Tour Update

hello all, just checking in with an update. we all had a blast on the last little run of the tour. we seem to bring the "bad" weather wherever we go so that proved to be trying as far as the drives and such. but all in all fun times were had by all. after a short holiday break spent at home we packed up again for what turned out to be a glorious 25 hour drive down here to fort meyers, florida (ouch). tonight will be the first night of this little run and we expect nothing but good things. the first few shows are with sevendust, then with allyria, and finally with dear enemy. all great guys and we look forward to our time spent with them. there should be another little "tour diary" video going up over at www.ultimateguitar.com very soon. everybody thank phil for putting these together. it has been fun documenting our times. hope you enjoy them... well, thats about it for now. have a wonderful and safe new years and we hope to see you out at a show soon. take care all. - mike

Lima Show Postponed

Due to extreme weather, we won't be able to make it to tonight’s show
in Lima. The show is postponed and will now be on January 30.

We’re very sorry for the change of plans, but we look forward to seeing you all then!

Happy holidays

-Taproot

A Day in the Life - Exclusive Videos from CageRattle

CageRattle has just posted an exclusive, two-part series that brings you into a typical day of our lives on the road. Follow us around for load-in, hang-out time, an in-store performance, a meet-n-greet, and finally our performance. You'll get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into what a day on the road is really like for Taproot.

Click here to check out both videos!

Tour Banner Winner

Congratulations to Erinicus from Rhode Island! She submitted the winning screenshot for the Taproot Tour Banner Challenge.

For her support of the band she will receive a signed Taproot drumhead!

Thanks also to everyone else who participated, you're really doing a great job spreading the word! Keep it up and stay close for more chances to promote Taproot...

St. Pete, FL Acoustic Charity Show

If you live near St. Petersburg, FL, come out to a special acoustic concert benefitting the Make-A-Wish Foundation on Dec 29 at the State Theatre. We'll be joining Hello Demons Meet Skeletons, a new project featuring Clint Lowery of Sevendust.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.

Video Tour Diary - Week 1

Taproot is partnering with Ultimate-Guitar.tv to bring you an exclusive weekly tour diary of their US headlining tour. Head on over to Ultimate-Guitar now and check out the first installment!

New Tour Dates Announced!

New dates announced! See the full updated list below:

Dec 8 - Sauget, IL - Pop's | On-Sale Now
Dec 9 - Little Rock, AR - Juanita's | On-Sale Now
Dec 11 - Memphis, TN - New Daisy Theatre | On-Sale Now
Dec 12 - Nashville, TN - Sommet Center | On-Sale Now
Dec 13 - Fayetteville, NC - Jesters | On-Sale Now
Dec 14 - Jacksonville, NC - Hooligans | On-Sale Now
Dec 16 - Baltimore, MD - Fletchers | On-Sale Now
Dec 17 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs | On-Sale Now
Dec 18 - West Chester, PA - The Note | On-Sale Now
Dec 19 - Lima, OH - Harry's Hideaway | On-Sale Now
Dec 20 - Jackson, MI - The Hog's Palace | On-Sale Now
Dec 27 - Fort Myers, FL - Ricochet w/ Sevendust | On-Sale Now @ Venue
Dec 28 - Tampa, FL - The Ritz Ybor w/ Sevendust | On-Sale Now
Dec 29 - St. Petersburg, FL - State Theatre (Special Acoustic Show For Make A Wish Foundation) | On-Sale Now
Dec 30 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution w/ Sevendust | On-Sale Now
Dec 31 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues Orlando w/ Sevendust | On-Sale Now
Jan 2 - Hattiesburg, MS - MJ Hooligans | On-Sale Now
Jan 3 - Tupelo, MS - Good Time Charlies | On-Sale 12/12
Jan 31 - Battle Creek, MI - Planet Rock (John Smith Cancer Benefit) | On-Sale Now

Mike's Interview with Ultimate-Guitar

Ultimate-Guitar recently chatted with Mike DeWolf about his gear, the new
Taproot album, and the band's creative process. Check out the whole feature here!

Chicago!

If you’re in the Chicago area and you want to help promote Taproot, here’s your chance. Help us out and you might just score yourself a pair of tickets and backstage passes to the Dec 6 show at Subterranean! To spread the word on the streets, start by downloading the flyers HERE. Right-click and "Save As" to download the file to your computer. Next, print out a TON, cut them out (four print per page), and get ‘em out. Take photos of people holding them, and anywhere you tape them up or leave stacks in stores.

Pass them out at rock shows, or in busy areas where like-minded people gather. You can also leave stacks in tattoo parlors, clothing stores, etc – wherever Taproot fans might be found! The more pictures you take demonstrating your fearless work promoting the show, the better your chance of winning. Pictures will need to be uploaded by DECEMBER 2 to the Taproot Chicago Challenge in the community section of VelvetHammer.net. Based on who demonstrates the most EFFECTIVE promotion of the show, we will award the top 2 promoters with a pair of tickets and backstage passes each.

