In 1997, Taproot sent their 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. Durst heavily cursed the band on vocalist Stephen Richards' answering machine. He also put some blame on System of a Down, who assisted Taproot in securing the Atlantic deal. In retaliation, Durst also kicked System of a Down off the 1999 Family Values Tour, replacing them with Staind. Taproot later went on to independently release three albums: ...Something More Than Nothing (1998), Mentobe (1998) and Upon Us (1999).
The band released their debut album Gift on June 27, 2000. With the album's lead single "Again & Again" gaining heavy exposure through MTV2, the band's mainstream rise gained momentum. With the help of Ozzy Osbourne's son Jack, Taproot landed a spot on the second stage of the 2000 and 2001 Ozzfest tour.
After spending seven months in Los Angeles, the band released their second album Welcome on October 15, 2002. Considered to be a more melodic effort, 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 album's first single, "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, almost achieving 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 two-year break.
Returning from their break, the band released their third major album Blue-Sky Research on August 16, 2005. Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins frontman) assisted in songwriting on the album, which was produced by Toby Wright. It debuted at #33 on the Billboard 200, with approximately 28,000 first week sales. The Bands single "Calling" was used by the WWE 2005 pay-per-view "Unforgiven."
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. According to Philip Lipscomb's MySpace blog, their new album Our Long Road Home is complete and will be released sometime in early 2008. On March 2, 2008, the band released a song from Our Long Road Home entitled "You're Not Home Tonight" on their website. This song has been played on XM Satellite Radio, Squizz 48 Indicent Exposure with Grant Random Sirius Satellite Radio on Octane. A teaser trailer for Our Long Road Home was added to the Taproot Youtube page on April 28, 2008. At the end of the video, it was stated that the album would be released on August 5, 2008.
According to the Taproot website, the band has decided to forgo signing to a major label. Their new album Our Long Road Home will be released independently through their management firm Velvet Hammer Music in a 50/50 partnership with the band themselves. Distribution was handled with Sony-owned RED Distribution.
Our Long Road Home was released on September 16, 2008. The disc was distributed in a cardboard sleeve and released to all major outlets. Just over a week after the album's release, it was announced that long-time drummer Jarrod Montague would be leaving the band and replaced by Nick Fredell. The band released a statement regarding the change in lineup:
""After 10 years of touring, our drummer and good friend Jarrod will be sitting out this cycle and we will be replacing him with our long time friend Nick Fredell. We'll miss Jarrod's presence out on the road, but Nick has fit in perfectly and we're excited for all of our fans to meet him. Jarrod's still very much a part of our family, so you'll be seeing him in press and the "Wherever I Stand" video which is out now on Youtube..."
In Spring 2009, Taproot went on the road with Dear Enemy and Adakain for the Take It! tour. Later that year, they co-headlined a U.S. tour with Cold, in addition to releasing the following statement: "Taproot has a few upcoming shows in November and December and will start writing their new record in January/ February of 2010. We hope to get into the studio sometime in February and March. We will be looking at a release date sometime in the late spring possibly early summer of 2010!"
After a brief period without a record label, Taproot signed with Victory Records. On April 1, 2010, at midnight, the band released the lead single for their upcoming album. The song was "Fractured (Everything I Said Was True)". A video for the song followed the release soon after debuting on the band's Youtube channel on April 16. Soon after, the band released their 7th studio album Plead The Fifth.
