Artist Friendly with Joel Madden - Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach (Rerun)
Episode Date: June 17, 2026On this week's rerun episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach. More than 20 years since their inception, Papa Roach continue to thrive. Their 2000 a...lbum Infest seems to grow bigger every year as new people discover songs like “Last Resort” and “Blood Brothers.” They also remain on the road in support of their 2022 LP Ego Trip, including wrapping the second leg of their own Rockzilla tour and supporting Shinedown across the U.S. last year. “I’m not good when shit’s just calm, quiet, still — I need some chaos,” Shaddix told Alternative Press in 2022. “I’ve got too much energy inside, and if I just sit stagnant, it drives me fucking mad. I need that release — that’s why I go run all the time. That’s why I go to the gym, because I’m an energetic being. So performing is such a healthy experience for me. I get to explode, physically and emotionally.” ------- Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on Spotify. ------- Follow Artist Friendly! IG: @artist.friendly TikTok: @artist.friendly YouTube: youtube.com/@artist.friendly ------- Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King Producers: Janice Leary, Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin Director/Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman ------- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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This episode is brought to you by Good Charlotte.
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Hey, what's up?
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And we'll see you at the show.
Hey, what's up?
I'm Joel Madden, and this is Artist Friendly.
On this episode, I'll be talking to the lead singer and frontman of two-time Grammy-nominated
multi-platinum selling band Papa Roach.
Let's go.
That's my kind.
I don't want no bad times.
I don't want to have bad.
One of my favorite things that you do, you probably don't even know, like, how many people
you probably help with this thing that you do.
Oh, what is it?
But on Instagram, you make these lists of things you're grateful for.
Yeah.
And I don't know if anyone's told you that.
I'm sure some people have.
You probably get DMs and stuff like that.
But I read those all the time.
And I've found it, I've found, like, this simple thing that you.
you may be doing for yourself is like actually become this like I've probably read however many
times you've done it I've probably read I don't know if it's 50 times or 30 times that's sick right on
I've probably read 80% of them you know um I like to think I probably read every single one of them
but I might have I think gratitude is like one of the key ingredients for happiness oh yeah it's a
like that's factual I know I've been doing a gratitude list for some years now
Some sober friends of mine back in the day had suggested that I become part of this gratitude list.
And so I did that.
And it was an email chain going on, going around for some years.
And it's just been part of that habit for me, you know, part of that recovery life.
And it is, like you said, man, it's, it is medicine straight up.
And, you know, social media can be like, it can be like doom and gloom sometimes, you know.
And I just, at one point I was, I saw my friend Clint, a guitar player for Seven Dust.
He was doing a gratitude list.
And he was posting it in his stories.
And I was like, you know what, man, I'm just going to take my gratitude public.
I'm just going to do it because I've been doing it for years.
You know, I was kind of struggling with social media and how I would engage with social media.
Yeah, like, what's your version?
Yeah, who am I on this platform?
Yeah, totally.
And, you know, one thing that I've found is like gratitude is it's the medicine.
And I see a lot of people out there struggling.
And I was like, you know, I'm just going to share this stuff.
And maybe inspire somebody else to jump on some gratitude.
and maybe maybe that's what it is.
And so just bringing something positive to the feed, right?
And I have gotten a lot of really positive feedback from it, you know, from people and stuff like.
And I know it's not like clickbait worthy, you know, it's like.
And sometimes I'm in my head.
I'm like, oh, man, like, I'm not going to go back and see how many people like this.
Like just be disciplined about this thing and not let it be ego based.
Let it be selfless and honest and authentic.
And that feels that way, dude.
Yeah.
It is. And I just get real with it, man. I just, I throw the reel out there.
When I started reading that, it was the first time I felt like I really like, I mean,
we've known each other over the years for sure. Like, no doubt we've spent time together.
But I actually felt like I knew you.
Oh, yeah. It's a deeper look inside. Yeah.
You know, I really am like, and especially too, I share a lot about my family on there.
Yeah. You know, it's like high on gratitude, right? It's like, of course, I'm grateful for my family,
my wife, my kids, this lovely family we got.
And there's lots to be celebrated within that life, you know, and just the successes of my
children, the failures of my children, the failures of myself, the successes of myself, you know,
really just kind of like digging in and refocusing my mindset because I have a tendency to
wake up with what I call fear of impending doom.
Yeah.
It's such a great way of putting it.
Yeah, man.
It's like sometimes I'm like, and I had to force myself because I was for a while just like,
first thing I would wake up and I would pick up my phone, right? And I would just start scrolling and just
be in that world. And I'm like, no, this is, this is not working out for me. And so it's part of my,
you know, get up, get real routine in my life. And, you know, I don't always hit the mark on this
thing. But it's like, I'm willing to give it a go. I got to throw down. I haven't done a gratitude
list and probably about a week and a half, man. It's time to do another one, dude. I'm like,
sometimes I'll do them like every day. Yeah. And then sometimes I'll go a week.
without it and then I'm like all right now my attitude is starting to get a little stanky you
forget you know oh yeah you forget where the medicine is how how soon we forget yeah that's
it crazy how quick we can forget to do something that makes us feel so good when it comes to
fear-based anything like I think that like we all probably suffer from especially artists we
we all probably suffer from very similar like afflictions oh yeah we're not that different like our
stories if you line them all up are probably similar stories right so it's that's interesting to me because
it's like when you think about especially bands and rock bands and the era of music that we all come
from tended to be emotional there's a lot of anger there was we were working a lot of shit out yep
that we didn't even know absolutely so we all tend to be like afflicted with the same thing even though
we feel a lot of times like we're alone in it and we're not because if we walk in the room
with all these people if we all actually just shared.
Everyone would be like,
I wake up with that same feeling every day.
Impending doom.
You know it.
You know it.
And then our anxiety will attach it to any given thing in a given week.
So this week, I'm anxious and I'm stressed about this.
I won't even remember what I was anxious or stressed about in a year today.
Right?
Like whatever I'm stressed about today, a year from now,
I'm not even going to remember.
I couldn't even try to remember.
Yep.
that's what I always try to remind myself,
but that wake, the waking up in the morning,
I don't know why the mornings,
and maybe it's like,
maybe it was when I was a kid,
the mornings weren't great,
but like the morning is the time
to do the things that make you feel good.
Oh yeah.
Because it tends to be,
kicks off the day, man.
Yeah.
It's off the day, good.
Have a good.
You want a good day, dude.
Yeah.
That's what I'm going for, you know.
I feel you on that though, man.
When you're talking about the,
the similar affliction or whatnot
and the struggle that people,
deal with and what they walk through. It's real, man. And everybody has their own version of
of their baggage and what they're dealing with. Um, but it's important for me to use the tools
that I've been given as an adult, right, to like do this adulting thing and really like change
my perspective. And since I've been able to do that, man, it's like I've really had a,
there's been an upswing just in my existence, my connection with people, my ability to,
look at my you know to look at myself in the mirror and be cool with the person looking back at me
you know because there's there's been some years where that wasn't the case you know and so it's good
to be good sometimes you know what i mean it's not always a wreck and that's like i'm just so grateful
for that you know and it's actually i think it makes a lot of sense to me to hear it from you
because if you look at your success in the world you could almost track is there a point at what point
do you feel like you've figured that out because I could see Papa Roach's success.
You guys are having the last few years and this year, last year, the last few years you guys have
had. I wouldn't even say it's like this wave of the bands and the thing that everyone says,
all these bands have come back. You guys have never stopped working your asses off.
Yeah, we've been working hard, man.
But you could argue that Papa Roach is bigger today than you've ever been.
and that it's this culture you've built touring and all the things you do.
But can you see alignment with that success with your personal growth and your personal success?
Oh, yeah.
Absolutely, man.
I think, you know, when we first came in, it was like nothing could stop us.
You know, we were just getting after it.
And it's like, young guys.
You remember that era, dude?
It was just like, let's go, man.
The era of the big record deal.
Life is great.
You know, put out the record, go do it.
We sold millions.
It's funny.
I was cleaning out stuff from the closet the other day.
And I found I have the, this might be the world's,
smallest triple platinum plaque. It's literally like this big. Yeah. It's three CDs. It's all
pink, pink, it's all best. Three million. You know, but then in the process of going and becoming
successful, I just got, I got loose and reckless, man. I got really into drinking and party in. And
that was just, it ruled my life. And, you know, I think my career and my life reflected that,
obviously, you know, it's like the success of the second album wasn't so big. And the genres were
changing and, you know, the stripes and the vines were coming in. It's kind of that era. Yeah, well, you could
say it wasn't as big as that first shot out of the cannon. Oh, yeah. But that's actually if we stopped
and we said all things being like nature. Yeah. That's actually a natural. Yeah. Like we don't know it at
the time. We're like, why did the second album? Yeah. The first album. I know. And it's almost like we
didn't have like a sound mind sometimes sitting with us going, no, this is actually a process. Yeah.
Like it's going to do this and then this and then this if we stay on track.
Yeah.
But you work hard.
Yep.
You play hard.
Yep.
And then you live harder in those moments of like, how do I make sense of this and how do I
deal with this, all this?
First of all, I'm just trying to wrap my head around being someone in the world when I
wasn't a year ago.
Yeah.
And then I'm also trying to wrap my head around what it means to like be able to like live
a life that feels like I'm at Disneyland.
So I feel like I hit the lottery.
We know now we didn't hit the lottery.
We worked our asses off.
Absolutely.
Yeah, true, true, true.
But it wasn't like some luck.
We can say, oh, I feel lucky.
Yeah.
And we can feel lucky to our fans and all that.
But like, we worked really hard.
And we got to give some credit to that and own it a little bit so that we can feel
respectable and not like we're just some lottery winner.
