I was still doing the punk thing, but also playing in some indie bands, I had a less crazy hairstyle.

I have known people throughout my years of playing where maybe they had a gig, but then lost the gig because they didn't really move forward with them.

I mean that's something we're very conscious of when writing. Tempos are very important. Like Oh we can't play the song too fast because people aren't going to feel it. There's a pulse to a song. You can't play it too slow. We're always trying to find the perfect tempo.

Papa Roach are not just going to take tours just to take tours.

The band that I was I auditioning for, they were just all like, dreads and stuff, so I did look kind of out of place. But I had learned the material and it sounded cool as f**k when we were rehearsing.

When a label is throwing money at you, you have to recoup it.

You always go in with the intention of playing your best and knowing the material you're auditioning.

After doing those Mötley Crüe and Nickelback shows where the demographic is a little older, Papa Roach got a lot of fans from those tours. And now we have parents saying Yeah my kids are into you guys! It's cool.

But being energetic in my playing is something I've always thought was the right thing to do. Like I'm never forcing it, like My God, I've gotta play so hard tonight!

We're striving to stay in the arenas. We [Papa Roach] had just little things that just took our show a step up and were so stoked for that.