He may be a terrible roadie but he is an awesome bass player. Tobin Esperance talks about Papa Roach’s latest album Ego Trip. Will living in the same house with your band, and working with artists outside the genre create a great album? 

Tobin talks about getting creative with the music and experience of making Ego Trip.

JACOBY ON THE MEANING BEHIND ‘EGO TRIP’:

“Throughout my life I’ve embarked on this constant journey to unravel this…thing,” begins Jacoby. “This eternal paradigm; this struggle between the light and the dark. I see it alive in the world and it’s something I’m constantly trying to find balance in with regards to my own life. Who is at the wheel of my ego? Is it the high-frequency version of myself, the one who is more spiritual and self-aware, or is it the low-frequency version who can be selfish, self-centered and self-seeking? Throughout the process of making this record, we had some really profound conversations about life, who is at the helm of our egos and what it is that drives and motivates us.

I suffer from a painful self-awareness at times, but I feel that awareness is what aids progression in my life, and allows me to be a more empathetic and compassionate human being. When I work on myself, I become more available to others, yet I have an ability to shut down and isolate myself just as often. It’s like in the song ‘Liar’, where I talk about there being a good wolf and a bad wolf: ‘Gotta starve one, gotta feed one.’ I often look back at the places I’ve been and the decisions I’ve made and doing so allows me to see which wolf I was tossing the meat towards. We had some pretty powerful breakthroughs. It helped me to realize that when you’re making a record, each song is just another element of the ego expressed.”