Yeah, absolutely.
Because your music's good.
I mean, okay, here's a question.
Yeah.
So before you drop your first.
record right yeah how many how long were you guys a band before you drop your first record first
major label record yeah so the first the first thing we did was like a um was like an indie ep yep
like two years after we started we started in 96 okay our first record came out in 2000 yeah so you guys
put the work it's sweat equity yeah you guys put those years of work in and then it you got that shot but i
remember and that and if i had like being a grown up and if i had like a kid my age doing the same thing
I would give some information to them because I remember feeling like from 96 to 2000 and it all felt like a lottery.
Yeah.
Like, oh, when are we going to get our break?
Yeah.
Our big break.
Yeah.
And big breaks happen if we're describing opportunity that comes to us by going forward and meeting it on the road.
That could be described as a big break.
Yeah.
But we had to go down the road and do the work to get to that opportunity.
So we have to like, we have to find the middle ground of saying I feel lucky, but I also.
I'm going to own that I work hard and then I'm valuable.
My ideas are valuable.
So that's the thing I had to learn how to do was go.
I'm not just a dumb kid.
That's how I felt.
Yep.
And that was the work I had to do after, making sense of the success of it, where I did
for a long time just think, I felt like, oh, I just hit the lottery.
Now, I better not let this go.
Right.
So I better hold on to this thing.
And that's not a good way to live.
You got to kind of like design the house you want to live in.
Yep.
So you have to stop sometimes and go.
So is this the right move?
How do we feel about this?
But if you're just afraid of losing something,
you'll say yes to everything.
Yeah.
And you'll just run, run, run, run.
You won't enjoy anything because it's fleeting.
Yep.
I think there's like a middle ground where we have to,
where reality and imagination and the surreal world
we live in as artists meet.
Yeah.
And we kind of get rooted in like some reality.
So in 2000, when the record came out,
it did feel like magic.
It did feel like, because we were broke,
too for so long and then you suddenly have some money and you're like I can literally go to the ATM
and get money and I can go out to eat and I can do things that I never could do so and I was working
two jobs at all times and just trying to like make it all work and then through my 20s it was the
same thing I feel like you probably had the same experience I worked hard I played hard was always
in fear of losing it and then I started and I did have my moments where I was living harder
and medicating all this confusion.
It's like you got shot out of a cannon with no parachute
and you're just going through the air trying to like grab.
Yeah, you're looking at your friends flying next to you.
Yeah.
What are we doing?
This is kind of fun, but what do we do?
Yeah.
I feel you, dude.
It's a terrifying ride, man.
It really was in the beginning fun, right?
Of course.
I totally get what you're saying where it's like,
we have this wild dreamer in us,
this like unrealistic like,
outside the box dreamer, but then there's this realist that worked the day job and that balance
between the two and then having this opportunity to become successful and then became successful.
And then where's your toolkit after that? It's like, all right, I'm going to build my wings on
the way down, I guess. Here we go. Let's build it. Yeah, man. We didn't have anybody around us,
man. We were, you know, we watched some of our friends, you know, come up and then become even more
successful in their you know their trajectory was this and I'm like oh well why did our second record
have to flop you know and I'm like dude we sold almost a million records and it was considered a flop
you know it's kind of like and it was a cool record yeah thank you thank you man which maybe
appreciate it and which like you never know the value of things until later yeah so like would you
go back and change that second record I don't know if I would hmm that's an interesting question like
Would you go back and change that second record?
Because to me, it's part of the Papa Roach legacy.
And where you are today, I think is like,
how many bands can say that they're standing where you guys are today?
Was there something in that record that caused you to be who you are today?
And if you could, would you go back and change it?
Would you make, if you could wave a wand and say,
I'm going to make my second record bigger than my first,
like, is there a chance if you did that that you wouldn't have the life you have today?
Yeah, right. Yeah, you can't go back and change those things, man. I hear you on that. I like,
I don't know, man, it's like, I look back at that period in time and it's just really when, like,
my alcoholism took fully a hold of me. Right. And it was just like I was just lost and didn't even know it.
And so it wasn't like I was phoning shit in. You know what I mean? I was never doing that.
It was like, I would always get on stage, throw down and do the deal. But it was just like, it just kind of felt like I was floundering a little bit like that.
And honestly, can't go back and change the record.
Nah, wouldn't do it.
No.
But maybe some of the lifestyle choices I was choosing at the time.
Sure.
But, you know, I had to take the lumps that I had to take to figure it out.
You know what I'm saying?
Like I had to fall down the stairs, bang my head, break my arm, bust my head, you know,
to go, all right, maybe this ain't right.
You know, next thing you know, I'm like, let's get sober.
Let's try that out.
I remember I called my producer.
That works.
Howard Benson.
I'm coming down.
We're about to make our third record.
And I call him up on the phone.
I'm all,
what's up, man?
Just getting ready to get in the car, dude, coming down, you know.
I'm going to start this record with you.
I'm letting you know, man.
Like, I'm getting sober.
Today is my first day of sobriety.
And he's like, you're fucking doing what?
He's all that's what's wrong with all you fucking rock bands now.
Getting sober.
You want to live longer.
And I just was like,
I'm fixing to come fucking beat your face.
I'm getting on I five now. I'll be there in a few hours like fuck you you you know he p hit my
buttons you know but then I think that that process with him and I was just like a raw nerve
honestly like of years of just getting after it to just going all right I'm going to try to get my
life together and making that record it was a it was a battle and he really drew some I believe
some great performances out of me and the band and it was a very inspired
time and you know that was like all right coming off this maybe failed record and then we're about
to release this next one we got dropped by dream works at that time uh we got shuffled over to uh what was
it geffen i think at geffen interscope and uh it was an uphill battle over there it was like
because we were watching like nine inch nails get dropped marilyn manson get dropped it was
Weasers get dropped.
Jimmy, like all these bands, and we're like, okay, I guess maybe we're next.
And then we sold like a million and a half records.
And they're like, no, we're going to keep our hands on you for a little while, guys.
Yeah.
You know, so it doesn't always work out the way that I plan.
But, you know, when I make plans, God laughs.
So, you know what I mean?
Is there a song on the third record that you feel like captures that, that time in your life
that you still, like, feel connected to in a way that it feels like special?
Absolutely.
the song scars oh dude one of the one of the great yeah what a song thank you uh that song was
it just was so different and that's the path that i was on in my life i was like i am reinventing my life
period and i remember jerry jerry and tobin sent me the demo for it and it was it was a
the chorus was in a major key and i never really sang on major key stuff it was always minor and heavy
and dark and you know that wasn't my
cup of tea and then i was like i'm gonna give it a shot you know and i was feeling inspired at the time i
think at this time the used was out they just came out and they were fucking killing it i was a huge
fan of those guys yeah and a lot of their stuff is major key yeah and i was inspired by that and i'm like
all right well cool like let's just see like give it a go you know and it was like just skyscrapers
shot out of the speakers you know what i mean like after we cut the vocal did the song we were all
like this is so different i don't know if our fans
are going to love it or hate it, but I, this, I love this. This is, we're on to something here.
And I remember when we turned it into the label, Jimmy Iovine at the time, he was, he was, he was,
is he still in Interscope, at Interscope? No, not anymore. He's at, sorry, beats Apple.
Yeah. All right. So he was at Intercope at the time. And, uh, sorry? He's on a boat.
Yeah, yeah, he's on a boat. Yeah, he's out there floating on a boat. So, uh, he heard the track and
heard the song Scars and he was like, I don't know, man.
I feel like you guys need to go back into the studio and recut it and make it,
make it kind of more in the vein of it's been a while by Stained.
And I was like, I mean, that's a great song.
I love that.
That's an awesome song, but it just doesn't feel like it's in the same lane.
It's like, that's totally acoustic.
This has got a beat.
I'm like, this was kind of one of our first forays in the music business where the
record exec was like, no, I don't think you got it right.
I think you need to go back in.
And at this point in time in our career, I'm like, you know, I'm willing to play a ball because usually I'm like, fuck you.
Yeah.
So we go in the studio.
We cut what proceeded to be the single-handedly most lackluster average white guy rock drivel that we've ever recorded in our lives.
It sounded like just bad nickel back, like just dime store nickel back.
It just was bad, you know?
Nickelback, they write hits, they're great, you know what I'm saying?
But they just missed the mark.
I remember carrying this thing into the studio or into the label and turning it in.
And I was just like, in my mind, I'm just going, dude, if you like this, I have no idea.
You just ain't got no fucking taste, man.
And turned it in and he was like, you know, guys, I think you're right.
Like on the first version of the song, I think that was, that's the money right.
Let's go with that.
And we went with it, you know, but it was one of those experiments that we took the suggestion
and it didn't work out right.
So with the OG shit.
It's a legacy song.
Absolutely.
It's so cool to hear that, to hear you say that that song, that you connect to it in that
time of your life because it's such a important pop-a-roach song.
Oh, yeah.
And a lot of times we'll get like resentment towards our big songs.
Right.
Find artists do that sometimes.
It's almost like a rejection of like people's love in a weird way.
but like when I hear that it makes me happy because I love that song oh yeah dude thank you man
that's like it's it's in our set we don't play a show you have to without playing that song
i mean i mean we're like we do some of these festivals in europe it's like metal festivals
yeah and we're like do we want to like pull some of the mellow or stuff out and i'm like guys
no we just go up there and just be who we are like that's yep i'm not i mean yeah we'll
throw a couple other heavier songs in there but it's like we got to play the classics man and that
is definitely one of the classics. Even so, that's a part of the personality of Papa Roach.
And you guys have earned your place on that stage on any heavy festival, rock festival.
