–2018)

On January 26, 2016, Papa Roach announced they would start writing their new album the following week. In July, they played live at the Alternative Press Music Awards. In an interview, they said the new record would be released in early 2017, with a first song coming out that year. Fans helped support the recording of the album through the crowdfunding service PledgeMusic.

On November 1, 2016, "Crooked Teeth" was the first song released from the upcoming album. The first official single, "Help," was released on February 17, 2017. On March 24, 2017, the band announced the new album, Crooked Teeth, would be released on May 19, 2017. A second single, "American Dreams," came out in April 2017. A third single, "Born for Greatness," was released later that year. "Born for Greatness" became the official main theme of WWE Raw in February 2018. Both "Help" and "Born for Greatness" reached number 1 on the Mainstream Rock Charts. This was the first time the band had two songs from one album achieve this.

Who Do You Trust? (2018–2020)

Papa Roach live 2018

In October 2017, the band shared that they had already written six songs for their next album after Crooked Teeth. They planned to start recording the album in June 2018. On October 5, 2018, Papa Roach released two new songs: "Renegade Music" and "Who Do You Trust?". The song "Who Do You Trust?" also had a music video. In the video, singer Jacoby Shaddix played a news reporter named Larry Dickman. Later, information came out that the new album would be called Who Do You Trust? and was released on January 19, 2019. An interview with Papa Roach on November 9 confirmed this. On November 16, 2018, the band released another new song, "Not the Only One." A third single, "Come Around," was released in September 2019. In November 2020, the fourth single, "The Ending," was released.

On December 25, 2020, the band released a collection called 20/20. It included their old Infest studio recordings that they had put on YouTube. It also had new versions of songs like "Tightrope," "Last Resort," "Scars," "Getting Away With Murder," and "Between Angels and Insects." On March 19, 2021, the band released their second greatest hits collection, Greatest Hits Vol.2 - The Better Noise Years.

Ego Trip (2021–Present)

On August 1, 2021, the band released a new song called "Swerve." It featured Jason Aalon Butler from Fever 333 and American rapper Sueco. On September 9, 2021, Papa Roach released their first radio single, "Kill The Noise." This song was from their upcoming eleventh studio album, planned for 2022. On October 29, 2021, the band released another new song, "Dying To Believe." On January 21, 2022, "Stand Up" followed as the album's fourth single. A fifth single, "Cut the Line," was released on March 1, 2022. The album Ego Trip was announced on the same day and was released on April 8, 2022. On June 14, 2022, the band released their sixth single, "No Apologies," along with a music video.

Papa Roach's Music Style and Inspirations

Papa Roach's music has been described in many ways. These include alternative rock, nu metal, alternative metal, rap metal, hard rock, rap rock, punk rock, pop rock, and rapcore. The band also uses parts of pop, electronic, and hip hop in their songs. The band started as a hardcore punk band. In their early independent EPs and their first two major albums, Infest and Lovehatetragedy, they often used nu metal and rap metal sounds.

Before Papa Roach released their major albums, Jacoby Shaddix's singing style was compared to Chino Moreno and Lynn Strait of Snot. When their 2009 album, Metamorphosis, came out, the band felt their music was changing. They said it was becoming "stuff that's...harder and faster."

AllMusic has compared the band's recent work to 1980s glam metal. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic wrote that by the end of the 2000s, the band had dropped the rap and anger. They became a modern version of an '80s rock band. With the release of F.E.A.R., music websites like MetalSucks and Metal Injection noticed that the band had some djent influences.

In 2004, singer Jacoby Shaddix said in an interview that the band no longer used rapping in their music. He said, "the rapping's gone! I don't feel like rapping. I'm just over that...I just want to be a rocker. It's what I wanted to be when I was a kid." Shaddix also said, "We're a band that tries to walk that line between metal, hardcore, punk rock and pop music, and we do our best at trying to make it all cool."

Before The Connection was released, guitarist Jerry Horton said in an interview that changing their sound is natural for them. He said, "Of course, there are some things that stay the same in our sound but we do like to try new things to sort of stretch out a little bit our basis and therefore make it more interesting." He also said the band would explore "electronic sounds for the next record."

The band gets ideas from groups like Faith No More, Social Distortion, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wu-Tang Clan, Fugees, Refused, Queen, and Led Zeppelin. Jacoby Shaddix says Faith No More's Mike Patton and Social Distortion's Mike Ness are big influences. He said, "the way that I sing, I definitely was inspired by Mike Patton," but he liked "the storytelling that Mike Ness does." He tried to combine these two styles when he was young.

In the beginning, Papa Roach was greatly influenced by the experimental band Mr. Bungle. This was led by Mike Patton from Faith No More. This influence could be seen in their adventurous first release, Potatoes for Christmas, in 1994.

In a 2021 interview, Jacoby Shaddix talked about the band being linked to the nu metal music style for a long time. He said, "I love being one of the forefathers of nu metal, but we've been able to outlive it and celebrate it at the same time."

Papa Roach is seen as one of the bands that helped define the nu metal sound. Alternative Press said that Papa Roach's early music helped shape the mainstream side of nu metal. They had catchy songs with strong lyrics. Jacoby Shaddix's powerful voice introduced many teenagers to nu-metal. Their catchy guitar lines made them very important in the genre.

About the band's album "Infest," Kerrang! magazine said: "With 'Last Resort,' they strained vocal chords and got dancefloors moving. With 'Broken Home,' they pulled at heartstrings. And with 'Between Angels And Insects,' they got stuck in our heads. Jacoby Shaddix's band from California didn't just bring a lot of strong feelings. They released every bit of emotion through some of the catchiest songwriting nu-metal ever saw. Being a teenager never really ends, and even now, these songs are super important."

Band Members

• Papa Roach live at Rock am Ring 2015
• 

  Jacoby Shaddix

• 

  Jerry Horton

• 

  Tobin Esperance

• 

  Tony Palermo

Current members

• Jacoby Shaddix – lead vocals (1993–present)
• Jerry Horton – guitars, backing vocals (1993–present)
• Tobin Esperance – bass, programming, backing vocals (1996–present)
• Tony Palermo – drums (2007–present)

Former members

• Dave Buckner – drums (1993–1994, 1994–2007)
• Ben Luther – trombone (1993)
• Will James – bass, backing vocals (1993–1996)
• Anne Mikolajcik – guitar (1993)
• Ryan Brown – drums (1994)

Touring members

• Anthony "Twan" Esperance – rhythm guitar, keyboard, percussion (2017–present)

Former touring members

• Shawn Westmeister – drums (2001)
• Mike Doherty – rhythm guitar (2002)
• Wesley Geer – rhythm guitar (2006)

Discography

Studio albums

• Old Friends from Young Years (1997)
• Infest (2000)
• Lovehatetragedy (2002)
• Getting Away with Murder (2004)
• The Paramour Sessions (2006)
• Metamorphosis (2009)
• The Connection (2012)
• F.E.A.R. (2015)
• Crooked Teeth (2017)
• Who Do You Trust? (2019)
• Ego Trip (2022)

Awards and Nominations

iHeart Radio Music Awards

BDS Spin Awards

Billboard Music Awards

California Music Awards

Echo Awards

Grammy Awards

Hungarian Music Awards

Kerrang! Awards

Loudwire Music Awards

MTV Video Music Awards

Pollstar Concert Industry Awards

Radio Music Awards

Teen Choice Awards

Zebrik Music Awards

See also

In Spanish: Papa Roach para niños