Now let’s get started!

"Wherever I Stand" Video

“Wherever I Stand” Video now at TheGauntlet!

TheGauntlet.com is hosting the exclusive premiere of our brand new video for “Wherever I Stand”!

Check it out!

Online Tour Promotion

Click here to see Taproot's online tour promotion. You could win a drum head signed by the whole band!

ATTENTION DETROIT / MT.CLEMENS – EMERALD THEATRE SHOW NOVEMBER 6TH!

ON-SALE TODAY AT 5PM EST AT TICKETMASTER.COM – TICKETS ARE $10! 18+
WE’LL SEE YOU THEN!

Win a Signed Guitar from Taproot and GuitarWorld!

Check out our GuitarWorld.com contest for you chance to win an Ibanez guitar signed by everyone in Taproot!



Head over to GuitarWorld and enter now!

Northampton, MA – Special In-Store Performance at Turn It Up!

Next Sunday, October 12th, come hang with us at Turn It Up in Northampton, MA. This will be the second in-store signing / acoustic performance that we’re doing on the Sevendust tour.

The event begins at 3pm and is free. Address below, see you there!

Turn It Up
5 Pleasant St.
Northampton, MA 01060

Tour Banner Promotion Winners

Congratulations to Nikki from Cleveland, OH and Lindsay from Ocala, FL for winning our banner promotion contest! They submitted the winning screenshots and now they're each being rewarded with a pair of tickets and backstage passes to see Taproot on tour!

Keep checking back, your next opportunity to win is coming soon...

Special In-Store Performance Sunday in Lancaster, PA!

Come join Taproot Sunday afternoon for an intimate acoustic performance at the FYE store in Lancaster, PA. Music will begin at 3pm, and then the band will sign copies of their new record, Our Long Road Home immediately after.

The event is free and takes place at FYE, 292 Park City Ctr, Lancaster, PA 17601-2708.

See you there!

Jarrod Montague

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 coming soon. We look forward to seeing you all out at the shows.

Taproot VIP For a Day!

CageRattle is giving you and one friend the chance to be VIPs at Taproot's upcoming fall tour stop in your city! What does this mean? Enter the drawing and you and a friend could get free tickets, backstage passes, and a chance to hang with Taproot at their show -- and there will be one winner for each city of the tour! Head over to CageRattle.com to enter.

AltPress.com Winner

Congratulations to Luke from Sioux Falls, SD who won a Taproot prize pack from AltPress.com including an autographed copy of Our Long Road Home, a Taproot t-shirt, and a TR hat!

Stay close for more contests and more ways to get Taproot swag!

Our Long Road Home... Across America

Right now we're gearing up and getting excited for our fall tour with Sevendust. It's been a long time since we've toured, and we can't wait to get back out there and see all of your familiar faces once again!

Below is a banner promoting our tour. We need YOU to spread that sucker across the internet to make sure the word gets out! In return for your efforts, the TOP TWO PROMOTERS WILL RECEIVE A PAIR OF TICKETS AND BACKSTAGE PASSES to hang with Taproot at the tour date of your choice!

Want in? Here's how:

1. Post this banner EVERYWHERE possible. Use the code underneath the banner to post the banner on any website possible. Hit up your Myspace, Facebook, your blog, your message board signature, your friend's myspace pages, and anywhere else possible online. Get creative!

2. Take screenshots of all your banner placements (To take a screenshot, PC users press "Print Screen", open Paint, go to Edit>Paste and save. Mac users press Apple+Shift+3 and your screenshot will save to the desktop.)

3. In a single email with the subject "TAPROOT SCREENSHOTS", attach all of your screenshots and send to taproot@velvethammer.net. Please only divide your submissions across multiple emails if they won't send otherwise. In the body of the email, write your name and city.

4. All screenshots must be submitted by SEPTEMBER 25. EACH individual screenshot you take will count as ONE entry into the contest, so the more you submit the better your chances of winning! On Sept 25, two screenshots will be chosen at random, and their submitters will win tickets and backstage passes to the upcoming Taproot show of their choice! Two separate individuals must win, so if the second random screenshot chosen is from the same submitter as the first, another will be chosen until another winner is picked.

Sound good? Now get out there and spread the word and we'll see you soon!







Copy and paste the code below to put this banner on your own site

<br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/taproot"><img src="http://content.velvethammer.net/Taproot/tr_sevendusttour_banner.gif" border="0" /></a><br />

On The Record

Check out our iMeem page and listen to our On The Record playlist. There you can stream the entire new album with song-by-song commentary from Stephen!

