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 3,000 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.