Current Members:
Vocals, Guitar: Stephen Richards
Bass: Phil Lipscomb
Guitar: Dave Lizzio
Drums: Dave Coughlin
Past Members:
Drums: Jarrod Montague
Guitar: Mike DeWolf
Drums: Nick Fredell
http://www.taprootmusic.com
Birthday
Taproot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yet all I'd see is hate
You know that something's wrong
I know I can't relate
Wind is blowing pleasure by
And I don't feel a thing
Emotion fills the sky
Erosion clouds my brain
I can't seem to see then through the deafening silence of pain
(Left all alone again) Imprisoned by this selfish reign
(With no more rules to bend) I think I'm breaking down
And if had just one more day
I'd tell you everything, everything I had to say
I miss you
And if I had just one more day
I'd show you one last thing, honesty believes in fate
'Cause fate is what I've gained
Strength has come and gone so now I lie in wait
The void is never long
The core belief in fate
I've been down this lonely road before
I know the way as situations change, the answers will remain
Now I've got a reason as time has brought new season to carry me from this pain
Living proof of selfless gain
I've been down this road, the answers still the same
The lyrics of Taproot's song "Birthday" show a person struggling to connect with others and process their emotions. The first verse highlights how the person is unable to perceive the love that is being shown to them by others, and instead only sees negativity and hate. They feel disconnected from their surroundings and are unable to feel pleasure or any other emotions. The line "erosion clouds my brain" seems to suggest that their thoughts and thoughts processes are being worn away or eroded. The chorus introduces the idea of wanting just one more day to tell someone how they feel and show them honesty which strongly suggests that there is a relationship that has ended or that the person has lost someone they cared about. This theme becomes stronger in the second verse where the person tries to find strength and purpose through the core belief in fate. They are determined to never give up hope and to keep pushing forward despite their struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
All you'd show is love
Even though you would always express love towards me, I would only perceive it as unadulterated hatred.
Yet all I'd see is hate
Despite all the love that you'd show me, I have developed a warped sense of perception that only sees hatred in your actions.
You know that something's wrong
You are keen enough to realize that something is wrong between us, even though I am blinded by hate and fail to see it.
I know I can't relate
I am aware that I am unable to relate to you, due to my twisted perception of seeing love as hate.
Wind is blowing pleasure by
Even though there is joy and pleasantness around, I am unable to feel it, like the wind that bypasses me.
And I don't feel a thing
I am devoid of any emotions and do not have the ability to sense or feel anything.
Emotion fills the sky
Although there are a lot of emotions floating in the air, I am unable to perceive any of them.
Erosion clouds my brain
My thought process is hazy, and I am not able to think clearly, like a cloudy day caused by erosion.
I can't seem to breathe in
I am not able to take in life fully, like not being able to breathe in oxygen completely.
I can't seem to see then through the deafening silence of pain
I am unable to see beyond the pain that echoes a deafening silence in my mind, blocking all my senses.
(Left all alone again) Imprisoned by this selfish reign
I am imprisoned by my own selfishness, and I find myself alone yet again.
(With no more rules to bend) I think I'm breaking down
I am in despair, feeling like I am breaking down, with no more rules or norms to abide by.
And if had just one more day
If I am granted one more day, I would make it count and do what's necessary.
I'd tell you everything, everything I had to say
I would reveal and confess everything that has been bottled up inside of me for so long, holding back nothing.
I miss you
I feel the absence of your presence deeply and yearn for you.
I'd show you one last thing, honesty believes in fate
In those last moments, I would like to impart that honesty prevails and trusting in fate is the right way to go.
'Cause fate is what I've gained
Even though we've been through a lot, fate had a way of bringing us together, and that's what I have gained.
Strength has come and gone so now I lie in wait
I've gained and lost strength in the past, and now that I've lost it, I am waiting for it to return to me.
The void is never long
Even when there seems to be a void or emptiness in our lives, it's only temporary and will not last long.
The core belief in fate
My unwavering belief in fate is what drives me to have hope and carry on.
I've been down this lonely road before
I have experienced this lonely and tiring journey before in the past.
I know the way as situations change, the answers will remain
Although situations may change, the end result or answer will remain the same, and I am familiar with this concept.
Now I've got a reason as time has brought new season to carry me from this pain
With the passage of time, I have gained a newfound reason and strength to overcome this pain and move on with my life.
Living proof of selfless gain
I am a living testament that gaining through selflessness is possible and achievable.
I've been down this road, the answers still the same
Having traveled down this path before, I have come to realize that the answers will always be the same despite the changing situations or circumstances.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind