Formation and independent releases (1997–1999) Taproot was formed in 1997 in
Ann Arbor, Michigan by vocalist Stephen Richards, guitarist Mike DeWolf, bassist Phil Lipscomb, and drummer Jarrod Montague, and they earned a following with their live performances. They recorded their first demos at Woodshed Studios in
Oak Park, Michigan, with Tim Pak. In 1998, Taproot sent their demo to
Limp Bizkit frontman,
Fred Durst, who offered to get Taproot a contract through
Interscope Records. However, Taproot decided to look elsewhere and landed a deal with
Atlantic Records. Durst heavily cursed the band on vocalist Richards'
answering machine. Durst also allegedly blamed
System of a Down, who helped Taproot secure the Atlantic deal. It is also alleged that Durst kicked System of a Down off the 1999
Family Values Tour. Overall, Taproot released three independent demos in the late 1990s:
...Something More Than Nothing (1998), the EP
Mentobe (1998), and
Upon Us (1999).
Gift and mainstream success with Welcome (2000–2004) Taproot released their major-label debut album,
Gift, on June 27, 2000, through Atlantic Records. The lead single, "
Again & Again", gained heavy exposure through
MTV2. It was the band's first charting single, peaking at No. 39 on
Billboards
Mainstream Rock chart. It also charted at No. 95 on the
UK Singles Chart. With help from
Ozzy Osbourne's son
Jack, Taproot landed a spot on the second stage of the 2000 and 2001
Ozzfest tours.
Gift's second single, "
I", reached No. 34 on the Mainstream Rock chart in 2001. After spending seven months in Los Angeles, the band released their second album,
Welcome, on October 15, 2002. Considered a more melodic effort, the album debuted at No. 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 No. 5 on the Mainstream Rock chart. "Poem" did not appear on the
Billboard Hot 100 but peaked at No. 6 on the
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. The album's second single, "
Mine", followed with moderate success, peaking at No. 23 on the Mainstream Rock chart and at No. 26 on the
Alternative Songs chart.
Welcome became Taproot's most successful album to date, with over 500,000 copies sold. After performing across North America on
Disturbed's
Music as a Weapon Tour as well as in Europe, Taproot took a two-year break from touring.
Blue-Sky Research and departure from Atlantic (2005–2006) Returning from their hiatus, Taproot released their third major-label studio album,
Blue-Sky Research, on August 16, 2005.
Billy Corgan of
Smashing Pumpkins assisted in songwriting on the album, which was produced by Toby Wright. It debuted at No. 33 on the
Billboard 200, with approximately 28,000 first-week sales. The lead single, "
Calling", (co-written by
Jonah Matranga), was used by
WWE as the theme song for the 2005 pay-per-view
Unforgiven. It also peaked at No. 11 on the Mainstream Rock chart and at No. 23 on the Alternative Songs chart. Taproot acted as direct support to
Chevelle alongside
Thirty Seconds to Mars. The band then headlined a major tour with
Evans Blue and
From Satellite to promote the album's release. Taproot also participated in the Fall Brawl Tour, which featured
Staind and
P.O.D. as headliners and was 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.
Our Long Road Home and Montague's departure (2007–2009) On March 5, 2007, Taproot confirmed that they were in the process of recording their fourth album, entitled
Our Long Road Home, with producer Tim Patalan. On March 2, 2008, the band released the song "You're Not Home Tonight" on their website. According to the Taproot website, the band decided to forgo signing to a major label. The album would be released independently through their management firm, Velvet Hammer Music, in a 50/50 partnership with the band itself; however, distribution was handled by
Sony-owned
RED Music.
Our Long Road Home was released on September 16, 2008. Just over a week after it was issued, Taproot announced that longtime drummer Montague would be leaving the band, to be replaced by Nick Fredell. They 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..." Taproot toured with
Sevendust and Dear Enemy around this time.
Our Long Road Home's lead single, "
Wherever I Stand", ultimately peaked at No. 34 on the Mainstream Rock chart. In the spring of 2009, Taproot went on the road with Dear Enemy and Adakain for the Take It! tour. Later that year, they co-headlined a US tour with
Cold.
Plead the Fifth and The Episodes (2010–2012) After a brief period without a record label, Taproot signed with
Victory Records. A video followed, debuting on the band's YouTube channel on April 16. Soon after, the band released their fifth studio album,
Plead the Fifth. Taproot promoted
Plead the Fifth with a headlining run in the summer of 2010, with support from
Ice Nine Kills and label-mates
Destrophy. In September 2011, Taproot announced they were preparing to record their sixth studio album, working with producer Patalan once again and recording at the Loft Studios in Saline, Michigan. On December 15, the band announced that the album was recorded and should be released in the spring of 2012. On January 8, 2012, Taproot's official website was closed and re-launched as a brand new one on February 7, 2012. In addition to the new site, the band also revealed their sixth album's title,
The Episodes. During the following weeks, Taproot offered a video every Tuesday about their upcoming album. On March 2, 2012, they issued the first single, titled "No Surrender". It peaked at No. 38 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
The Episodes was then released on April 10, 2012. In an October 14 interview, Richards spoke candidly about his bout with seizures and how his medical issues had affected touring and onstage performances. Taproot supported
The Episodes by gigging with
Nonpoint and headlining the Winter Riot Tour (with
12 Stones,
Digital Summer,
3 Pill Morning, and
Prospect Hill).
Anniversary shows, lineup changes, and Besides (2013–2020) The first half of 2013 saw Taproot playing their major label debut album,
Gift, in its entirety on tour with
Boy Hits Car and Intertwined. On June 16, 2013, drummer Fredell announced on his Twitter account that he had departed the band, citing "some bad blood". He was replaced by Dave Coughlin. The band did not issue an official statement addressing the lineup change. On July 9, 2015, a statement was released by Lipscomb, stating that DeWolf was not interested in continuing with the band. A replacement on lead guitar was not immediately named. On August 8, 2015, Taproot played at Dirt Fest in Birch Run, Michigan, with Dave Lizzio, formerly of
Nonpoint, as the band's guitarist. The performance was also notable for its guest appearance of founding member Montague on drums. It was the band's first show since the departure of DeWolf. On September 6, 2016, Taproot announced that they would be releasing a rarities collection entitled
Besides. On February 27, 2017, they announced on
Banana 101.5 that they would play their second album
Welcome in its entirety. Original drummer Montague also appeared at the anniversary concert, along with his band WestFall as the opening act. Taproot performed on May 13 and 14, 2017, at the Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan. During the concert, they premiered a new song entitled "No One Else to Blame". On October 16, 2017, the band announced a twentieth-anniversary show and performed on December 23 at Token Lounge in Westland, Michigan. Montague played drums on older songs, while Coughlin performed more recent material. The compilation
Besides was released as an eight-disc, 130-track box set in December 2018.
SC\SSRS (2021–present) In 2021, it was reported that Richards was working on new music. A condensed version of
Besides, titled
Best of Besides, was announced in early 2023, with a release date of April 30, 2023. A double-LP vinyl was also set to come out later that same year. The compilation contained remastered versions of eighteen tracks from the
Besides box set. The first single from
SC\SSRS, titled "V\CT\M \ PLAY", was released on April 6, 2023. The band stated that Montague had rejoined the lineup, although Coughlin planned on playing sporadic one-off shows in Montague's absence. In addition, it was announced that Taylor Roberts had replaced Lizzio on guitar. In 2023 interviews, Richards stated that his health issues were a reason for the extended period of inactivity for the band, which led to a delayed release of the new album. The aforementioned vinyl version of
Best of Besides was released on the following day. ==Musical style and influences==