MTV Radio Network, http://www.mtv.com/bands/archive/p/paparoach00/; Papa Roach, a biography http://www.reeferisland.com/roach/bio.shtml; Papa Roach’s official biography, http://www.mtv.com/bands/az/papa_roach/bio.jhtml.

OVERVIEW

According to one Papa Roach band member

How Nirvana was when they came out—that new edge of giving kids a release of emotions—that’s how I hope people connect with Papa Roach’s music. I want to cause every emotion in people. I want them to fight, to f---; I want to bring out their violence, their sadness, and their happiness. The guys (band members) prefer to play ‘til they bleed...literally, as well as emotionally.

Their emotionally charged lyrics provide listeners to do just that. Their songs don’t have the 80’s “drug, sex, and rock and roll” mentality. Instead, the words seem to utter quietly a rage that can be felt with every kick of the bass drum and strum of the guitar.

In the small Northern California town of Vacaville, four high school friends decided to start a band. They formed Papa Roach in 1993, influenced by Bay Area groups as Faith No More and Primus. The band quickly gained local popularity with their eclectic mix of hip-hop, groove-funk, and hardcore. In the summer of 1996, they recognized a chemistry between the music and the kids listening to the music; so, Papa Roach made a couple of changes that would, in retrospect, propel them into stardom. First, the band released their bass player and hired a 16-year-old roadie who had been with the band for a couple of years. Not long after the induction of the new bass player, a new manager was hired who encouraged them to record their first full-length CD. The first album, “Old Friends From Young Years,” propelled the young band in the right direction.

Trying to classify Papa Roach’s genre is not easy. P- Roach (as they affectionately call themselves) weaves together hip-hop, groove-funk, and hardcore rock/metal. Their image as individuals is nearly as confusing as their genre. Tobin Esperance, the bassist, says, “ ‘We get along better than most any other band in the world. If you were to hang out with us, you’d wonder what the hell was wrong with us. We’re constantly laughing, then getting in arguments, telling each other to f--- off, then we’re best friends again in the next minute. We can’t really agree on a whole lot, except the music and the band. We’re real different people, but P- Roach is where we come together.’ ”

The band name came from the lead singer-songwriter, Jocoby Shaddix’s grandfather who was nicknamed “Papa Roatch”. It was later that they “adopted the cockroach as an abiding symbol of resilience and longevity.”

The CD cover is, for the most part, quite standard. It is white and has the underbelly of a large cockroach on the front. It seems as though the picture was taken under a long piece of glass with the cockroach place directly over the glass. With track names such as Broken Home, Binge, Thrown Away, Between Angels and Insects, and Last Resort; it’s hard to miss the overwhelming sense that the band writing about events that have shaped their lives. For example, below are the lyrics for Broken Home.

Broken Home

I can’t seem to fight these feelings
I’m caught in the middle of this
My wounds are not healing
I’m stuck in between my parents
I wish I had someone to talk to
Someone to confide in
I just want to know the truth
I just want to know the truth
Broken home
All alone
I know my father loves me
But does my father even care
If I’m sad or angry
You were never ever there
When I needed you
I hope you regret what you did
I think I know the truth
Your father did the same to you
I’m crying day and night now
What is wrong with me
I cannot fight now
I feel like a weak link
Push it back inside
It feels bad to be alone
Crying by yourself, living in a broken home
How could I tell it so y’all could feel it
Depression strikes me hard like my old earth would tell it
To me, her son, she told me I’m the one
Pain bottled up about to blow like a gun
Stories that I tell are nonfiction
And you can’t take it back cause it’s already done
Broken home

You quickly notice that Coby, the songwriter, is feeling as though he has no place to turn. “I’m caught in the middle of this, my wounds are not healing…I wish I had someone to, talk to someone to confide in…All alone.” There are many bands out in the music industry that do just this very same thing. That is, they bring real life experiences to the surface and deal with them on stage, almost begging the audience to ask themselves, “Don’t you feel this way too sometimes? You know, like things just can’t be any worse?” What is noteworthy about Papa Roach is that Coby doesn’t simply write about one issue. Rather, he addresses the whole gamut of tough subjects that he has either personally experienced or witnessed.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

Cody Shaddix’ lyrics could provide for hours of conversation. In an interview, he replays the events of an old roommate who tries to kill himself in order to escape the pain of heavy suicidal tendencies. According to Shaddix, “ ‘He just went into a downward spiral within himself. He was an artist and a painter and a really deep thinker, and when he started thinking, it just picked at his brain and picked at his brain until he just went literally crazy. He tried to kill himself, and through attempting to kill himself, I think he killed that part of him that was rotting away inside of him. So that’s where that song came from: my experience of living with him and being with him through the whole process.’ ” This song could be discussed meaningfully with kids.

Last Resort
Cut my life into pieces,
I’ve reached my last resort.
Suffocation no breathing,
Don’t give a _____ if I cut my arm bleeding.
This is my last resort.

Verse 1
Cut my life into pieces
I’ve reached my last resort suffocation, no breathing,
Don’t give a _____ if I cut my arm bleeding.
Do you even care if I die, really?
Would it be wrong? Would it be right?
If I took my life tonight, chances are that I might.
Mutilation out of sight,
And I am contemplating suicide.

Chorus
Cause I am losing my sight, losing my mind
Need somebody who will tell me I’m fine.
Losing my sight, losing my mind
Need somebody who will tell me I’m fine.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. The name itself, Last Resort, begs the question: when do you feel that you are at your last resort?
2. Where do you go or whom do you turn to?
3. Discuss the emotion of the song. Can you feel what he is singing? Can you sympathize?
4. As teenagers today, do you see any of your friends possibly in this same spot, where they feel trapped?
5. Have you ever felt as though you have been in his shoes? If so, who or what kept you from doing something regrettable?

IMPLICATIONS

• This song certainly has value and directly pertains to suicide. What is certain about Last Resort is that the lyrics were not created. Rather, they came as an outpouring of bottled emotion and sorrow.
• This song can help relate to someone who has seriously considered suicide as a release from life and certainly from suffering.

Josh Smart cCYS