TAPROOT

Taproot formed in 1997 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and went on to sign to Atlantic Records, releasing their Ulrich Wild (Static-X, Pantera, Mindless Self Indulgence) produced debut album GIFT in 2000, followed by extensive touring including appearances on Ozzfest 2000 and 2001, and tours with Deftones, Incubus,  Papa Roach, Slipknot, Mudvayne, Disturbed, and Linkin Park.

 The bands sophomore release Welcome, their first with legendary producer Toby Wright (Alice in Chains, Metallica, Korn, Primus) which Rolling Stone called, “a self-preserving transition from new metal to art metal”, went on to sell over 500,000 copies and spawn the hit Rock singles “Poem”, which peaked at #5 on the Mainstream Rock charts, and “Mine”, helping propel Welcome to over 50 million digital streams. The band would continue heavy touring with Alien Ant Farm, Chevelle, joining Disturbed on the Music As A Weapon Tour, and Linkin Park. Vocalist Stephen Richards would also appear on the track “P5hng Me A*wy” on Linkin Park’s 2002 remix album REANIMATION.

2005 saw the release of Blue-Sky Research, also helmed by Wright, the band’s final release for Atlantic, which spawned the hit radio single “Calling”, co-written with FAR vocalist Jonah Matranga, and saw the band collaborate with Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Nick Hexum (311), and Stephen Carpenter (Deftones), with heavy touring again, with the likes of Chevelle, Staind, P.O.D., and Flyleaf.

Taproot released several more full-length studio albums, including 2008’s Our Long Road Home (Velvet Hammer), 2010’s Plead The Fifth (Victory),with the single “Fractured (Everything I Said was True” reaching the top 20 on the Active Rock Chart, and 2012’s The Episodes, while continuing to tour consistently through 2013, when the band went on an indefinite hiatus, returning only to play a sporadic handful of local Michigan shows.

In early 2023, the band reformed and announced the September release of their 7^th studio album SC\SSRS, the first album fully written and recorded by Vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Stephen Richards, recorded at The Loft studios in Saline, MI. With songs originally written as the follow up to The Episodes, Richards spent the better part of a decade writing and refining the tracks that would become SC\SSRS, fighting his way through personal and health issues, including the loss of his mother, all of which are chronicled on SC\SSRS.

Shortly thereafter, the band announced their live return, with a trio of sold-out shows at the legendary Machine Shop in Flint, MI, followed by an “album release tour” with dates across the Midwest and East Coast, and festivals including Blue Ridge Rock Fest, and WJJO’s Taste of Madison.

SC\SSRS was released on September 29^th on THC: MUSIC, along with the single “Favourite Song” featuring Elias Soriano of Nonpoint, which received rave reviews and airplay across the country, including adds on monster stations like WJJO, and featured appearances on syndicated shows including Loudwire Nights, Full Metal Jackie, and Hard Drive with Lou Brutus.

The band will continue playing shows into 2024 with festival appearances and more regional dates in the West Coast and the South.