OD – Since I last spoke with you F.E.A.R has now been released and I’m know you have been playing the new material in the setlist such as “F.E.A.R, Broken As Me” and “Warriors”. You guys have recently performed at this years Australian Soundwave festival, how was that experience for you especially playing some of the new material off F.E.A.R to huge festival crowds.
JERRY – It was actually pretty refreshing, the fact that we hadn’t been there in 13 years, we didn’t really know what to expect. We assumed most people would just be there for the old stuff but they were all pretty happy with the new material. It was really cool, that’s something we always hope for people to like what you’re doing right now but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way so you don’t really expect it.
OD – The jetlag must be terrible when doing shows like that, do you plan to get there a few days in advance to get adjusted or is it just brutal?
JERRY – Let’s be honest there are worst things in life. Over the years we’ve discovered that when we’re travelling we need at least a day before we do anything. For Australia, what’s worse than the heat was the flying every day. One weekend we’d do Melbourne and Adelaide, wed start at 5 am in Melbourne and then end the day in Adelaide. The next weekend we did Brisbane to Sydney which is just hard to do the show we do in the heat with very little sleep. But the shows are great which makes it worth it. Then we had a sold out UK and Ireland tour to look forward to.
OD – You did some “Sidewave” shows with Nonpoint and Godsmack, how was it sharing a stage with those guys and did you experience any rock star demands that Nikki Sixx has so publicly declared about Sully?
JERRY – There were no direct ego confrontations, we all just took it to the stage and everybody brought their A- game.
OD – When you guys prepare the set lists do you have a rotating system or do you just or do you mix it up on the day of each show?
JERRY – We have a general frame work we go by usually because it’s all to do with guitar tunings, we try to keep switching to the minimum but we have no real system.
OD – The new album has taken on a more electronic feel to some of the songs and I know that Jackoby is a huge Prodigy fan, can we expect to see more of this influence combined with the traditional heavy Papa Roach sound in the future?
JERRY – We are exploring it but I don’t think it will necessarily take over. We’re a rock band and we don’t claim to be anything else but we do like to try new things. Having electronics in the sound is more to do with texture and depth, were constantly doing harmony guitar and overdubs so we’d though we should try it to that with electronics and have a more distinct type of sound.
OD – The video for Face Everything And Rise (RISE) has a kind of Mad Max vibe to it, who came up with that concept?
JERRY – It start out as Jackoby’s idea, we did the record in Vegas and we went out a few times to this place the red rocks and it has this post-apocalyptic Mad Max vibe. He co-directed the video in Trona they call it the Pinnacles. It’s between Death Valley and Mojave.
OD – This year marks the 15th anniversary of “Infest”. Looking back when Papa Roach first got on some US tours such as the Warped Tour, do you think that the overall package of that tour has changed and become more commercial than what it used to be?
JERRY – Yeah I don’t think there’s the same of music scene as there was back then .There’s only so much a promoter or a tour can do. I’m not taking away anything from the bands that are there but I do feel like there’s been a change.
OD – Tomorrow night (March 21st) you will play Belfast for the very fist time in your career; do you feel that when you play new territories that it gives you / the band an incentive to push even harder when performing live, to make your mark as it were?
JERRY – Generally yes there is an on off level but there is a little bit more and anticipation from people that have never been able to see us before. Especially through social networks you can tell that the anticipation is bubbling. We’ll see what happened with crowd whether they go crazy or not.
OD – Looking back over your career who has been the most iconic musician you have met that literally left you star struck?
JERRY -James Hetfield, definitely. Brian May too though. The first time with a press awards in 2001 or 2002 Brian may came up to us and introduced himself and said he was so happy to meet with us and we were really cool. He was just such a genuinely nice guy and an amazing person.
OD – If you could pick the most perfect record in your opinion that you always find yourself going back to again and again, what would it be?
JERRY – It would probably have to be… And Justice For All, I was kind of a latecomer and that’s really when I started to get into Metallica. That the one I hold really close even though It’s not what most people consider their best album.
OD – Are there any new bands that you are listening to right now that you would like to recommend?
JERRY – There’s a band called Black Map, they’re members from a band called Dredge and another band called Far from Sacramento there both bands that you should be checking out. There’s another one from Sacramento called Middle Class Rut they went on tour with us and we’ve known them for a long time. They’re a two piece guitar and drums, they’re super cool.
OD – Finally, what is the strangest situation you or any of the guys in the band have found yourself in since the formation of Papa Roach?
JERRY – There’s been a lot of things but u think the first time we came to Europe we landed in the Italian alps on a very small plane with a cross wind coming in sideways, everybody was holding on for dear life.
We get there and we go to this little family restaurant and get real Italian food for the first time.
The gig was a snow board festival when you think of that you think middle of the day, 1000s of people on Snow boards.- It was at the bottom of a hill with about 300 people on a truck stage at night with about 300 people with no heat at like -13.
We all got new winter coats after that saying Papa Roach – The Coolest Band on Earth.
Papa Roach’s new album F.E.A.R (Face Everything and Rise) is out now. Check out the review for the Dublin show with a full photo gallery from Down The Barrel Photography by clicking on the photo below.
Words – Oran O’Beirne
Transcription – Katie McGarr
Photography – Steve Dempsey: Down The Barrel Photography
