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
Footprints
Taproot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's cold and empty like my mind,
But who would know,
I can't make it right,
I know it's on me but I can't fight,
And I'm on my own,
And I don't get to watch you grow, for now;
Held back away by reality,
The footprints,
That I left,
Were meant to lead me back to home,
The distance,
Between us,
Has grown so bitter and so cold,
The permanence of silence,
Erodes them leaving just a hole;
The lights are alive,
The glare is burning in my eyes, for now,
It's nothing like I've ever been,
Shown in my life, but now;
All along the path we're taking,
Never had a chance we're breaking,
Breaking down I've lost my bearings,
Bearing all the cost by missing,
Missing out on what's worth sharing,
Leaving me with no control
These lyrics appear to describe a feeling of isolation and loneliness, with the singer feeling disconnected from those around them. The darkness and coldness of the outside world seems to reflect the emptiness inside, and the singer acknowledges that they are responsible for this inner turmoil, but feels helpless to change it. They mention not being able to watch someone grow, which may suggest a parental or familial relationship, adding further to the sense of loss and disconnection.
The chorus provides a metaphorical image of footprints leading back home, suggesting that the singer is trying to find their way back to a place of belonging and connection. However, the distance between the singer and the person they're addressing has grown too great, leaving only silence and emptiness. The use of the word "permanence" suggests that this separation is final and unchanging.
In the final verse, the singer describes a world that is overwhelming and unfamiliar, and acknowledges that they have lost their way. The repetition of "breaking" highlights the sense of things falling apart, and the singer feels that they have missed out on something valuable by being unable to connect with others. The line "leaving me with no control" suggests a feeling of powerlessness or resignation.
Line by Line Meaning
It's dark outside,
The external environment is currently void of light
It's cold and empty like my mind,
The current mindspace has a lack of warmth and vitality
But who would know,
The singer is suggesting that there is nobody around to notice their current state
I can't make it right,
There is a feeling of helplessness in the inability to correct the situation
I know it's on me but I can't fight,
The artist understands their own personal responsibility in their current predicament, but they feel constrained
And I'm on my own,
The singer is currently alone
And I don't get to watch you grow, for now;
The singer is expressing sadness in not being able to witness the development of someone they care for, at least temporarily
Held back away by reality,
The artist is being restrained by some kind of situation in the real world
The fact is all I know;
The artist is emphasizing that there is a certain truth they are aware of, but that is all they know
The footprints,
The marks left by the artist's feet
That I left,
The footprints were intentionally created by the singer
Were meant to lead me back to home,
The footprints were intended to guide the artist back to a familiar or safe space
The distance,
The physical and/or emotional space between two people
Between us,
The distance that the singer perceives between themselves and another person
Has grown so bitter and so cold,
The distance has evolved into something unpleasant and frigid
The permanence of silence,
The continued absence of noise or communication
Erodes them leaving just a hole;
The silence is damaging to the connection between two people, and is creating a void
The lights are alive,
There are illuminated sources of light nearby
The glare is burning in my eyes, for now,
The light is producing a reflection that is causing discomfort for the singer
It's nothing like I've ever been,
The current experience is unlike anything the artist has encountered before
Shown in my life, but now;
The current situation is playing out in the artist's experience
All along the path we're taking,
Throughout the whole process of moving forward together
Never had a chance we're breaking,
The partnership between two people never had an opportunity to prosper, and is now falling apart
Breaking down I've lost my bearings,
The artist is experiencing an emotional breakdown and has become disoriented
Bearing all the cost by missing,
The problems being experienced by the singer are fully resulting from what they have failed to do
Missing out on what's worth sharing,
The singer has not had an opportunity to participate in something of worth that is meant to be gifted to others
Leaving me with no control
The singer is now placed into a position of having no influence or regulation over the situation
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Isolated 937
Thanks for uploading this album. This is the first time I've been able to find it on youtube. This is one of my favorite taproot songs.