Our Long Road Home, Video Series: Chapter 5

We present to you the final clip in our video journey "home". This video gives a little glimpse into what we've been up to leading up to the release of the new album Our Long Road Home, which is TODAY!

Taproot on iLike - Add iLike to your MySpace

Fall Tour w/ Sevendust -- Tickets On-Sale Now!

9/26 - Louisville, KY - Club Oasis

9/27 - Montgomery, AL - Off the Wagon

9/28 - Birmingham, AL - Work Play Theatre

9/30 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel

10/2 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues

10/3 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Zoo

10/4 - Springfield, VA - Jaxx

10/5 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club

10/7 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza

10/8 - Wantagh, NY - Mulcahys

10/10 - Johnson City, NY - Magic City Music Hall

10/11 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance

10/12 - Northampton, MA - Pearl Street Nightclub

10/14 - Charlotte, NC - Amos's South End

10/15 - Fayetteville, NC - Jester's Pub

10/17 - Jacksonville, FL - Freebird Live

10/18 - Tallahassee, FL - The Moon (call 850.878.6900 or visit box office for tickets)

10/19 - Hilton Head Island, SC - Stages, Music & More

10/21 - New Haven, CT - Toad's Place

10/23 - Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights

10/24 - Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom

10/25 - Providence, RI - Dunkin Donuts Center

Our Long Road Home Available Everywhere Now!

It's been a long time in the making and it's finally here - Our Long Road Home is available now! It's taken a lot of hard work and determination to make it this far - and of course the patience of our loyal fans. We're asking all of you to help support our first indie release - go out and buy Our Long Road Home today! Thank you as always, we couldn't have made it this far without you. -Taproot

Full Album Preview at RevolverMag.com!

Hey everyone, RevolverMag.com is currently featuring an album listening party of Our Long Road Home! Go check it out and don't forget to pick up your own copy on Tuesday when the album becomes available everywhere! Enjoy!

Attention Ann Arbor, MI

As I'm sure you all well know by now, on September 18th we're going to be having a very special event at the Borders in Ann Arbor, and we want you to help spread the word about it. If you're down to promote, email taproot@velvethammer.net with the subject "BORDERS FLYERS" and you will receive further instructions.

The best promoter will get to grab lunch with us after the event. And it's on us!

Good luck!

“Wherever I Stand” Ringtone Now Available!

Rock "Wherever I Stand" on your phone now by texting taprt1 to 66555 for $2.99/ringtone. Enjoy!

Users will be charged $2.99 per real music ringtone. Charge will appear on wireless bill or be deducted from prepaid minutes. Offer available for AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and Virgin Mobile subscribers with compatible phones. Must be at least 13 years old and have bill payer's permission. Standard text messaging fees and other charges may apply. Opt out: Text STOP to 66555. Visit www.rtjb.com for customer support and full updated T&C’s (updated 7-08)

Our Long Road Home, Video Series: Chapter 4

Check out the fourth installment of the *Our Long Road Home* video series on iLike. You'll get a glimpse into recording process for "Blue Sky Research" and also some tour footage from our tour in support of the album between 2004 and 2006.
At the end, you'll hear a sneak preview of our brand new song "Path Less Taken". Let us know what you think by writing us a note on our iLike fan wall, and don't forget to pick up the album one week from today, September 16!

Taproot on iLike - Add iLike to your MySpace

In-Store Performance and Signing at Borders in Ann Arbor!

We'll be performing acoustically and signing at the Borders in our hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan on September 18! Everyone is welcome to come join us for the celebration of the release of our new album, Our Long Road Home! The event will be Thursday, September 18 at 12:30pm. The Borders is located at 612 E Liberty, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. We're looking forward to seeing all of our hometown fans there to celebrate with us!

From the Lunatic Luau Organizers

Tropical Storm Hanna is expected to impact our area on Saturday, and a tropical storm warning has been issued for a large portion of the southeast coast, including Virginia Beach. Hazardous weather conditions are forecasted in connection with this storm, and Governor Kaine has already declared a state of emergency for the Commonwealth of Virginia. We have consulted with local officials and carefully considered the information available to us at this time. We have determined that in the interest of the safety of the fans, performers, crew and venue staff, we have no choice but to cancel the Lunatic Luau scheduled for Saturday.

Lunatic Luau Signing

If you’re coming down to FM99's Lunatic Luau in Norfolk this Saturday, swing by the Autograph Tent between 5:30 and 6pm – we'll be meeting fans and signing autographs before we play.

See you guys there!

Win a Guitar Signed by Taproot from Ultimate-Guitar.com!

Visit Ultimate-Guitar.com right now for your chance to win an Ibanez GRX20Z guitar signed by Taproot!

Tap Your Space Winner!

Congrats to Rachel from Elizabeth City, NC for winning our "Tap Your Space" promotion! She decked out her page with Taproot in a cool, creative way. Check out the winning space here: http://www.myspace.com/coldsoldier420

For her efforts, Rachel has won a signed set list from Taproot!

