Taproot
By:
Taproot, the four-piece heavy alternative rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan, slammed into the nu metal scene during the beginning of the millennium with singles such as “Again & Again” and “I” off of their first album Gift. Their music has graced the media and soundtracks such as Dracula 2000 and True Crime: Streets of L.A. and their presence at the infamous national tour of Ozzfest.
Regardless of their nation-wide success and over 1 million copies of their albums sold, record companies can kill. Taproot members Stephen Richards and Mike DeWolf explain why they broke away from the major record labels and perused in what made them the happiest: freedom to write and explore.
Now with no strings attached under Velvet Hammer, Taproot is open to experimenting and creativity more than ever. With talks of a possible concept album along the way, Taproot doesn’t look like they’re going to be slowing down any time soon.
Blistering.com: You released your new album Our Long Road Home under Velvet Hammer. What made you make the change from Atlantic?
Stephen Richards: Basically we got dropped from Atlantic. It was a blessing. We weren’t too happy with the way they promoted our last record [Blue-Sky Research], so we were trying to look at other options anyway. Velvet Hammer is our management company, so instead of going to an Indie label, which is basically just a small version of a major, we tried to do something our own way and hopefully we can reap the benefits of doing it ourselves.
Blistering.com: Have you been looking to go to another major record label for your next album? And why?
Richards: Nope! Well, if the right deal came along, sure. We’ve literally spent the whole last album cycle not enjoying the experience. You basically just end up in debt.
Mike DeWolf: I think we’re really happy with where we are at right now. As long as everything goes fairly well there should be no reason to.
Blistering.com: What was it like working with Tim Patalan as a producer?
Richards: It was awesome! Usually we’re stuck in la-la land up in California for almost a year, working 12-6pm in the rehearsal room every day trying to write and rehearse. It was cool to just do it at home. Tim lives about 15 minutes from my house so anytime we needed to or wanted to do something we would just get together and write some stuff down. Tim is a good guy, and we knew of him since we were kids because he’s produced some bigger bands out in the local area. It was great just to work with a local guy.
Blistering.com: Where was Our Long Road Home recorded?
Richards: It was a barn! [laughs]
Blistering.com: What was the experience like?
DeWolf: It was a fully functioning farm, and still is.
Richards: It was actually a farm house on a farm. It wasn’t a full-out barn, it was a farm house. The upstairs was totally renovated to be a studio. It was cool to step outside and see the racehorses they had there, peacocks, dogs, stray cats, and a lot of poop! [laughs]
|
