Papa Roach returns from the dark side
Papa Roach was a magnet for disaffected youth five years ago with the vicious punk music of its ''Infest" album, which helped the band get onto the Vans Warped bill, Ozzfest, and Eminem's first Anger Management Tour.
The album's hit song, ''Last Resort," was a devastating anthem of self-loathing, with lyrics that boomed: ''This is my last resort / Suffocation, no breathing / Don't give a [expletive] if I cut my arms bleeding."
Today's Papa Roach, however, has turned the corner, infusing its music with much more hope.
''We really refocused ourselves," says singer Jacoby Shaddix, whose band shares a bill with 311 at the Tweeter Center tonight. ''I didn't want to live my life in a dark shadow all of the time."
For starters, Shaddix quit drinking and drugging. ''I wasn't doing just a little too much. I was doing way too much," he says. ''And in making the new record, I was able to focus on music rather than on partying and drugging. I took myself out of that and I fell in love with my band again. And now I've got good relationships with my family and loved ones, too. It's had an influence on the music."
Papa Roach has been riding the hit ''Getting Away With Murder," which packs a punk wallop but is about transcending one's imperfections. ''I had been a liar and a cheat and a thief," says Shaddix. ''That's who I was as a person, but the song is about killing that part of myself."
The song is the title track of an album that further addresses the theme of renewal. ''The record is about realizing that you have control of your life. You can dwell on the muck and the mire, or you can snap out of it. In the song 'Do or Die,' there's the line 'It's never too late to live your life.' That ends the album, and that's the message we wanted to leave the listener. We wanted to end it on a positive note."
For Papa Roach, the comeback has been especially sweet. The band was virtually counted out when its follow-up to ''Infest," titled ''lovehatetragedy," saw 700,000 in sales. For a band to drop from 3 million in sales to 700,000 usually translates to mass indifference.
''We were 6 feet under. A lot of people gave up on us, including fans and critics and show promoters and record labels," says Shaddix.
The band didn't even have a record label when it made the latest disc, ''Getting Away With Murder." But producer Howard Benson encouraged Papa Roach to keep on going -- and soon a new deal was signed.
''This is my dream. I ain't giving up," says Shaddix. ''I see a band like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and they've had their ups and downs, but they've continued with heart. We look up to that. I see Papa Roach being around for another 15 years. We've always wanted to be a career band."
Caught in the clubs: Ben Taylor at the Paradise Lounge: Taylor has the same issue that the sons of Bob Marley and the sons of John Lennon have: He sounds like his dad, James. But this Taylor isn't fighting it. ''Usually, people say I sound like my old man," Taylor said at the Paradise. ''But I actually love it. There's no one I'd rather sound like than my old man." Those are self-accepting words, which also mirror the young Taylor's growth as an artist. I caught him at Harpers Ferry last year fronting an electric band, and this time he played acoustic, but in both cases he had his own captivating style. Taylor releases a new CD this fall, and some of his new songs (including ''Lady Magic") show definite promise.
Carbon Leaf at the Beachcomber in Wellfleet: Fresh from playing the WBOS-sponsored Copley Square series, the Virginia-based Carbon Leaf hit this beachside with gusto. This is a unique band -- subtle R.E.M.-flavored pop meets Outlaws-like rock/bluegrass, with some Celtic touches added on pennywhistle and flute. Great harmony vocals complete the package. This band has worked its way up, and hopefully it won't be stopped.
Bits and pieces: Waltham, the Fools, Robby Roadsteamer, Three Day Threshold, and Reverend Glasseye are among the acts playing the Freedom Rally on Boston Common Sept. 17. . . . New shows at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom: Buddy Guy and Shemekia Copeland on Oct. 21 and Hanson on Nov. 4. . . . Tonight: Norteno dance party featuring Gustavo and Andres at the Middle East Upstairs. . . . Tomorrow: K.C. & the Sunshine Band play a free show at the Hatch Shell, Sleepy LaBeef at the Sea Note in Hull, and the Kennedys, Sloan Wainwright, Bob Franke, and others combine for a mini-folk festival at the Somerville Theatre. . . . Sunday: Motley Crue (with the Exies and Silvertide) at the 
