Coby Dick is calmly discussing anger. How there are far worse things. How its unhealthy not to express it. How its sometimes misunderstood when it comes to his band Papa Roach. I think people think we are screaming and yelling like this just because we are so fucking mad, but our music is more frustrated than angry, Dick insists. Like their listeners, who have made their major label debut album, Infest, triple platinum, these best new artist Grammy nominees have lived what they sing. People are dealing with those issues in their life, says Dick, who is singer-songwriter in the Northern California band that embraces rock, hip-hop, punk and funk.

Painful childhoods, divorce, substance abuse; the subject matter unfortunately is too relatable for far too many. People who dont know who the musicians are probably think of them as four angry kids, Dick says. Thats really not it, he insists. Our last video (the Grammy-nominated Broken Home) was pretty brutal. People dont want to watch a torn up family on TV if you are living that life in real life. But we are not just like four pissed-off kids. Those who understand that have really made a connection, he says. Its like we are being honest, but brutal, about our truth, Dick explains. We may say some shit their parents dont want to hear, but if they are hearing it and relating with it, I think thats cool.

He wants people to be able to take from Papa Roachs music whatever they need. Its just like when you read a book. Its really open for your own interpretation, he says. Although he says that two of the groups singles, Broken Home and Last Resort (about suicide) did not leave a lot of room for interpretation. They were really just straight up and blunt and in your face, Dick says. A lot of kids have gone through things Ive gone through and really connected. But if you just want to turn on a CD and rock out with our music you can do that too. There are two aspects, lyrical and musical, on this album. We are just like blunt and forceful.

It is gratifying, he says, when he meets listeners who talk about how that music has impacted them. Its not like I gave them the answer to their problems. They might say they have a father who is an alcoholic, and we have a song Binge that maybe opened them up to deal with that problem. Sometimes they ask How do I try to help my dad and how do I try to help myself?

Dick tells them the answer is inside themselves. Thats where I found my answers: within myself. Maybe our music encourages you to open yourself up and try to deal with problems yourself. Ultimately, he wants to leave people with a sense of hope. We try to be positive with our actions being in a rock n roll band. That might sound like a cliche and cheesy, but we try to take a negative and turn it into a positive. Thats what I try do with myself writing these lyrics.

In the writing phase, you are not doing it for anybody else but yourself, he says. That might sound selfish, but I do this for myself. Its the one thing I have for myself thats true and honest and lets me express myself. Now that we have gotten out and played this music, a lot of people relate to it. Its like, Wow! I did this for myself, but think what you can do for someone else.

Papa Roach certainly has done well for themselves, coming out of the self-proclaimed onion capital of the world (Vacaville, California) to forge a strong presence in the indy world of the unsigned band. They released several CDs on their own, beginning with 1995s Caca Bonita. Signing with DreamWorks, all musical hell broke loose with their 2000 debut. We kind of blew up real quick and now were playing catch up pretty much to our success, Dick says. Thats what this whole year is about: catching up with all the hype that was there last year, which was kind of cool hype which is like gone. Now we can go back to just being a band, not trying to catch up to being the Next Big Thing. Lets just be a big thing.

The solidity of Papa Roach is that they have been together for eight years, he says. We treat ourselves like brothers, he says.The live show is their hallmark, he adds. I can go see like N Sync. I might hate their music but they are entertainers. I bet you money they put on a really good show and people get their moneys worth. For us, we want to get out there and give people what they want and keep ourselves happy and entertained too.

Papa Roach delivers energy in spaces in concert. Youll see four people on stage who are very passionate. We play as if it is our last show every night. Thats how I look at it. People get addicted to drugs. I found my addiction is being on stage rocking. Its been six years now trying to play live as much as possible. Now we do it almost every day.

Dick says he likes to look at the crowd as if it is its own show for the band. When we get on stage we expect the crowd to put on a show for us too. If it wasnt exciting for us, why would we be doing it? We find a way to make it exciting all the time. He figures this summers Ozzfest will be a blast for Papa Roach. It will be six days a week for nine weeks. It will be fucking brutal. But we figure if we are out on the road we might as well be playing. We want to get to every kid out there and go out to the far ends of the map and also do the European festivals.

Dick says the band is treated quite well in Europe. The fans are cool. Like 70 to 80 percent of our shows were sold out on our last tour there. All the German dates were sold out and all the U.K. dates. We really blew up quick in the U.K and Germany, kind of like we did in the U.S. People are really accepting of our music there. They listen to a lot more variety there, unlike the U.S. where someone might say I can only like punk rock, I cant listen to a metal band. In a European club you can hear Clash next to the Beatles next to some hip-hop and everybody is dancing.

The foursome will be writing on the road with hopes to record later this year. With Infest they were shooting for an album that was emotional and powerful while still maintaining a rockn roll vibe.I think on this next record we want to push that rockn roll vibe even further, he says. Dick is pleased with the artistic results of Infest. Its cool. We are young. It was a pretty strong album for a first (major label) album. But I think we have leaps and bounds to grow. Weve only just begun. It took us years to gain a reputation within the independent circuit. Once we got to be the best we could be as an independent band and moved on to being a signed band, its like a whole new game over again. Weve got to earn respect from our peers again.

He gives mixed reviews to the current music scene. As far as whats going on in the pop culture and with MTV its so hollow and empty, he says. The Britney Spears and the Making The Band kids, they are talented and are allworking their asses off, but what do they have to give thats new? Come on, be creative! Dick does like what he is hearing in the rock arena, though, seeing considerable diversity there. Its really cool in punk rock and bands like Aerosmith are still doing it, he says.

Music remains a defining expression for many musicians and listeners, he says. Its everything, my lifestyle, my environment, its how I live, he says. Kids who arent even in bands feel the same way. Music kind of shapes who you hang out with as a kid, what kind of clothes you wear. Music is very influential. To me its a lifestyle that is about love and emotion and everything.

As for his own source of creativity, this rocker points to his mother. Since I was younger, my mother really promoted me as being creative, he says. I liked to cook and do art and play my clarinet. Mom said Do the best you can. If youre not that good at math, thats OK as long as you are trying to excel at something. I put everything into my love for music. Luckily it panned out. I can do it for a living. That was most fortunate, thanks to my mom.

Yes, he has kept up his chops on clarinet and occasionally still pulls it out. The bands success has not distanced the musicians from a street sensibility, he assures. For me I am out on the streets. Im on tour year round. Im out there with the people doing things that regular people do. I do yard work when I come home. I try to live my life like everybody else. I just happen to be in a rock band. But signing a contract and having a couple dollars in your pocket doesnt take away personal problems and trials and tribulations you go through. Were not tripping out about paying rent but there are still stresses you come across.

Papa Roach does not plan on becoming an escapist entity any time soon. We like to go deeper into the reality of whats going on in our lives and not try to bury it away, Dick says. There are problems with people who dont deal with their problems and bury it in the back of their head. They have a break down. All these things come back if you dont deal with it day by day.