'One Thing You Can Expect From PAPA ROACH Is The Unexpected,' Says Bassist

Aiden R. of myYearbook recently conducted an interview with bassist Tobin Esperance of Californian rockers PAPA ROACH. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

myYearbook: On the new album, there are five new songs and some of PAPA ROACH's most powerful live tracks. What made you guys decide to release an album like this instead of a full-on live album?

Tobin: There are a lot of different factors that went into that decision-making process. A lot of it was from the fans, they had been asking for a live record. We're known for being a pretty kick-ass live band, so we decided to record the last week of a tour we did at the end of '09 with SHINEDOWN. When most bands put out a live record, they always have an added bonus, like two new songs or B-sides. We wanted to initially do two new songs but then we said, "Forget it, let's do five." We did five songs right after the New Year and "Time for Annihilation" was born.

myYearbook: Do you feel the new songs are a departure from what you've done before?

Tobin: I think they all are. I think "The Enemy" has the most classic PAPA ROACH vibe. All of the songs are definitely moving in a different direction. The intro on "Burn" has some distorted violins, some gnarly loops; it has more of a dance vibe to it. It's a super-melodic song and it's a very vulnerable song. Jacoby [Shaddix, vocals] actually wrote a love song. So yeah, it's different for PAPA ROACH.

myYearbook: Is it the goal of the band to constantly be evolving musically?

Tobin: Yeah, I think we're just that kind of band. We're music lovers, we listen to all kinds of different music and we're always searching for new music to keep our sound fresh and try new things. One thing you can expect from PAPA ROACH is the unexpected.

myYearbook: How did the songwriting process work for the band with the new album?

Tobin: A lot of it came from jamming in the studio we have in Sacramento and then a lot of ideas are crafted while we're on the road. We'll be on the back of the bus on the computer, writing down riffs or coming up with cool loops and sounds. "Burn", for instance, started out with that violin and it was built off of that. "Enemy" was a riff we jammed out at the last minute in our studio in Sacramento. "No Matter What" was written when we were in the studio recording as a last minute song.

myYearbook: "Time for Annihilation" came out just a year after your last album, "Metamorphosis". Do you think you guys will be eager to get back into the studio to record your next album?

Tobin: Usually the time when the record comes out is when we think about what we're going to do next. I'll be writing on the road and we're gonna try and put out new music very, very soon, even if it's not a full record. We may try a different approach and put out more music consistently.

myYearbook: What's best part of being in a band with your bandmates?

Tobin: Well, it's pretty entertaining. The things that come out of our mouths sometimes are weird and hilarious. We have Jerry [Horton] who records everything we say into his iPhone and we have a good laugh when we listen back to the things we say and do when it's late at night and there are a few cocktails involved. We get along like a family, like a band of brothers. We have a lot of really good laughs.

Read the entire interview from myYearbook.