You could go play any festival. And you could go tour with any band. You could tour with the heaviest
metal band. And you could tour with Nickelback. And you could tour with Good Charlotte. Like you guys could
tour with anyone, but you had to earn that ability to do that. You never boxed yourselves into like,
this is what we are. It feels honest. And I'm really happy for you guys. Appreciate it, man. It's a good
place to be in honestly right now with the band and what we're doing and what we're up to.
You know, it's like we've had some interesting highs and some interesting lows, right? But it's
like in the industry that's forever changing. And we've watched it these different amalgamations
of the music business, right? When everybody was getting fired, and then they were like,
Oh shit. What's the music industry now? Because everybody's file sharing.
You know, well, now it's like the Wild West. All right. We're going to start our own label.
So we got an imprint on WIA. And we resurrected our imprint, new noise. We signed Alien Ant Farm way back in the day.
I remember that to a deal on Dreamworks. And we just resurrected that name because all the filing and paperwork was all done.
We're like, fucking less hassle, dude. Let's just go new noise. And so we've been running that. And it's been.
through the pandemic, like it was the beginning of that phase for us. And we had been with
better noise for 10 years at that point. We took the temperature in the music industry and we're
like, do we want to go sign like a normal deal? Nope. No. We know too much now. Yep. Exactly.
We're like, you met the wizard too? Yeah. I don't know what? I'm all. I saw it behind the
curtain. Yeah, I realized also. Oh, fuck. I'm a wizard. There's no one there. It was me the
whole time. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? You know what I mean? It's wow. When you meet the wizard
and you realize you were the wizard. Yeah. That's great. I love it. I love that you met the wizard
too. But that's the thing I think you learn with age and experience is it's not that I am against the
institutional side of the music business at all. Good partnerships work great. Absolutely. And good
teams work great. Yep. So I'm not anti any. I'm against the thugs. Yep. You know,
and I'm against the liars.
Yep.
And I'm against the thieves.
So I want the young people that are coming up and making art
to understand the value of them and the power of them.
And then in partnership, in concert with really great people that work hard,
the experience I had was I didn't know if I had a choice.
Yeah.
I just wanted a success.
Yep.
As I got older, I realized like, oh, no, like people design houses they want to live in.
we should design lives we want to live in yep we should design careers we want to live in with as much
care as we design a house we want to live in yes and i didn't know how to live in a nice house it took
me a long time yep to learn how to live in a nice house because i didn't really have nice houses
we were always moving and i'm grateful to my wife because she had a way of going hey slow down
which one do you do you like and i'm like i don't know i like them all yep and she's like i get it
but which one do you like better?
Yes.
Because better is better.
Yep.
And we get used to better fast.
People always get used to better and then they don't want to go back.
And if we can get, if we can make our lives better, our career is better, we won't
want to go back to worse.
Yep.
And better is better for everyone.
Like if I'm thriving, our relationship is going to be better.
Yep.
If you're thriving, my relationship with you and your relationship with the world is going to be better.
And then you're going to have this positive effect, the gratitude list, the music, the wisdom you share when you talk to artists in your day to day.
We've had conversations.
You're out there.
You're meeting the bands that are opening for you guys or you're at festivals with bands that listen to you.
They're coming up.
Yep.
Influenced by you guys.
And you're sharing experience and things that, like, they're going to take.
and use and it's actually gonna make their life better.
We can kind of dismiss it as like,
this is what we do.
Yeah.
But actually like,
it's therapy and not everybody can go to therapy.
Not everybody has the resources or the know-how
or the ability to find someone that they click with
because that's also personal relationship.
But like we can actually give people versus take from people
when we talk to them.
And why waste any conversations?
That's what I always say, like, how this whole show started was like I was having these
conversations all the time in the studio or at shows or on the street.
I wanted people to be able to listen to them because out there right now, there's someone
that's feeling a certain way.
Yep.
They're trying to make it in life in any which way.
And they need to hear that people like them.
Yep.
Made it out of whatever situation.
And so, you know, I, um, I,
you know, drugs and alcohol are something I grew up around my whole life.
So I have a very in-tune understanding, in-depth understanding of the experience.
And I know it all too well.
So the struggle of someone to choose sobriety over addiction and the disease and the affliction
is a really long road sometimes.
We both know people that did not win that fight.
Yeah.
And we've known too many.
And whether it was death or jail or just insanity.
And when you watch that happen,
you can become desensitized to it sometimes.
But if we can help someone on their path towards a surrevellinger,
a sober life.
And that could be sobriety in lots of forms.
Yep.
It's not just alcohol or drugs.
It's like a life of sanity and not insanity.
And I have to remind myself that sometimes because every now and then I'll meet a kid
who I know hasn't arrived there yet.
Right.
And I'm like, man, I want to run away because I don't want to live through this again.
Yeah.
But then you kind of like, oh, no, this is, this is, you know, I'm going to be a positive
influence in this person's life and as long as they want to get that yep i'll always be there like in that
way i'm not going to participate in their sickness but you know i love i love that about you man i think
that's dope dude i think that that carrying that spirit out there in this world of going a young grasshopper
let me show you the way like that's what's up man like that is a it's important to to be there for
each other i think that message is it survives the ages you know what i mean it's like looking out for your
people it's important looking out for our neighbor it's important you know and i've experienced that in
my life right where somebody else has been like hey man let me show you the way like this ain't it yep
you know and that's been that's been an interesting experience for me because part of me inside is like
fighting it right i don't i don't like i don't want to change i don't want to grow
comfortable in this like insanity in this crazy place right yeah but it's like you suffer long enough
you realize like all right cool i got to let go and when i did the work and let go with some of that stuff
and allowed um my higher power to work in my life and and flow through me um that there be there was magic
there right when this fellow was walking through this madness with me going yo coby this is we're
going to get you out of this we're going to we're going to walk you're going to become a better
man, a better human, a better friend, a better husband, a better musician, you know, and that's like,
I've had a few men in my life assume that role. And I am just forever grateful to those people,
you know, and I have a tendency to sometimes shut down and isolate after tours. You know, I just
got done with a long tour, came home, and I'm just like, man, I just don't know if I have it. I'm just
kind of I'm done, you know. And, and sometimes just knowing that when to go, all right, I just
kind of got to go dark for a little while. You got to the gas thing's empty. Yeah. You know what I mean?
And so I think that that wisdom, as you're speaking of, it's like slowly I'm starting to grasp
pieces of those over the last like 10 years. And it's put me in a place where I'm like, okay,
cool. I feel all right. Yeah. It is kind of experience, though, that teaches you like, this moment doesn't
define the whole.
Once I learned myself and I and I and I actually allowed myself to be like the idiosyncratic
person that I am and I didn't fight it and I didn't go oh you're just a piece of shit because
you feel that way or I was going no this is just a moment I got to just be in this moment and like
and see what's up. Yeah. And and then also that this moment doesn't define the whole of the time.
Thank God, right? Yeah. And and my and this mistake doesn't define me as
a hole or this or and this win right so on both sides of the picture yeah right right because if if
the wind defines me unsustainable to think that I'm going to replicate whichever win it is at that
moment again and again and again so that's an unsustainable version of me dude I've seen people do that
man and it's like how you you know guys like Floyd mayweather right where they're just on this run
and they're on this run and it's like eventually you're going to see them fall I want to know
That's why I like talking to people.
Yeah.
Because there's guys who can just hit the baseball.
Yep.
And they just hit it really well.
Yeah, right.
And then I wonder like, do you do everything in your life that well?
Because if they do, that's great.
But I always wonder like, and then I also have to go back to me and go like, well, that's just, I am just what I am.
Yep.
And like, what if I'm, what if I learned to just kind of feel that I'm good enough right here as I sit?
And then I'll have my wins and we can celebrate them.
Yeah.
But then I also have to like go home and wash the dishes and participate in.
You wash dishes?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Take the trash out.
That's right.
Drive the kids to the thing and like participate on both sides of that and like find
the balance of like I want to win just like everyone else.
I want to win as much as possible.
Yes.
I want to win like Nacho Libre.
It wants to.
I want to win.
Yes.
I want to win all the time.
Yeah.
I wake up every day excited to work on the things I'm working on.
And then I got to find that balance of like, but I also have to do real life as well.
And then I don't, and if I come to terms with like actually what makes me valuable and special is who I am really in the world, not who I am over here when I went in the world perceives me to be something.
Yeah.
Right.
And it's great to stand on a, you know, hold a trophy up, right?
That's a great feeling.
No doubt we should celebrate that.
but then we should also
I think the gratitude list
find the gratitude
that we get to like
participate in real life as well
yep and I think that was the journey for me
was figuring out how to like
be at peace with the wins and the losses
and as I perceive them
in the music
because it I think we're competitive guys
oh fuck yeah I'm gonna play football
wanted to play baseball
ended up in music
and treat it sometimes like it's a sport like I just go for it.
I got an idea I'm going to go for it.
Learning how to embrace the competitiveness and enjoy it versus feel tortured that like.
Yeah.
And then also like be in my real life every day and actually be able to feel it and live it
and learn how to live a real life.
Because also when you tour, you get into this like bubble of like it's like Peter Pan.
There's no real life.
You're not really accountable or anything.
Yeah.
There's people that do stuff because you have like tour managers and you're back stage.
Here's your laundry.
What do you want to have for dinner tonight?
All right, we'll get that.
Okay.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You're out there and you're working a schedule.
And so everything is laid out in a timeline and you don't have to think about where you're
going or how you're getting there because you're on this groundhogs day every day.
And then you come into real life.
And sometimes you just feel like, what do I do?
Yeah.
I'm in that transition right now again.
And I was, you know, coming off.
