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
Nightmare
Taproot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You took advantage of average
You pleased those deceived but couldn't earn me
My god wouldn't use his leverage
If faith had an 800 number
I'd disconnect myself
If I had to be a member
You fell for those lies while they took your mind
Your eyes were closed from the inside
Your heart was so full of infomercial
You couldn't hear the blind talking
Stay away from me
The lyrics to Taproot's song Nightmare reflect feelings of disillusionment and betrayal in the face of deception and manipulation. The first two lines describe how the subject of the song has resorted to justifying their actions by pleading a defense, even though they have caused harm to others, and have taken advantage of those who are perceived as average or weak. This behavior is contrasted with the singer's own moral code, which is guided by a belief in a higher power who would never act in such a way.
In the next two lines, the singer reflects on the concept of faith and how it can be easily corrupted by those who seek to use it for their own gain. The image of an 800 number emphasizes the commodification of spirituality and the idea that faith has become just another product to be marketed and sold. The singer then declares that they would rather disconnect themselves from this system entirely than become a member of it. The final two lines reference the listener directly, warning them to stay away from the singer and the kinds of people who would manipulate them in the same way.
Overall, the lyrics to Nightmare are a powerful statement against those who use deception to exploit those around them. The song is a call for listeners to reject this kind of behavior and to stand up for what they believe in, even when it is difficult.
Line by Line Meaning
You painted offense while you plead a defense
Instead of admitting your fault, you're trying to make it seem like I was the one in the wrong.
You took advantage of average
You manipulated the situation to benefit yourself at the expense of normal people.
You pleased those deceived but couldn't earn me
You may have fooled others, but I can see through your facade and cannot be won over.
My god wouldn't use his leverage
I have faith that my higher power would not use their power or influence to deceive or manipulate others.
If faith had an 800 number
If it were as simple as calling a hotline to have faith, I would reject it.
I'd disconnect myself
I would rather distance myself from the idea of faith than have a contrived version of it.
If I had to be a member
If participating in faith required me to conform to certain beliefs or practices, I would rather not be involved at all.
I'd rather be left out
I value my individualism and sense of self more than conforming to a group or ideology.
You fell for those lies while they took your mind
You were deceived and lost your ability to think for yourself.
Your eyes were closed from the inside
You were blind to the truth because you chose not to see it.
Your heart was so full of infomercial
You were easily swayed by persuasive tactics and sales pitches.
You couldn't hear the blind talking
You were unable to recognize the flaws of those deceiving you because you were just as blind to the truth.
Stay away from me
I want nothing to do with your deceitful ways and manipulative tendencies.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind