Album finds new spirit in Papa Roach's sound
Jacoby Shaddix, lead singer of Papa Roach, remembers writing and recording sessions for the band's 2004 CD, "Getting Away With Murder" as an unnerving and uncertain period.
"In the writing of 'Getting Away With Murder,' we were always on edge," Shaddix says. "We were like we didn't know if we were going to get dropped or anything. So there was like an underlying like sense of doom, you know what I'm saying, to the writing of that record."
Papa Roach performs Saturday at Mr. Small's Theatre in Millvale.
In doing the new CD, "The Paramour Sessions," Papa Roach had another reason to be on edge -- namely the house where the CD was recorded.
The Paramour Mansion is a 14-bedroom house in the Los Angeles suburb of Silver Lake that once was owned by silent movie star Antonio Moreno and oil heiress Daisy Canfield and recently has been renovated into a recording studio.
Legend has it that the house is haunted. Canfield, who was killed in an auto accident in 1933, is buried on the property. And the members of Papa Roach count themselves among those believers.
In an interview on the "Gauntlet" Web site, for instance, drummer Dave Buckner said the band heard footsteps and people singing in the house, while doors would open and close by themselves.
For his part, Shaddix says he didn't find the Paramour Mansion frightening exactly, but he says he sensed an unusual atmosphere and a spirit to the place that hovered over the band during its stay and certainly helped lend a vibe to "The Paramour Sessions" CD.
"It wasn't really like scary," Shaddix says. "It just felt that there was a spirit there, that there was an energy there that was bigger than us. For us to tap into that energy and be a part of it was just, it was amazing."
Papa Roach went into "The Paramour Sessions" project after already having enjoyed a rejuvenating period in its career.
The band, which formed in 1993, had blasted into prominence with its 2000 major label debut CD, "Infest," which sold more than three million copies and featured the hit single "Last Resort."
But the 2002 follow-up CD, "Lovehatetragedy" topped out at about 700,000 copies, causing some to say Papa Roach had suffered the sophomore jinx. But with "Getting Away With Murder," the band answered the doubts, as the CD went platinum with sales of more than one million copies and featured two top five rock radio hits in the song "Getting Away With Murder" and "Scars."
"The Paramour Sessions" project, Shaddix says, was not without its rough moments, but in the end, it brought the band members closer together, fostered more collaboration in the songwriting and further energized the group on a musical level.
"Personally, our drummer, he was going through a divorce. So he was in a volatile state in his life," Shaddix says. "My bass player, he was going through his own relationship issues. For me, I'm trying to stay clean and sober, so I'm always fighting that demon myself and trying to live life that way. So we really all were facing a lot of our fears and battling through a lot of personal issues. Music was our way to escape and to heal. For us, it was madness at that house. There were moments where it was just complete and utter chaos, and then there were moments where we were so connected musically and spiritually that it was just amazing."
Shaddix is nothing less than thrilled with "The Paramour Sessions," which builds on the musical direction established on "Getting Away With Murder" and offers some new wrinkles in the Papa Roach sound.
Especially on "Infest," the group had a major element of rap-rock in its sound. But by the time of "Getting Away With Murder," the rapping had disappeared as Papa Roach pursued a melodic hard rock sound.
"The Paramour Sessions" continues down that path. "The World Around You" uses some striking lead guitar licks to build into a potent vocal melody in the chorus. Tracks such as "Crash" and "Reckless" also boast huge vocal melodies. And on other songs Papa Roach stretches out. "Forever" creates a haunting sound by pulling back on the guitars during the verses and letting Shaddix weave his vocal around a pulsing bass line. "Roses On My Grave" is an epic and suitably spooky ballad that uses an orchestra for instrumental backing.
Shaddix is looking forward to showcasing material from "The Paramour Sessions" on a fall headlining tour but promised that the band won't neglect its earlier material either.
"We're playing the classics off of 'Infest,' and we play the fan favorites off of 'Lovehatetragedy' and 'Getting Away With Murder,'" he says. "I'd say (we're doing) probably about four or five songs off of each of those records, we're playing like eight or nine new songs. So it's a pretty hefty set. But it's killer. The way we put it together, it just takes you on a ride. It's just nice to be able to pick from all of these records and go and put it into perspective in our live show." Additional Information:
Papa Roach
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Admission: $25
Where: Mr. Small's Theatre, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale
Details: 800-594-8499