Yeah, it does, man.
It's coming off the road.
It's been like a two-year run for us.
And I was trying to mentally prepare before I came off the road.
Yeah, smart.
My friend, Chad Gray, singer from Mudvane, he came out to our show in Vegas.
And I saw him after the show.
And he just kind of was a little choked up, man.
I was like, what up, dude?
You good, man?
And he's like, yeah, dude, I'm just like, I miss it.
And I'm like, what do you mean?
He's like, I just, I miss the stage, dude.
It's like, I just, I'd see, because he had been out there touring and forever.
He had come home for a while and he had been.
And I was like, yeah, man, maybe there's like a hobby or something you can.
And as I'm having this conversation, all that's happening as I'm going, oh, fuck, I'm about
to be off tour.
What the hell is my hobby?
I'm giving this dude advice.
What the fuck are you going to do?
You know what I mean?
Do you have a hobby?
No, I'm trying to figure it out, dude.
My kids, being dad, you know, hobby.
It's just my lifestyle.
As far as hobbies go, I mean, I don't have one.
I mean, skiing, I like to go ski.
That's cool.
Maybe some art.
Yeah, I can't ski all the time.
And plus it's like dangerous.
I got to like, my body is my instrument, you know, and I don't want to break myself,
but I got to be able to enjoy myself too, you know, but I'm just in that like transitional.
I'm about to be off the road for some months, maybe a year.
And I've been touring for fucking ever as long as I can remember, right?
It's how do I maintain this life without driving the people around me
fucking mad when I'm off the road.
Yeah.
Right.
And so, I don't know, we're going to do some writing.
You know, we're going to get creative, you know, over this year.
And I'll find ways to occupy my time.
Maybe I'll become a barista or some shit.
I don't know.
Yeah.
I started.
I'll be out there.
roasting them beans it's not a bad hobby you know again one that you can only really do a couple
times a day though uh and it's short-lived it's yeah five to ten minutes true true true true um
i started playing fortnight with my kid you want that you want that fortnight grind huh oh shit i got to say
it's a good hobby you're like committed i'm not a gamer neither am i but i really enjoy like
play i like playing when he'll play with me sometimes he's really good
How old's your little guy?
He's 14.
Oh, dude, you teenager?
Yeah, he's not a little.
He's not little.
Yeah, I made it too, man.
He plays baseball and that's cool.
I get to go watch him, you know, play baseball.
All right, that's what's up.
You travel ball, doing travel ball and stuff like that?
Yeah, travel ball, all that.
I did all that with my boys.
Not baseball, though.
That's a good, and my daughter dances, which is a good way to spend time.
Yes.
So drive her to dance or watch her competitions.
Hobbies are definitely important, but, like, I do find it's very,
hard for me to find something that captures my attention. Yes. Long enough. Yes. Where I don't turn it into
like some kind of game that I'm playing and then it becomes like an competitive competitive. Yeah. And then it's
like all of a sudden it's the same thing as what you're doing in your career. Yeah. Yeah. I know.
It's that competitive nature in us, man, that just drives us. I want to compete at the highest level. Yep.
That's fucking right. You know what I mean? Yes, sir. I don't want to just, that's like, think about this.
right we started this thing in 93 i started we started pop roach in 93 i've been doing it since i was a little
kid wow i had to have some fucking insane drive man to still be passionate about it right this over 30
years yes by the way you look like you're 25 thank you i'll go with that uh not 25 my back does
not feel 25 feels like 25 25 year olds are standing on it i get it you know what I'm saying yeah
it's all good though but appreciate it
To survive 30 years of this insanity that it is sometimes.
And to be able to go out there and, you know, of course, we all had the experience when we first got into the theme park.
Oh, yeah.
We just ran around and ate everything and rode every ride.
But then you kind of start to go like, oh, no, this is actually where I live.
It's not a theme park.
Yep.
It's where I live.
Yes.
And I'm a part of the theme park.
I'm a part of it.
So everywhere you are, any.
night of tour is someone's big Friday night. Whether it's Tuesday night in Oklahoma or Thursday
night in Jacksonville. It's their Friday night. That's their Friday night. We're going to see
Papa Roach and we're going to. So there's an element of atmosphere you have to create for everyone
there that's there. They're there to forget about things. Oh yeah. To it's a moment where life is better.
Fuck yeah. Right. That's music. We're getting, we're healing. We're getting relief. Yep. We're getting
all these things we need. That's what music provides. And you're the
provider. And so, you're no, so you can't actually be in the theme park riding the ride too.
Yeah. You have to like provide the healing and the, and the joy and all the good things.
To sustain that over a long period of time and keep your sanity and your life is a feat.
Yeah. I've done lost my mind about 15 times over. You know what I'm saying? Through this journey,
it's like, where was it? Where was I? I'm like, okay, reboot. Let's do. Let's do.
It's fucking start again, start fresh, you know.
And I think that allowing myself to fail.
Yeah.
Right.
And like being bold enough to get out there in this business and put out another record
and go, all right, we're going to throw it out the wall.
Let's see if it sticks.
Is this thing over?
Is, oh, no, it's stuck.
Oh, snap.
You know, it's like tomorrow night.
I'm like got invited to a Billboard's number one party.
Why?
Because I had like two number ones last year.
Right.
Or this year.
And I'm like, what?
Like.
But that to me, so my theory.
Huh?
Yeah.
So my.
I'm doing this?
Yeah.
So my theory, though, it's not throwing it against the wall and seeing if it sticks.
It's this thing you've built on top, on top.
You've built layers.
You have so many layers.
Think about this.
To destroy what you've built.
Yeah.
Would take as much effort at least.
Oh, I see motherfuckers destroying their career in a heartbeat.
Yeah.
But what's behind that heartbeat is a few years of really, really like of, of, of, of, of,
time and energy and effort put into that lifestyle. And so from the outside, I watch you as someone who's
known you over the years. And I feel happy because we also know the stories of people who didn't
figure it out. And we, and none of us are happy about that because we all were there. Yep. So when you
see another guy make it, you know what he was up against. Yep. Inside, outside, you know what he was
up against. Swimming against a tidal wave. Yeah. And, and, and, and, you know,
No one understands that except for the guys that were there.
So on the outside, it looks like, oh, that must be the coolest job in the world.
It is.
Oh, yeah.
There's this one hour a night where it's the coolest job in the world.
And then you're alone with your thoughts the rest of the day.
And then you're also like up against the world that's ever changing.
That's cruel.
That could be cynical.
And on the other side of that, it's a world full of people who support you, love you.
that's why we all care about the fans because we know they gave us our livelihood that we know
they give us our opportunity to go out and do that and we respect that that's like sacred ground
yep but then there's the rest of the world yep right the looky lose they want to stop by and
just take a look oh look he's failing i got to i got to tell you something real quick yeah uh
it just brought it to mine uh my friend brent from shine down he's a great front man great
vocalists. I remember we just did this room with them and he said something to the crowd. He's like
something to the effect of like, you know, we're in this band and the only boss of us is you.
Yep. You, the fan. You are our boss. And I was like, damn, dude, you kind of like nailed it.
Break it down, fool. Like right there. I like that. I feel that. You know, it's like serve the people,
man. Give the people what they want, you know. You see why Shinedown has the career they have. Yeah, those
dudes are crushing it, man. We just did shoot like seven.
weeks with them such an amazing tour packing out arenas selling out arenas last show denver uh we played a what was
it ball arena where i think the hockey team there plays the avalanche and uh i just had such a great tour
a great time on that tour and i remember this was the last show and i played and got off stage and i
just ugly cried like i'm like can't hold it in my wife's like are you okay i'm like
oh man i'm just i'm gonna miss this like it just all kind of set up set in real you know in that
moment out there on the road and you know to circle back to that statement i was saying about chad you
know it's like i just kind of was like oh shit here comes life like it's the all of a sudden it's
morning i'm waking up again it's morning fear of impending doom how am i going to do this the dream is
over now yeah got to figure it out dude pull up your big boy pants dude the honey do list is long get to
work you're doing it oh man
I'm telling you, I got, yeah, I had blisters.
They finally healed, you know what I'm saying?
Because, you know, I like to work with a shovel out in the yard, you know.
Yeah.
I feel that about you.
Yeah.
Like, he probably does yard work.
I do, dude.
I got the, I got the special overalls for it.
I got my yard work outfit.
I got my thorough goods, dude.
I got my shovel.
I got some new gloves.
Yeah.
So I don't get the blister anymore.
Yeah, man.
I like to do some yard work.
Do you live in Sacramento still?
Cool.
Yeah.
Stayed NorCal, man.
Just, it's home.
I've considered moving a million times over.
And, uh,
our village is tight man my folks are dope my brother he's got three kids my wife her family lives
there it's like everybody's there so like when we roll out to like one of the kids games right like
my older son jagger when he was playing varsity football there'd be 30 of us just rolling deep we're
bringing the cowbells screaming hooting and hollering for our boy on the football field like so it's tough
to trade that in yeah you know that's that's the stuff that I'm just like that's the real shit yep
So stayed.
Yeah, NorCal, man.
That's great.
This is your neighbor up there, dude.
It was six hours up there.
Yeah.
A little quick flight, dude.
A little hour banger.
I'm good.
Puddle jump.
That's great.
Yeah.
Is Jagger still playing?
So I actually just visited him.
Jagger, he's on his freshman year at a college in Nebraska called Hastings College.
You got accruited.
He's playing running back.
Amazing.
Yeah, dude, that's awesome, man.
And he had some playing time this year, which was great, you know, for a freshman, you know,
usually their red shirt.
So he got on the field and got some touch.
And this last game, dude, it was like the last game of the season.
Got in, he had this run.
