In the small Northern California town of Vacaville, four high school friends, Coby Dick,
Jerry Horton, Dave Buckner, and Will James, decided to start a band. In 1993, they
became Papa Roach, a band whose influences included prominent Bay Area acts such as
Faith No More and Primus. Papa Roach quickly rose to the top of the Vacaville music scene
with their blending of hip-hop, groove-funk, and hardcore.

After a couple of years of playing coffeehouses, pizza joints, and keg-parties, they were
headlining such places as the Cactus Club in San Jose, the Cattle Club in Sacramento, and
the Berkeley Square in Berkeley. Due to the antics of unpredictable Shaddix, and the raw
power supplied by the band in live performances, Papa Roach captured the attention of
younger audiences. In turn, kids showed their appreciation for the band by faithfully
attending all the band's shows. In these early years, Papa Roach was able to support the
Deftones on two shows, and have bands such as Incubus, Snot, Far, Human Waste
Project, Downset and Fu Manchu open for them.

In the summer of 1996, while realizing athat they had something special, Papa Roach
decided to make changes necessary to reach the next level. First, the band replaced bass
player Will James because his commitment to church summer camp that would have
prevented the band from practicing and playing any shows over the summer. Papa Roach
did not have to go far to find their new bass player. Tobin Esperance, who was only 16
years old and who had been a roadie for Papa Roach since age 13, readily became the
new bass player. Second, the band hired a manager, Bret Bair, to help them with
bookings, promotions, and merchandising.

With a new bass player and management in place, Papa Roach decided to enter the studio
to record a full-length CD. "Old Friends From Young Years" was recorded for $700 at
E.S.P. Studios in Pittsburg, California, and was subsequently released in February of
1997. The CD contains 13 tracks, including the songs "Orange Drive Palms", and "Liquid
Diet". Without any push from the band or management, many smaller independent and
college radio stations in Chico, Davis, San Jose, Sacramento, and the Bay Area added
Papa Roach to their playlists. To the bands' surprise, Papa Roach charted number one as
Cal-State Sacramento's most requested band for five consecutive weeks. Papa Roach
celebrated the release of their first album with several CD release shows. The Vacaville
CD release show was attended by 700 kids, while CD release shows in Berkeley and
Sacramento were attended by 400 and 300 kids, respectively.

Papa Roach's emerging popularity did not escape the eyes and ears of promoters, who
started booking the band as a support act on many larger national shows. In March of
1997, Papa Roach played main support to Suicidal Tendencies in front of 1,000 people in
Sacramento. They also either headlined or supported many of today's up and coming acts
in the aggressive rock genre, including Incubus, Snot, Far, Human Waste Project, (hed)
p.e., Sevendust, WIll Haven and Powerman 5000. Papa Roach has also played Southern
California on a frequent basis, and is now becoming a regular at such renowned clubs as
the Troubador in Hollywood, and Soma in San Diego. In April 1998, Papa Roach released
"5 Tracks Deep", and E.P. containing five songs which sold 1,000 copies within the first
month after its release. This CD exemplifies the natural growth in musicianship and song-
writing ability within band since "Old Friends From Young Years" was recorded 18
months earlier. The songs "Revenge in Japanese" is a perfect example of the Papa Roach
trademark sound where hip-hop verses lead to a catchy radio-friendly chorus. This results
in a song with both energy and emotion that will attract diverse crowds of people.

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