History of Papa Roach:

Formation and early years: ( 1993 - 1999 )

The formation of Papa Roach began in January 1993, when lead singer Jacoby Shaddix and drummer Dave Buckner met on the Vacaville High School football field during an intense match, where the two ended up talking about music. They were later joined by trombonist Ben Luther and bass guitarist Will James. They decided to enter the school's talent show, where they performed a cover version of Jimi Hendrix's famous song, "Fire". They ultimately didn't win the contest. Later that year, they replaced trombonist Ben Luther with lead guitarist Jerry Horton from nearby Vanden High School. Jerry was introduced to the band through his girlfriend, who was a fan. By this time, Papa Roach was practicing everyday in Dave's garage and trying to secure local gigs. The band's name comes from Shaddix's step-grandfather, Howard William Roatch, who was nicknamed Papa Roach. Roatch committed suicide in 2006. The band pay homage to him with The Paramour Sessions and during live performances of the song "Roses On My Grave".

In 1994, Papa Roach released their first ever EP titled Potatoes for Christmas. Drummer Dave Buckner was temporarily replaced by Ryan Brown, as Buckner was spending the year in Seattle studying art. In 1995, they released a demo at Sound Farm Studios titled Caca Bonita. By this time Buckner was back. In 1996, they replaced original bass guitarist Will James, who had become heavily involved in a church summer camp, by Tobin Esperance, because James' absence would limit the band's summer practicing and touring. As Esperance had been with the band as a roadie for a while, the transition was an easy one.

In 1997, the band produced their first full-length album, entitled Old Friends from Young Years. Still touring heavily, they supported bands such as Incubus, Powerman 5000, Hed PE, Snot, Far and Static-X.

In 1998, they released an EP titled 5 Tracks Deep. It sold more than 1,000 copies in its first month of release. In 1999, they produced another EP, which would end up being their last independent release, titled Let 'Em Know. This was seen to be Papa Roach's best independent effort as a band, highlighting their distinctive sound. Its success caught the attention of Warner Music Group, who financed the production of a 5 track promo/demo CD. The unreleased disc included the songs "Infest", "Last Resort", "Broken Home", "Dead Cell", and "She Loves Me Not" - the first four would later feature on their Infest album, and the last on Lovehatetragedy. In the end, Warner Brothers elected not to sign them, based on a perceived lack of talent presented in their earlier musical efforts. Soon after, Shaddix was contacted by DreamWorks Records offering the band a recording contract.


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