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
Fault
Taproot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How could I let you inside my body my soul my brain?
Now I can't make you go away
You're driving me insane and inside out
I can tell
It's meaningful
And so hurtful
There's no place just to hide
I can tell you right now
That this pain that I feel
Is not just inside of my mind
I can tell you right now
That it's physical and painful
To be so vulnerable
{This is my fault}
How could I lie to myself again
These bad decisions are a never-ending story
You'd think I'd know by now
Just how to bow to
Smile
You're driving me insane and inside out
Because
It's meaningful
And so hurtful
There's no place just to hide
I can tell you right now
That this pain that I feel
Is not just inside of my mind
I can tell you right now
That it's physical and painful
To be so vulnerable
I can tell you this pain is so unreal can't help but feel left all alone
I can tell you to listen to me when I say to you
I know this is my fault
This is my fault
{I know this is my fault}
I know this is my fault
I can tell you right now
That this pain that I feel
Is not just inside of my mind
I can tell you right now
That it's physical and painful
To be so vulnerable
I can tell you this pain is so unreal can't help but feel left all alone
I can tell you to listen to me when I say to you
I know this is my fault
{This is my fault}
This is my fault
The song "Fault" by Taproot is a somber reflection on the pain and regret that comes with opening yourself up to someone who ultimately causes harm. The singer of the song is questioning why they allowed this person into their life, body, soul, and brain. They feel trapped and cannot simply make the person go away, as they are causing them to feel insane and inside-out. Despite the hurtful nature of the relationship, the singer acknowledges that it is also meaningful, making it all the more difficult to detach themselves.
The chorus of the song is a powerful admission by the singer that they take responsibility for their pain. However, the lyrics also suggest that the singer may have a tendency to make bad decisions, as they mention lying to themselves and the pain being physical and painful, not just in their mind. The repeated line “I know this is my fault” points to a sense of guilt and shame for letting the situation get out of control.
Overall, the lyrics in "Fault" convey a sense of heaviness and emotional pain that comes with allowing oneself to be vulnerable and ultimately getting hurt. The chorus acts as a sort of confession, admitting the fault of the singer in the situation, but also suggesting that they are learning from this painful experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Why did I let you inside my life?
I regret the decision of letting you enter into my life, as it has led to negative consequences.
How could I let you inside my body my soul my brain?
I question how I allowed you to have such a significant impact on my entire being, physically and emotionally.
Now I can't make you go away
I am struggling to remove you from my life and escape the turmoil that accompanies having you around.
You're driving me insane and inside out
Your presence in my life has taken a toll on my mental and emotional health, leaving me feeling conflicted and distressed.
I can tell
It is apparent to me and others that something is not right in my life due to the effects of having you in it.
It's meaningful
Our relationship, although negative, has had a significant impact on me and my life.
And so hurtful
Unfortunately, the impact of our relationship has been negative, causing me emotional pain and suffering.
There's no place just to hide
I feel like I have nowhere to go to escape the negative effects of our relationship, which is causing me to feel trapped and hopeless.
How could I lie to myself again
Despite the negative impact of our relationship, I continue to make excuses and ignore the warning signs.
These bad decisions are a never-ending story
I continue to make poor decisions in relation to our relationship, and it has become a continuous cycle of negativity.
You'd think I'd know by now
Considering the negative impact of our relationship and my consistent poor decisions, one would hope that I would learn from my mistakes.
Just how to bow to smile
I have been putting on a facade and pretending that everything is okay, even when I know it is not.
Because
The following lines explain why I am feeling the way I am and why our relationship has had a negative impact on me.
It's meaningful
Our relationship has taken a significant toll on me and impacted me on a deep emotional level.
And so hurtful
The negative impact of our relationship has caused me a great deal of emotional pain and suffering.
There's no place just to hide
I feel trapped and unable to escape the negative effects of our relationship.
I can tell you right now
I am providing an explanation for the pain I am experiencing and acknowledging that it is real.
That this pain that I feel
The emotional and physical pain that I am experiencing is real and has had a significant impact on me.
Is not just inside of my mind
The pain and emotional suffering I am experiencing is not something that I can simply ignore or overcome through positive thinking.
I can tell you to listen to me when I say to you
I am asking for your attention and understanding as I explain the negative impact of our relationship on my life.
I know this is my fault
I am taking responsibility for the role I played in allowing our relationship to have such a negative impact on my life.
This is my fault
I acknowledge that I am responsible for the negative consequences of our relationship and the impact it has had on me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JARROD DOUGLAS MONTAGUE, MICHAEL FREDERICK DE WOLF, PHILIP M. LIPSCOMB, STEPHEN STEELE RICHARDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind