Interview: Papa Roach's Tobin Esperance and Coby Dick

Papa Roach's major label debut "Infest" is about "dealing with everyday struggle," according to vocalist Coby Dick. The hip-hop/metal quartet's album recently hit double-platinum sales, with its first single "Last Resort" reaching #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks, R&R and Gavin Modern Rock/Alternative charts.

The current single "Broken Home" deals with the struggle of dealing with divorce. "It was really hard for me to write," Dick confesses. "I was working with a vocal coach and he had me sing it. With the band, I'm concentrating on getting it tight, but when I was with the vocal coach, halfway through the first verse, I fell out crying. All that was there were the words, and obviously, it still [is difficult to deal with]. I was six when my parents got divorced. I didn't talk to my dad until two years ago. Lyrically, P-Roach is my counseling."

SoundSpike correspondent Don Zulaica had a little more time to talk with 20-year-old bassist Tobin Esperance about the group's beginnings, songwriting, success and connection with the fans.

SoundSpike: Where did you grow up?

Tobin Esperance: Vacaville, California. We all come from that little small town. That's why we're in a band, because we didn't have anything else better to do.

What did you grow up listening to?

I grew up on the [Red Hot] Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction, Faith No More, Fugazi, Minor Threat, Helmet. I hung out with older fans that turned me on to older punk.

Any bass players or instrumentalists you admired when you started?

Of course, I always liked Flea of the Chili Peppers. He always does what's right for the song. As far as bass players, I listen to a lot of jazz, hip hop and reggae.

What kind of jazz?

Mingus is such an awesome bass player. And [pianist] Oscar Peterson, you can hear one hand, the way he does a bass line. And even the abstract stuff--John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk. All that good stuff.

How did you meet the guys in the band?

We met in '93. They started the band. I wasn't really in until a year later--I filled in because their bass player was kind of flaky, you know? Hung around for a couple years, and became a permanent member.

You guys have been going from one tour to the next.

Yeah, after we finished the Warped Tour in August, we hopped on the Korn tour, and after that got over with, we went straight to our own headlining tour. We've just kept going and going.

What was special about the Warped Tour?

We got to meet guys in bands that we all grew up listening to. Bands that we really admire: Snapcase, Suicide Machines, old school like T.S.O.L.

And Green Day--those cats are totally cool. I ran into Mike [Dirnt, Green Day bassist] in New York yesterday and he was telling me all about their new album. They're stoked.

And now there's a tour with Limp Bizkit and Eminem?

Yeah ... and what's cool is the tour will have some hip hop, like DMX. That will start in October, I think. It keeps getting pushed back.

Congrats on the album going double platinum. Has it hit three million yet?

I don't know, I'm not really keeping up day by day, you know? We're just all concentrating on playing live, not letting everything get all crazy, out of hand, into our hands. Just staying busy, staying grounded, and trying to rock the crowds.

You guys write songs about pretty difficult subjects. Is it a group effort to write the songs? Where do the lyrics come from?

The lyrics are mainly Coby's, but they're not just his stories. Sometimes it's about his friends; trials and tribulations that people have to go through.

The response from the fans is very tangible live.

It's cool when the kids can connect. It's weird though, because sometimes people think that we have the answers, you know? And we don't. We just try to say to kids, "You've got to stay positive." We want to let people know that they're not the only ones out there [going through difficult situations].

Is that the best thing about the commercial success?

Oh yeah, the connection we have with our fans. That's off the hook. Us being on stage, and the crowd being out there--we try to have no separation with our fans. It's just a big ball of energy, you know? And just the fact that we get to play every night. It's just a dream, to play a rock show every night for kids, and be able to live off doing that--we're totally grateful for that.