Taken from the band's Official Site (http://www.taprootmusic.com).

There’s a difference between a band that will distract you, entertain you, make you smile for five minutes, and a band that can make you want to listen to them forever. The sounds of Taproot, and Ann Arbor, Michigan band formed in late 1997, will leave you wanting more. The band includes singer Stephen Richards, guitarist Mike DeWolf, bassist Philip Lipscomb, and drummer Jarrod Montague. As Michigan Daily writer Adlin Rosli observes, “Ann Arbor band Taproot has been paced under the blanket label of rap-core. Although the group does have heavy riffs and a singer who occasionally raps during verses, the term fails to do the band justice. With one foot firmly placed in heavy music and the other lost in experimentation, the group creates music that crushes, soothes, excites, more often than not, in the same song.” Their artful restraint enhances the ultimate power of their reflective, expressive music.

Phil explains, “We are not setting out to redefine music but to apply our own techniques to make honest music that will affect people the way the music of other artists has affected us.” The four members of the band are driven by the special connections they have made to other people’s music and are inspired to create their own unique music that can have a profound impact on listeners. “In some ways, music is like movies – some hit you and some don’t – some make that special connection, touch you in a way that is new,” explains Mike. “Like art, music is meant to be timeless.” Taproot’s music has this enduring quality, sparking emotion so charged with energy that it captures, intrigues, and inspires. The connection they make creates a depth of feeling capable of revealing unexpected insights.

According to Steve, “Mike brought up the word ‘taproot’ to me on the phone as he was flipping through a thesaurus. It’s the main root that others stem off of, and I was really excited because I know that in earth medicine of native tribes, taproot means the soul/spirit, which is a major subject in my lyrics.” Steve’s lyrics contribute to the transcendent quality of Taproot’s music. While Taproot as a band is not easily defined, their introspective, thought-provoking style suggests that there is much below the surface to explore.

The band wasted no time playing where they could in Ann Arbor, in Detroit, and everywhere possible. Through strong word of mouth, news of the group’s energetic shows and unique brand of aggressive but sensitive music quickly spread throughout these areas and the group was soon able to attract substantial crowds to their shows. As word of their music continued to spread, the group established their official web site, www.angelfire.com/mi/colicab in April of 1998. As word of mouth activity from the band’s following continued, the site went on to become a 200 hits a day destination on the world wide web with over 30,000 hits as of June of 1999.

How did this all happen? Realizing that they needed some songs committed to CDs to help spread the word about them, Taproot self released, produced, and distributed the full length CD “…something more than nothing” in the spring of 1998. The release managed to capture the group’s rich and layered heavy sound and has since sold well over 6,000 copies. These sales do not reflect merely local Ann Arbor or Michigan sales either as, thanks to their web site and growing fan base, the group has orders from all across the U.S. and as far away as Australia. In fact, word of mouth has been strong enough that the group has even found itself to be among the top ranked unsigned bands on many web sites and have recently played to crowds in Pennsylvania and Kentucky to support Taproot’s releases. As Jarrod explains, “It seems like one person will see our web page from somewhere, they’ll order the CD, and word just spreads from there.” In his review of this CD, Dave Burgomaster of Downtuned-online Magazine writes, “WOW…It beats out the majority of label releases…Taproot hits you with great dynamics and versatility.” According to Wookubus of The Pimp Rock Palace, “…this record holds an overall positive feel, something lacking a lot in the genre…Taproot have quickly risen to become the buzz of unsigned rap core bands and this debut shows you why.”

At the end of 1998, the group followed up the full length release with an EP with three new songs and two selections from the full length CD. Titled “mentobe,” this release showcased a stronger, more diverse Taproot as reflected in the eerily heavy title track and the genuine pop gem “shine.” “Taproot amaze me with their song writing skills and the tightness of beats and grooves they assemble…Taproot continually get better and better as this release documents…definitely a must have in your collection and one to expect to hear big things from in the future.” – Wookubus from The Pimp Rock Palace. The group has proven that it has few boundaries set before it.

Taproot has been attracting much attention from various music labels lately, and will very likely be signing a major record deal soon. As Steve puts it, “...we should be blowin’ up by the end of the year.” Taproot looks forward to becoming a lasting force in music today.

What is it within an art-filled musical composition that touches upon a certain aspect of one’s life, that makes it resonate with one’s being? How is a listener influenced and changed by the sounds and emotions of the music? True artistic creations contain gems of pure inspiration for the listener to discover and experience. Taproot’s music, with its hauntingly engaging intensity, invites the listener to come along to discover. Adlin Rosli writes, “The soul, the taproot, is capable of a dizzying amount of emotion and achievement. This Ann Arbor group that has taken on the name Taproot demonstrates it’s ability to transform emotion and achievement into a sonic collage.” Experience the sounds of Taproot.