It was a 60-yard run.
And he's running and he checks his rear views.
He's called Check My Reviews.
So he looks to the left and right when he looks to the left and he keeps running and
right when he's going to look to check his right rearview mirror, this dude just
hawked him, dude.
Punch the ball out, dude.
Bumble.
He comes off the field.
He's like, fuck.
and I'm like,
duh!
It was so sick.
But, you know,
sometimes, like I say,
you got to take them lumps, right?
Like, that was one of those lumps that he had to take
where he's like,
all right, cool, check both reviews,
make sure you're on it, you know?
And that kid's thriving, though.
I'm really proud of him, man,
because he was, uh,
during COVID wasn't doing well.
It was tough during COVID.
Yeah.
It was,
it was a real hard time on,
on him in particular just because he just is such a,
he's so outgoing and social.
he has a lot of we have very similar personalities and uh i think just isolating him was rough so to see him
play sport and get back to who he is yeah i mean i will say this one thing though is as as the
pandemic had us locked up that kid wrote so much music oh that's cool yeah he's he's found
music man that's been something for him that's been really therapeutic he's a he's a lyricist
he's a mc writes raps and he's fucking good like the
The kid's dope.
He's like, what am I going to like have my shot?
And I'm like, just keep being, keep living your dream.
Yeah.
And keep sharpening your craft, dude.
Like, he's in the right.
Find it.
Yeah, he's in the right family.
Yeah, he is.
He's got the opportunity when it's time.
Yeah.
But you know that like what you probably learned and the wisdom that you have from your
career is you know when it's time.
Yep.
Because when you're, once you step out into this, you can't go back.
Exactly.
You can't turn it off.
Yep.
And who are you when you first come into the business, right?
That's what people grab, they grab onto that.
And it's like, what's the first version of, I thought I was ready for a record deal
way before I had a record deal.
You know what I mean?
I was like, what do you mean?
Fucking, I'm at the school talent show, dude.
Like, I don't have the record deal yet.
Yeah.
Unrealistic.
That's fine.
But it's, uh, it's interesting to be a father of a son that wants to be a musician because
part of me just wants to, fuck it just be like, no.
Yeah.
Fuck this.
There's more landmines than there are Potsu Gold.
It is.
It's a rugged one.
And we'll see how that plays out in his life.
You know what I mean?
Whether it is his path or whether it isn't, I don't know.
But I do know that the kids talented and is passionate about it.
Do your kids have any interest towards music at all?
Yeah.
My son, also, it's funny, COVID, I think, was a part of this.
Right.
But so he's like your son, he likes to get physical, play sports.
He plays baseball.
He boxes.
He does things that are, it's cool.
And if he's, if he doesn't get to do that for a long enough period, he'll get, he'll get
down.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
You know, and, and then, but he got into making music and producing, uh, making beats and
stuff.
It's very good.
Um, same mentality though.
I tell, and my daughter is a dancer and she performs and, and both of them are, whenever I say,
like, uh, when, you know, when it's time to go pro,
will know.
Yep.
And right now, just have fun.
Yeah.
And hone your craft.
Yeah.
Keep doing shit you like.
Yep.
And keep getting good at it in ways that make you feel good about yourself and keep
trying to be better, beat your own score, right?
Because I've said to both of them, once you step out there and you go public, you can't go back.
Mm-hmm.
And when a company goes public, they're owned by bunch of them.
of shareholders.
Yep.
And once that happens, you're beholding to those shareholders.
Yep.
And so you have to be, you have to acknowledge that.
And so it's better to stay private until you're really ready.
And so they hear me.
And they also go like, you know, they also like don't necessarily want to hear that.
They're like, it's, it.
No, you're the man.
Yeah.
Why are you getting all serious?
Yeah.
Don't we'll be serious about this.
Yeah.
Like, why are you being so like, you always turn everything into a job?
And I'm like, well, I'm super analytical about things.
And Sunday, you're going to have a job.
Yeah.
And when I was your age, I had two jobs.
So I always say that.
That's right.
But I think they both have talent.
And if they wanted to, they could.
So it's going to be a matter of like, is that the life you want to live?
Yeah.
And there's some really great parts of that life.
Because when you make stuff and people acknowledge it, it feels great.
Oh, yeah, dude.
You know?
I'm telling you men, that feeling right.
Like when you're playing a homie, like one of the new tracks.
Yeah. And it's like you just, it's like, you're just trembling, you know, and excited and nervous and
anxious and like, what do you think? Yeah, it's like. And like when you play a show and people are
singing your song, there's no feeling like it in the world, you know, on the flip of that is when
you put something out you care about and people dismiss it or they don't, they don't care about it
or they, or worse, they talk shit about it. It can be heartbreaking. So the rejection you feel is
oftentimes more rejection than acceptance. Yeah. As an artist. That's the life of an artist. And I would say
that's the life of anyone that is blazing their own path, like an entrepreneur or a painter, like rejection is just
part of the experience. We got to be good at failing. You know what I'm saying? Like I have just,
I am Sarah failing, bro, all day, dude. Just wabam, well bam, well bam. I'm like, I got that really good
get back upper. That's it. And I think that's the math is,
The guys who can get up again and again and again and again are the guys that stick around.
And you're a good testament to that.
You could go back.
And if you did the math and you were like, how many bands and how many people didn't get back up?
I know.
And so at some point, like that's why I think it's interesting because as old as you guys may feel an experience, you're still a young band.
Oh, dude, I'm telling you this.
when we see the young cats coming on to the scene and taking the stage and releasing videos,
releasing music, I'm like, I like that.
It gets me inspired.
I see the dudes, you know, Caleb from Bear Tooth, that the dudes and bring me bringing it.
And it's like, all right, what you got, kid?
Like, are you the real deal?
You know, falling in reverse, Ronnie Rack, he took them on tour.
It's like, all right, it's a motherfucker the real deal.
And then they back it up.
And I'm like, all right, well, let Papa show you how it's done now, son.
Let's go.
Like it feels good to be around that energy and then before you know it you know fall in reverse
playing arenas bring me's playing arenas bear too it's dope man you see the the growth and I feel happy
because when I see another success story and you know what those guys are up against you know the
personal demons we all have to fight against because most of us come up with a big bag of issues
that we have to work through.
Oh, yeah.
And that's also why I like having these conversations
because we don't, back in the day,
it wasn't really like you could talk about how you feel.
Yeah, it wasn't this.
She was a normal woman younger.
I was even like, fuck that, stop complaining.
Yeah, totally.
And then I started to realize it's not actually complaining.
You're actually just making sense of it.
Yeah.
So that you can be a healthier person.
Yeah.
And isn't it a good thing to put good things into the world?
Oh, yeah.
And especially, I think we live in a world where we think there's more bad than good because of what we see on social media and the news.
But that's just programming.
Yes.
We're programming things that get people to click and watch.
I think there's more good.
Absolutely.
There's so much great in this world, man.
It's like you just got to get out there and go see it.
Go get it.
Get outside your door.
Walk outside your front door and go see it.
Insert yourself into environments that you're not necessarily comfortable with all the time.
but it's like, all right, let me go see what the world is outside of my thought bubble.
Or not even your thought bubble like the program, right?
Oh, wow, you just nailed it with that.
I mean, that's some real shit.
It's just programming.
I've spent a lot of my time over the last few years deprogramming, honestly.
Yeah.
Like it feels like I'm, that's my process essentially is, there's a snapcase record called
Progressions Through Unlearning.
Yeah.
And that title in itself is so true in my life.
It's like these things, these habits that I gained.
and some of them good, a lot of them bad.
It's like, how do I progress?
Well, I got to carve that out.
I got to etch that out.
I got to ditch that out.
I got to dice that up.
I got to keep this part cool.
You know what I mean?
And I think that that process is, it's something that that's, that's the reason why I'm still here doing this is because I got, I have the desire to do, to evolve, to change, to thrive, to inspire, to be inspired.
all those things, you know, and I'm not done living, you know.
I think for a while I kind of got a little complacent for a minute, I felt creatively.
And I had to shake things up with the band and I'm grateful we did.
Burnout is a real thing too.
Oh, absolutely.
You know what's trippy though, man?
It's because it's like I physically have been burnout from tour.
But creatively, it's like there's this thing in me that I know when I get into the studio
with my boys it's about to fucking go off yeah i'm excited about that experience um where i stand right now
yeah because i know creative burnout i know physical burnout i know emotional burnout i know emotional burnout i know
spiritual bottom dude i know all that right and it's like to be in a space where it's like
all right i'm shutting the door on that but i'm inspired to move on that's that's a that's a cool place to
be you know we're about to uh beginning and next month we're going to come down we're going to do like a
a week's worth of writing with the band.
And so we're going to start doing like little time capsules.
All right, we should get together for a week, right, see what happens.
Get together for a week, right, see what happens.
And I don't know, man.
I just got a lot of things still to say, I think, as an artist.
And especially right now, we have a current single that we're working right now.
We just drop this track, leave a light on.
Yep.
And I was so passionate about this track.
It almost got overlooked on the record as far as being released as a single.
And we went on the Shindown tour and we started playing it and people were just feeling it.
And I'm like, all right.
Is that connected to suicide prevention?
Yes.
Yeah.
I was going to ask you about that.
Yeah, man.
So we started working with the AFSP.
Yep.
And right now, suicide attempts are at an all time high.
Crazy.
It's horrific.
As we speak about all these great things happening and there are so many great things, right?
but there's so many people struggling too.
And it feels like a dark time.
And so when I say even the programming of it all is it can get us all down.
So when you say that to me, as sad as it is, I'm not surprised because there's so much darkness being shown across all mediums, just like how bad the world is.
