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
Day By Day
Taproot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am always getting out of hand
though in control sometimes just don't give a shit
I get raw have fun I love it so sick of sayin' sorry
those apologies have got to go but I
I don't intend to create a pain in your heart
I am a pain in the ass
cause that's what I am about
(1x)
day by day
I can see a change in every way
some things get worse some things get better
I hate to say
I HATE TO SAY
SAY
those blatant lies are now a part of my past
I hope I don't get confronted abusing others' minds through control
I don't want it to last so here I go
I am on my way
I am leaving for good
I pray that you forgive me for all of the harm that
I caused cause we were friends and we had some great times
and that's why I am just fine cause that's the way it is
(2x)
Day by day
I can see a change in every way
Some things get worse some things get better
I hate to say
But I've declined
(Brakedown)
Day by day
I'm in till my TIME
(2x)
Day by day
I can see a change in every way
Some things get worse some things get better
I hate to say
But I've declined
All your Ways
The lyrics of "Day by Day" by Taproot reflect a sense of self-awareness and introspection. The song explores themes of personal growth, regret, and the struggle of letting go of toxic habits and behaviors that have hurt others. The opening lines convey a sense of frustration at constantly falling into the same destructive patterns of behavior. The singer acknowledges their flaw of getting out of hand and not always caring about the consequences of their actions. However, they also express a certain amount of love for their wilder side, suggesting that they find it hard to give up that part of themselves.
The chorus of the song delivers a message of hope and the idea that change is possible. The repetition of the phrase "day by day" reinforces the idea that healing is a gradual process that takes time. The lyrics suggest that sometimes things get worse before they get better, but ultimately there is the potential for personal growth and positive change.
The second verse of the song reveals that the singer has recognized the harm they have caused others through their need for control and manipulation. They express a desire to move on and leave those toxic behaviors behind. Despite their regret, the singer acknowledges that they have shared some great times with those they have hurt.
Overall, "Day by Day" is a song that speaks to the human experience of making mistakes and realizing the need for change. It offers a message of hope and the possibility of redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
Looks like I've fucked up again what's new
I often fail and make mistakes
I am always getting out of hand
I have a tendency to lose control
though in control sometimes just don't give a shit
Even if I have control, sometimes I don't care about the consequences
I get raw have fun I love it so sick of sayin' sorry
I enjoy being reckless and I'm tired of apologizing for it
those apologies have got to go but I
I understand that apologies are not enough, but
I don't intend to create a pain in your heart
I don't want to hurt you
I am a pain in the ass
But I can't help being difficult
day by day
Slowly over time
I can see a change in every way
I can sense that things are changing
some things get worse some things get better
Some aspects improve while others worsen
I hate to say
I don't want to admit that
those blatant lies are now a part of my past
I used to tell lies, but now I don't
I hope I don't get confronted abusing others' minds through control
I don't want to be called out for manipulating others
I don't want it to last so here I go
I want to change my ways and move on
I am on my way
I am taking the necessary steps to improve myself
I am leaving for good
I am making a permanent change
I pray that you forgive me for all of the harm that I caused cause we were friends and we had some great times
I'm sorry for hurting you since we were once friends and had good moments together
and that's why I am just fine cause that's the way it is
I'm okay with the present situation because I know it's the right thing for both of us
But I've declined
However, I don't regret my decision to change
All your Ways
Including the ways you influenced me before
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PHILLIP LEO, STEVE BINGHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind