Taproot

Taproot is an nu-metal/alternative metal/rap-metal/alternative pop-rock/post-grunge band from Ann Arbor, Michigan consisting of Stephen Richards on vocals/guitar, Mike DeWolf on guitar, Philip Lipscomb on bass, and Jarrod Montangue on drums. they formed in late 1997 and have released 3 indie albums (Something More Than Nothing, Mentobe EP, and Upon Us) before signing to a major label. their earlier releases have a hard-edged nu-metal/rap-metal sound similar to bands like Limp Bizkit. in 1998, the band sent a demo to Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst. impressed with their material, he offered to get them a recording contract through Interscope Records. however, after extended negotiations, Taproot looked elsewhere, where they finally landed a lucrative record deal with Atlantic Records. feeling betrayed, Durst heavily cursed the band on vocalist Stephen Richards' answering machine (the message can be found on multiple p2p programs like LimeWire). he also put some blame on System of a Down, who assisted Taproot in securing the Atlantic deal. in retaliation, Durst kicked System of a Down off the 1999 Family Values Tour, replacing them with Staind. during the summer of 2000, Taproot released their major-label debut titled Gift. with the success of their lead single "Again & Again", and earning a spot on Ozzfest due to Jack Osbourne becoming a fan of their music, they quickly gained popularity within modern rock fans. another single was released (the song "I") but never had a video made for it. after spending seven months in Los Angeles, the band released their sophomore effort Welcome on October 15, 2002. considered to be a more melodic effort and a step away from the brutal nu-metal/rap-metal sound they had to a more moody post-grunge vibe, the album debuted at #17 on the Billboard 200, selling over 51,000 copies in its first week of release. much of this was due to the success of the the album's first monster hit, "Poem", which shot to #5 on the Mainstream Rock charts. the album's second single, "Mine", followed with more moderate success. Welcome is Taproot's most successful album to-date, achieving near gold status, with approximately 475,000+ copies sold. after touring across the country on Disturbed's Music as a Weapon Tour, as well as a European tour, the band took a long two year break. returning from exile, the band released their third major album Blue-Sky Research on August 16, 2005. Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins frontman) assisted in song-writing on the album, which was produced by Toby Wright. the album saw the band moving away even further from the nu-metal/rap-metal genre, and shifting towards a more alternative pop-rock/alternative metal sound. it debuted at #33 on the Billboard 200, with approximately 28,000 first week sales. the band headlined a major tour with Evans Blue and From Satellite to promote its release. prior to the headline tour, Taproot acted as direct support to Chevelle on their tour alongside 30 Seconds to Mars. they also participated in the Fall Brawl Tour which featured Staind and P.O.D. as headliners, and is notable for taking the then unknown Flyleaf along as the opening act for the three bands. on May 23, 2006, it was reported that Taproot had parted ways with Atlantic Records, after disappointing sales of Blue-Sky Research. at the time, the album had sold 112,000 copies since its release. on June 13, 2006, drummer Jarrod Montague, via Taproot's MySpace blog, confirmed the news. on March 5, 2007, the band confirmed that they were in the process of recording their new album with producer Tim Patalan. a summer (July-September) release is expected.