It's crazy to hear that.
but then when I think about it, I'm like, it actually, it makes sense.
I mean, really what it is, though, man, is it's like, it's, it's a hand reaching into the dark
and grabbing onto somebody that's willing to fight for themselves, you know, and that's,
I was just telling the crowds every night, I said, hey, we all stand here as a testament of people
willing to get up and fight the good fight.
Fight for ourselves.
Fight for the people around us that we love, you know, and, and that's what this is about.
And that's what the AFSP does.
Yep.
They're just like picking up that phone going, hey, let's, let's, let's, let's, let's,
talk through this let's let's work this out and a lot of people don't necessarily know that there's
help out there you know and it's like sometimes we just got to get our bell rung and go hey yo there's
some help we've gotten some some dms from people where it's like i mean there was one dm where you
this dude was like i was going to take my life tonight like i was coming to the see this show this is
my last concert and i was going to go home and take my life and i did i i did not and i will not and i'm
going to get help. Thank you. And it's like just that one DM, right?
It's the whole thing. I look at that and go, I never really realized that, I guess the real
true power of music until you hear stories like that where people are like, yo, this is,
this music saved me. And I don't know if you had this experience. Not that I would slough it off as
Pass A like oh thanks not oh thanks but like right on man that's cool but then when I really get down
to it and think about it I'm like holy fuck like are they really meant they really meant save my life
yeah what don't take that lightly cobe you know what I mean and like well I don't think it's
taking I don't think you were taking it lightly I think that there's a humility you have right
that you take a compliment in stride yeah I do that where you where you go
oh thanks you know but you're not actually feeling or owning like the the depth of or the gravity
of of what your song meant to someone because you guys have a bunch of songs yeah that um
i need help yeah yeah help me help me and you're just sharing your own experience but this is
the power of it right yeah is you're a success story so if i'm if i'm if i'm someone in some place
this moment in my life, if I'm someone in a place where I have no one, no one in the world is making
me feel valuable. I don't have any companionship. And I haven't discovered my talent yet.
And I don't know, and I don't feel like I have any potential, right? And maybe I've even
started to make choices in line with that. So I've made the whole bigger for myself.
And there's no grace around me, right? And then I see someone that said,
man, I wrote the song because I felt like a worthless piece of shit and I felt like I didn't know
what to do and I wanted life to be over. And this was, I kind of just fought for it in this song.
I wrote these lyrics or I felt this way. And you share like an honesty about, because it's also
hard when we get into interviews and it feels like the person interviewing us has a knife behind
their back. They're holding a knife. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just waiting for us to say something
embarrassing. So then that will be the headline. And then it'll follow us around the rest of our
career. So it can be hard to share and be vulnerable. But when we buck against that and we do
get to share. And then there's someone out there that we don't even know. We've never met them.
We don't even know they're listening. And they hold on to that and they listen to the song. And then
they come to the show. And then they leave the show feeling better. And the next day they get up and
there for that one day they're looking for the positive in life.
So we do get what we look for in life.
Yes, absolutely.
Right?
We get, if we go through the forest looking for bears, we'll find them.
Yep.
We go looking for berries, we'll find them.
Isn't that trippy?
Yeah.
Like, it's like, look for red cars, we'll see red cars.
Yep.
Right?
So the symbol of your band becomes a positive thing.
And then every time they put that record on, it's a vibration they get on.
Yeah, they're strengthening.
And they start to head in a positive direction.
You don't think about that when they say, hey, your band saved me.
You're just like, oh, thanks.
I appreciate that.
Because I'm still working on my own self-esteem.
So I can't even take that in.
I can't even take it in when someone says like, oh, that, you know, good Charlotte,
it saved my life.
And I'm like, oh, thanks.
And I go, we didn't save their life.
They saved their own life.
Now, that's true.
They did have to make the decision to get up.
But the music was the symbol to them.
It's the bat symbol.
right it stands for something it stands for something bigger and aspirational like you like i was just like you
and i and i fought and i worked and i kept showing up and i kept getting back up and i figured it out enough
and then now at this age i can kind of articulate it a little better and i can say like oh no i was
someone you would have bet against when i was 16 and i started a good charlotte you would have said
no chance in hell, look at where they're from, look at, look at, those poor kids.
They have no shot in this world.
And then when we made it, you would have still bet against us.
You said, this industry is going to eat them alive.
Yeah, right?
Or they don't have the talent.
And it might have all been true.
But we kept fighting, fighting.
And now here we are as fathers.
And we don't have it all figured out.
But like we can get up every day and at least show up.
Absolutely.
and keep trying.
That's where I said.
And then you have these people that love you back and they get older and they get older.
Like the kids is so funny because they're little and they just love you.
They don't ask you to change.
No.
They don't ask you to be so indifferent.
They literally just love you.
Yep.
And then.
Pretty awesome.
It's pretty sick.
That's the best shit ever.
I always say that like the biggest lesson, one of the biggest lessons my kids taught me was they
are the only people that never asked me to change or be someone different.
And we walk around and we want everyone.
to be different.
You don't believe the same thing as me or you don't or you.
Yep.
And like think about the kids.
They never ask us to be different.
Yep.
They just show up and they're like, I love you, dad.
You love you.
You're awesome dad.
And then they get older and they and they still do that.
Yep.
But we've made it far enough to go to these, these kids out here or it's usually young
people that are struggling with like making sense of life to go, no, dude, I know right
now feels like the darkest moment and no one cares but someone does care and we do that's why we
make music um it's not the money i mean it's fun to be on stage but even if you didn't have that
you'd still write these songs because you're you're bleeding it out absolutely man it's it's just
for me it's a way to just make sense of the of the madness yeah you know and i think all of us everybody
out there's trying to find a way to like untangle the fucking ball of yarn that they got yeah
And I'm just, I'm just great.
Stoked I got music to be able to do that with because I think about my life,
like if I didn't have this, how would I, how would I be doing that?
It would be tough.
Maybe sport of some way or, I don't know, slam poetry.
I don't know.
That's still kind of music.
I don't know.
I got a band, dude.
You wouldn't want to see me do slam poetry.
Yeah.
And the people we share it with that need it the most are the, are, what,
what make the music matter the most.
And I feel like I kind of,
I started saying this a while ago
because it like really like clicked in my brain
like 10 or 11 years ago
when someone said that to me,
oh man, your music changed my life.
Right? Something like that.
One of those.
And it clicked one day when I was like,
oh man, thank you for making the music matter.
Yeah.
Didn't matter before you showed up, you know?
Right.
And because of that,
you made me matter because I didn't feel like I mattered.
Now I realized I feel like I matter for a different reason now to my family and to my community
and people I love.
But it was the music that got me here.
Okay, here's a question.
What was that music when you were younger?
What was that band to you?
Rancid.
All right.
There we go.
They made me feel like they were badass.
They're still badass.
And they made me feel like I could do anything the way.
they dressed the way the way they carried themselves i just felt like powerful yeah you know when you're a
kid and you're you know me and benj i remember feeling like always i just felt like in danger i always
felt like i couldn't protect myself right i was little and i right i didn't have a lot of strength
i wasn't like a big guy and um and our dad was gone and it was it was a rough time and i remember
listening to rancid just feeling like like no one can fuck with me and i remember that was the one of the biggest
fears I had was I went out into the world and in any different scenario and I always felt like
anyone could fuck with me. Right. And it was a tough place and it was kind of like people. So
Rancid was one. A lot of rap. I listen to do a lot of rap. Okay. Cool. All right. Loved cash money and
no limit. Okay. And I liked bone thugs in harmony. Oh, I fuck with bone thugs.
You are back in the day, dude. I liked Easy E. Oh, yeah. I loved Tupac. Yeah. Um,
lots of rap and lots of of punk and then a lot of radio like we we started on the radio so like a lot of rock
yep so like I loved Allison chains loved you guys thank you man when when your first single came out
and it was everywhere on rock radio yeah like on alternative radio and it went to the moon but
yeah but for the kids that were listening to the alt rock stations you know it was like Green Day and
all this alternative and and and uh that 90s think about this there'll never be another time like
the 90s when that rock there was it was it was such good rock and roll or rock music yes and you guys
were there for it was a good time man um it was a good time there was a lot of doors you guys opened
bringing that heavier angrier oh yeah um rock to to the masses
that a lot of bands.
We're on TRL.
You're on TRL.
You know what I mean?
I was like, what?
And a lot of bands get to exist in spaces because of all the bands from the 90s.
Yeah, man.
90s was a, that was a great time.
I remember going seeing like rage against a machine.
It was, dude, I saw a rage against the machine at the 930 Club.
What?
Yeah.
Oh, that would have blew my mind.
That was sick.
930 Club is just, that's an iconic spot.
Do you remember the H-F festival?
Yes.
Yes.
That was our hometown.
Yep.
So they always had all the bands play the HF Festival.
It was like the biggest festival of the year for rock.
Allison Chains.
Did they do it at RFK Stadium?
Yeah, RFK Stadium.
It was always like 70,000 plus people.
Yeah, we played that one.
We played one of those.
Yeah.
I saw you guys.
Okay, cool.
Yeah.
I'll tell you a story about that show.
So it was at the time, it was on our album getting away with murder.
And it was, we were trying to figure out whether we were going to release Scar.
or getting away with murder as the first single.
Right.
And I just was apprehensive about scars.
I'm like, man, I don't know.
It's like, I just feel like it's not the first single.
I want to come out with something a little more bombastic.
Yeah.
So I was like talking to Brenda Romano and Gary Spieback,
those were our two record label reps there.
They work for the radio department at the label.
And I was like, hey, I'm all, I guarantee you,
I'm going to get this crowd to sing along with getting away of murder.
Dude, just watch this shit out.
That's, if I get these motherfuckers singing to getting away with murder,
sing along by the end of the song,
do it's got to be the single.
come on you know i'm like just my please right to the to the label and we get up there and rfk right
never played the song live before it's never been heard before on the radio sing that song at last
audience i'll give it to the crowd and they're like getting away with murder and i'm just like i look
back i'm like it could be the single right it was the single that's dope yeah i was at at rfk i was
there yeah that's that's cool i'll be singing along let's go dude yes because those shows
were wild.
Oh, dude.
Inspefits.
They were,
it wasn't like,
not to say the festivals now don't have moschpins because the heavy rock festivals do,
but like now it's like a festival culture where it's more like a Coachella or a La La Paloza
where like it's a broader audience that's coming and they kind of listen to everything.
Yeah.
But that festival was like,
let's fucking rock.
We love punk.
We love rock.
We love metal.
And at that time in the 90s, music was a lot more classified.
Oh, yeah.
So you listen to.
this kind and you'd go to these shows.
Yeah.
And, and, um, it was quite a time.
And that, those shows were wild.
And I, and, and those were some of the shows that made us want to be in the band.
And that was it.
That was it.
That was the good.
That was good.
Death tones for me, man.
I was going to see Deftones at Cattle Club.
Amazing.
You know, small, small club here in Sacramento, or not here in Sacramento, but back home
in Sacramento.
And I just remember seeing those dudes on stage, Chino and the boys just going for it.
And I'm just like, this is what I want.
I want to do.
this. This is it. I see it. Goats.
Totally. I think Chino might come on the
Oh, really? Yeah. Dope. He's cool. He's a good dude.
I've never really gotten to hang out with him. I haven't gotten to,
he's a real one. I met him once or twice, but I never, never gotten to hang out with them.
And I'm a huge Deftones fan, obviously, like.
That new one he dropped with for crosses. Sick.
Invisible hand, I think invisible hands or something. It's dope.
Dude, I heard that. I was like, all right, I text him.
I'm all nailed it with this one, bro.
Like, score.
He's one of the goats.
Yeah, he's an OG.
I'd make an argument that you guys, deaf tones, when I think about bands,
that I would go to today and see.
Right.
In the 90s, it was just wild and fun.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Holy shit, I've never seen this before.
Yep.
And then you go through this time in the, you know, the mid-2000s.
where like EDM really popped off and streaming started.
And it was almost like everyone was like,
rock is dead.
Yeah.
People were stopping that off.
Yeah.
And I never thought it was.
But I didn't know what would become of it.
Yeah.
And then it's not that it's come back around because the bands were still touring and
the shows were still good.
Yeah.
It was just the mainstream consciousness of like what we're consuming as a mass group
of people.
It was like they'd forgotten that the best, you know,
the best live shows are a great rock show there's really hard to to replicate that it's a wild thing
there's energy it's a it's a feel man and pop a roach deaf tones uh incubus um i saw limp biscuit uh i want to say
like two years ago and it was i've seen limp biscuit before it was the best limp biscuit show
I've ever seen.
And I was like, how are you doing this?
They're ripping it right now.
Yeah, they're really ripping it.
It's dope.
It's like, oh, these bands get better over time.
And you're all still young.
Yeah.
So it's not like the, I love the Rolling Stones, but everyone's like, I'm more amazed
that the Rolling Stones are still doing it.
Yeah.
And the show's great.
I mean, it's fantastic.
But that energy is like, it's, it's prime time right now.
Oh, yeah.
For people to go and experience like a Papa Road show.
I'll tell you this.
we've experienced our biggest most successful touring over the last two years.
I know that.
And, you know, it's like I'm blown away.
This last European tour we played this festival called Hellfest.
Yep.
And it was, I got to tell you, man, one of my favorite live experience, live performances I've ever had in my life.
Like I walked off that stage and I was like, whatever that was, holy fuck, I want more of that.
what you know and like it's trippy because uh the live performance it just went it was like went viral
it started people were sharing it it was like in a week it got almost a million views have a live
show yeah and we're like all right that's dope so yo go check that shit out pop roach hellfest is dope
i have a theory it's a good one i have a theory tell me so if i put two cars in front of you
Yep.
A brand new Mercedes S550.
Right.
Fast car, beautiful car, really nice, expensive, or a 66 Chevelle in perfect condition.
Fuck a Cheval, bro.
Right?
Modified in some ways, but kept in perfect condition.
So I have this theory because I say it about Good Charlotte all the time.
It's this, we've kept the car in mint condition.
Yeah.
And we've modified it a little bit.
bit, but it's still the same car. And I think that's where we're at. I think people see the Chevelle.
Yep. And they go, God damn, that's a pretty car. I got to go get on. That's dope. It sounds loud.
It sounds mean. Yep. And so even people that may, may not like be lifelong Good Charlotte fans.
Yep. When they're at the Good Charlotte show, they are enjoying the ride. They're going to turn up.
Yeah. They're going to turn up because they know it's good. And I think that's the, that's the pop, that's Popper Roach. That's Limp Biscuit. That's the deaf tones.
they're the cars that are coming out of the garage every now then so so so when you when you go on the
drive however long the drive is everybody stops and looks and asks you a question about it oh that's a
cool car where'd you get it how long have you had it like that's the cool that to me is like rock bands
that that have legacy yeah i like that analogy a lot you know what i mean i think you nailed it with
that one dude for real i'm like i'm a run with that one yeah you keep you keep that one that's a good one
It's a good one.
My man.
Because you guys have kept the car intact.
When you take the car out, it sounds mean.
It drives better than it ever has.
And the shows are bigger than they've ever been.
Yeah, we might have done shitty restoration on it a few years ago, but we fixed that.
We got that Bondo.
We got it out of there.
So we good.
Exactly.
Totally.
So I really feel that way about these bands.
And then the new bands, I don't even call.
I'm not saying they're Mercedes.
They're like some new shit.
Yeah, yeah.
Like some really cool.
Yeah.
Who knows?
And we could argue like a bunch of them have proven themselves.
I'd say like falling in reverse, bring me the horizon.
Yep.
Architects.
They've all proven themselves.
They're here.
They're building legacies of their own.
Yep.
What's the new new?
What's the new?
Yeah.
What's the new new?
What you got?
Bad omens.
Oh, I fuck with that.
Bad omens is, I like them.
I like them.
I love them.
bad omens. I mean, they're not new, new because they have a bunch of records. Yes. But to the awareness
of like the mainstream of like, say, like the bigger audience, they've been building their thing
for a long time. But live, they are bad ass. I like what they've done. They got something good
going. I love it. Yeah. I listen to that record fucking so many times. I remember this. I remember,
we did a show in Mexico together. And I think it was like we finished up making a record. It's called
Who do you trust?
And there was a song and I was like, I want to play this song.
I'm like, dude, check this track out.
Oh, yeah.
It was called a feel like home.
And it's like very major upbeat, major key.
Feel good.
Feels good.
And I played the song and I was like, you're like, it's fucking cool, man.
I was like, let me hear some of your shit.
And you played me a couple of years.
I'm like, how did we just like trade places?
Like your shit's heavier than our shit.
Our last.
It was kind of heavy.
Yeah.
It was like you made a fucking heavy ass record.
and then we went and made like a major key like yeah pop rock fucking record and it's it's trippy how
the these journeys that we go on creatively like yeah and what you find out really works for you
and then what you find out all right that was cool it was a good exercise but that wasn't the thing
and i think that you know any band with a career has those moments right yeah and it's it was just i
just trip out about that conversation ball do we just i was so excited to play you the heavier stuff
because we i i love heavy music i wouldn't say that um i would say
live we've gotten to add a lot of heaviness in spots for our live show but our records weren't as
heavy yeah and i think generation rx which is the record i played you yep um was a moment for me only because
you know one i i was in a spot where i was feeling very i had lost a ton of friends to uh addiction
yeah lots of people went down to pills and to opioids and um and it's funny now because we
We watched these documentaries about the opioid crisis.
It was just planned.
And you don't even realize like you were living through it.
Yeah.
And so you saw it happening.
Yes.
And you didn't know that's what it was when it was happening.
And then you go tour and you just see like the residual effects on humanity.
And it's like, man.
Whoa.
And the lives it's ruined.
And that was all around, um, around like coming the terms of that in my head of like
what I just witnessed for 15, 16 years.
And then watching this new generation of artists that.
But, you know, we lost little peep.
Yep.
You know, we lost juice world.
We lost all these brilliant artists.
And it felt like it was just cycling up.
Like it was just starting over because they're also young.
And I have lost like a couple really close friends.
And I'm sorry, man.
That's all right.
You know, I mean, I mean, that's life.
Yeah.
And we make sense of it with music.
And so Generation RX for me was coming to turn.
with the actualization of like watching like I just watched this for 18 years happen right in front
of my eyes and then I just watched that documentary and then that series of dope sick yeah yeah and
I watched it with my wife and we were just kind of I was just telling her I was like it's crazy
like when this was all happening and I had family like family members and lots of people
around me that fell victim to that yeah and at the time you didn't
didn't even know you didn't know you're living in a crisis yeah or or like you thought oh they
they should be able to stop that and you realize like there were it wasn't designed for people to be able
to stop never i feel like like that grace is a real thing like grace is a real thing brother yeah for
sure man i think uh over the last i'd say five years five to six years i've really been able to embrace
the where i am and be comfortable with because i've always just had this like i got to keep driving
keep getting it keep pushing keep pressing keep working keep getting out there and i think uh once i learned
how to say no i'm not going to do that to her no i'm not going to do that no i'm not going to do that
either that's when like i understood my true value and that's when i understood like that's when i could
see the true success and the legacy that we have built as a band. And it took me a long time
to get to that place. And I'm just, I'm stoked that I can look back now and, and be appreciative
and, and know that like, I've done something good. I've done something. Yeah, you guys are badass.
It's appreciate it, you know? It's not easy. We are. Fuck. Shit. You're badass, dude. It's not
easy to be you to have that career. To keep, to. To, to.
keep the career.
Yeah.
And to keep the family.
Yeah.
Right.
And to keep the health.
Yeah, man.
Right?
Like to be alive.
It's balancing all those things, I think, is the, I think the wisdom I've picked up
through the years has been able, has been the thing that's given me the ability to suffice that.
You know, because early on, I couldn't handle all these responsibilities.
But now I'm good.
It's nice to watch.
Yeah.
It was like, I'm in a kitchen with six burning pans.
Yeah.
And I'm like, fuck.
Dude, shit's on fire.
It's got the knife.
Yeah.
It's nice to watch because that's where,
that's how it feels as a fan watching and watching and just following the band,
following you, what I get to see, the glimpses I get to see as a fan.
It's nice to watch because we all need to see it.
We all need to see it's possible.
Absolutely.
And you wear it with a lot of honesty.
Yeah, you got to stay hopeful, brothers.
You know what I'm saying?
You got to stay hopeful.
I think that's like, don't lose hope.
I think that's the message that I'm trying to get.
out there. If you distill it down to the simplest thing, it's like, just stay hopeful.
Yeah. Keep getting up. Yeah. And that's what I always like feel to people listening to these
conversations, they need to get a message out of it. They need to, they need to understand, like,
we weren't the most likely, we weren't the likely bet. Life didn't hand us a bunch of stuff.
And then if you were betting on horses, you'd be like, oh, yeah, the one of the one,
with the injured leg yeah yeah the one that's limping we're going to take that one yeah no you'd say
no i'm gonna bet on that that that that that that that that Mustang over there that stallion over there
that's the fastest horse yeah and so when you see people that have beaten the odds and statistics yeah
and then they've also found a way to live a real life right and um and then actually share about it
which is like even you know is a is an art form in itself like there's a real comfort zone you got to be
in to share with people like what you've been through and how you dealt with it.
Sometimes I have a tendency to just overshare and sometimes I'm like, hold on,
really didn't cope, make another song.
But like that actually helps people.
That guy that decided to stay.
Yeah.
Go to the show.
Yep.
And live to see another day.
Yeah.
Who's to say that that isn't the most important thing you've ever done in your career?
We don't know what he's going to do with his life because the human potential is limitless.
Yep.
and the person that he might help might cure cancer.
Yes.
Right?
Right.
Think about that.
Like the possibilities of what good can come from the transcendent part of what we do is like wrapped up in something else.
And realize the beauty of humanity right there is that ability to like take some bad shit and make it good.
Yeah.
You know?
It's like that's, I think that's just an important adage to, to, to, to,
adhere to. It gives me the opportunity to live a purpose-driven life. You know, because it's like,
if I get out there and I'm just flounder and it's like, ain't nothing good coming from it, you know,
so I'm just trying to be purpose-driven. And that to me is like the most important message is the
one that other people can try to replicate and follow. And because the cynics will say like,
whatever, it's just music or yeah, you're band, whatever. And you're like, no, that's not,
you're not actually the audience I'm speaking to. I'm actually looking to. I'm actually looking
for the person who needs the message.
Yeah.
And I'm hoping that they'll go after their potential.
And maybe they'll end up writing a book that'll, that'll continue.
We have to hand it back to the people behind us that haven't made it out of the mud yet.
Passing the torch.
Right?
Like they haven't made it out of the shit yet.
Yep.
They're still in the shit.
And so real ones know that.
I feel like anyone who's ever been in some shit shares.
Because they're like, I want you to make it out too.
Because I know what that feels like.
Yep.
And I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
Yeah.
man lately like another you know talking about coming up watching this cat a jelly roll i love jelly roll and just
what he's bringing to the table and the spirit and the heart and he's badass i love what he's doing
and it's like he's another one of those stories of people right that like you wouldn't have bet on could
have caught him as a hopeless case but no man there was a heart in there there was a fire in there
that just kept pressing and pushing and pushing and uh that's an inspire it's an inspiring story i see that unfold in
front of me and it's like, oh, that's what's up, dude. I love it, man.
But that's because I celebrate it. But that's because you're a real one.
Yeah. And he's a real one. Yeah. And real ones, you're not wishing it on anyone to suffer.
Yeah. Because you suffered enough. And so a lot of times when people get to the,
to the throne or to the podium, they start chopping heads off. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Instead of sharing,
instead of turning back and going, you can do it too. Yep.
that's why we love a good winner.
Yeah.
We like a good winner.
Absolutely.
Because then he inspires us to try again.
Yep.
And so like we root for the good winner no matter how many times he wins.
Totally.
And the bad winners get up there and they and they chop heads off and they.
Right.
Yeah.
Like, and I don't know what they're going through, but like jelly roll is one of those guys.
He's a good winner.
Yep.
He's not, he doesn't have his list of grievances that when he gets on the podium, he's going to
start going after everyone who ever wronged him along the way. He doesn't remember them. He remembers
the guy who like put his hand out and said, I'll help you through this one spot or he remembers
his wife helping him through a spot. You hear these stories and you're like, you relate to him and you go,
oh yeah, I love my wife too. She helped me too. Yep. So he's promoting all kinds of things he doesn't
even know he's promoting. He's promoting marriage. He's a good relationships. He's promoting forgiveness.
He's promoting redemption. He's promoting all. He's promoting all. He's promoting all. He's promoting
all this good shit.
Yep.
And he's making the world a better place.
Absolutely.
And I would bet he doesn't even know the depth.
He's just doing jelly.
He's just doing him.
I love him.
I never,
I don't even know him.
Oh, dude.
I'm just a big fan.
He's cool as fuck.
I'm trying to get him to come here.
Fuck, dude.
He would be great.
He'd be a great guest.
I bet.
Yeah, he's a fuck.
He's a hoot, man.
He's like,
we've done some shows in our day before his success and after his success.
And he's just,
his band right now he's got is just ripping too.
Man.
I saw him live and they're all great players.
I know Jack.
Yep, guitar player.
Bad ass.
He ripped.
Dude rips.
He's great with the jellies band.
He crushing it, man.
Yeah, he rips.
Nice work, dude.
Yeah.
Does he tour with, uh, sleeping?
He was in sleeping with sirens.
Now he's full time.
So he's not with,
yeah.
Okay.
He's doing that full time.
Yeah, dude.
Sleeping with sirens made some heavy ass music too.
Sleeping with sirens is badass.
Dude, they fuck it.
I was like,
no pun intended.
I kind of slept on him a little bit early on.
Well,
that's,
you know,
that's what you do on new bands yeah and then i was like hold on what was i missing oh fuck these dudes
rip yeah yeah yeah helen is an incredible singer oh yeah uh absolutely a very deep person
has a lot to share right i don't know them very well i just seen him in passing a few times but
always they're the real they're they're the real deal dude they're they're making the they're
they're sharing their they're like they're that band like they're they're bleeding their hearts out
on the records nick's a badass you know just in the
bass players. They're a great bet. Here's another totally random question, sideways. Is
all time low from the same area that you guys are saying? Yeah, Maryland. Yeah, I was just out in
Florida and I was in a hotel lobby and came downstairs. I saw them and were like,
fuck dude, what's up with you all? What are you doing out here? They're like, oh, we're doing shows.
And they had just done a show a couple nights before in Maryland. And it was like, I remember
reading on the news. It got busted up by some kind of like lightning storm or some shit.
and yeah Maryland boys good good dudes great band great another another one of those bands that like
has survived that test of time and gotten better and had more success dude the real deal they work they
worked their asses off great band nicest guys good Maryland guys through and through got it we've
known each other a long time yeah i like those guys are good people badass badass bad ass band they've
they've like they've had to work really hard to like to that's the thing is like when you see a new
band you always kind of when you get older you kind of go like all right we'll see yeah yeah we'll see
what you're made of yeah because quitting is a thing you see people quit or or change directions or do this
and then you see the bands like all time though they just stick with it yep keep doing their thing
build build build and now i mean they're a huge touring band great songs uh and just like good maryland
nice guys yeah good dudes i got um other other guys from maryland uh you know turnstile yeah they're from
fuck with that band. Bad ass. So I saw him like we did a, I saw him at Coachella a few years ago. And I got up
and did something with Emo Knight. Yeah. Ended up there. And I was like, I got to go see this band live.
So I roll up and I'm just hanging out in the crowd. And I see the band is there like rolling their
cabs on stage. And I'm like, this is like the old days. Yeah. Like I'm watching this band set up
their equipment before they're about to, this is dope. And they had, they, they, they, they,
continued to just annihilate the audience and it was yeah every once in while you get one of those
bands that come around and remind people that rock music is the fucking best yeah period like they did it
for me again i was like oh god these guys are sick yeah you can still start a band in your garage yeah
and you can still do that yep and they fucking rip live so solid man they're fucking they're the
real deal to Kobe thanks for coming man absolutely thanks for i can't wait to see what uh popper roach
does next i'm excited to hear these songs
and this next record.
Oh, it's going to be good.
And congrats on all the success, dude.
I mean, I appreciate it.
Bigger and better than ever.
Shit's going really well.
But I'm excited for what's next.
Absolutely.
Thank you so much.
On the next cycle, we'll likely probably be back out there, do some shows together.
Do some shows, bro.
Come on.
Come on.
At least see you at a festival.
Thanks for having me.
I appreciate it.
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