Stay tuned for more opportunities where you can promote Taproot and win rare swag of your own...

Our Long Road Home, Video Series: Chapter 3

Our Long Road Home, Video Series: Chapter 3

Hey guys, here is the third installment in our video series for *Our Long Road Home*. This one takes you through the time we were recording and touring on our album "Welcome" from 2002 to 2004.

At the end of the video, you'll hear the first ever sneak peak of our new song "Take It"!

Be sure to share this video with friends and we'll see you again next Tuesday for Chapter 4...

Taproot on iLike - Add iLike to your MySpace

Greetings From Ann Arbor!

See the postcard below? It has a little message on it from us. It's for all of your friends and other people that need to know about *Our Long Road Home* coming out on 9/16.

Now check out the signed pic and "Wherever I Stand" single CD below the postcard. Do you want to win it? Details after the jump.

We're looking for our friends and fans to distribute some of our "Greetings From Ann Arbor" postcards to people around their cities. If you have a digital camera, transportation, and can dedicate some serious time to promoting in the nearest major US city, send an email to taproot@velvethammer.net.

In the subject, write "POSTCARDS" and the name of your city in all caps. For example: POSTCARDS - CHICAGO. You may only participate if you can promote in a major US city! In the body of the email, include your full name, address with zip code, and phone number. You will be sent a batch of postcards to distribute and more specific instructions. We only have a limited amount, so act quickly.

The top 5 promoters will each win a signed copy of the limited edition "Wherever I Stand" CD and an autographed photo of us, Taproot. Now, good luck and get promoting!

Our Long Road Home, Video Series: Chapter 2

Check out the second installment in our video series in honor of our new album *Our Long Road Home*!

Journey with us through the second stage of our career after we signed with Atlantic and released our first full length album, "Gift". At the end you'll hear a clip of a new song titled "You're Not Home Tonight". The full track is posted on our iLike page for your listening pleasure... Use iLike to dedicate it to a friend and let us know your thoughts!

Taproot on iLike - Add iLike to your MySpace

Pre-Order "Our Long Road Home" From Newbury Comics!

Pre-order your copy of "Our Long Road Home" now from Newbury Comics and receive a limited autographed booklet with your purchase!

US Tour Dates with Sevendust Announced!

We're excited to announce our return to the road with Sevendust this fall. A handful of dates are below - the complete list will be unveiled soon.


We can't wait to get back out there and see you all soon!

More to come soon.


Sep 30 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
Oct 2 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
Oct 3 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Zoo
Oct 4 - Springfield, VA - Jaxx
Oct 5 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club
Oct 7 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
Oct 8 - Wantagh, NY - Mulcahys
Oct 11 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
Oct 12 - Northampton, MA - Pearl Street Nightclub

Our Long Road Home, Video Series: Chapter 1

Starting today, each week we'll post a video on iLike as part of a video series showing the journey to *Our Long Road Home* as each chapter will highlight a different part of our evolution. Check out Chapter 1 here, which is from the years before we signed our deal with Atlantic.

At the end of each week's video clip, you will be able to hear a clip of a brand new song from *Our Long Road Home*, which comes out September 16!

Check out the clip and tell us what you think on our iLike Fan Wall - we want to hear from you!

Taproot on iLike

"Wherever I Stand" Banner Post Contest Winner

Congratulations to Whitney from San Antonio for doing a kick-ass job posting our "Wherever I Stand" banner all over the net! Her hard work and dedication has earned her an autographed copy of our "Wherever I Stand" limited edition CD single.

And thanks to everyone else who participated and sent in their screen shots; your dedication means the world to us.

Want to win some cool Taproot stuff yourself? Check out our recent blog posts for other promotions you can jump into right now!

Madison has been added to our flyer promotion! If you live in the area, check out our blog to learn how you can promote Taproot and earn a pair of backstage passes to our next show in the area!

Enter to win a Taproot prize pack at AltPress.com! The winner gets a signed copy of "Our Long Road Home", and a brand new Taproot t-shirt and hat!

Greenville Added to Flyer Promotion!

Attention Greenville, SC area! Check out our MYSPACE BLOG to see how you can promote us in your city for a chance to win backstage passes when we come down there!

And if you live elsewhere, check the blog linked above to see if your city was already listed!

JACKSON and NASHVILLE Added to Flyer Promotion!

Two more cities are now open for participation in our flyer promotion. If you live in JACKSON, MS or NASHVILLE, TN, see the revised contest posting below!

---

Would you like to hear our new single, "Wherever I Stand," on your favorite radio station? You can help force them to take notice!

We are looking for a handful of diehard Taproot fans to inundate rock shows in certain cities with flyers asking people to request "Wherever I Stand" on the radio. You must have a car, a digital camera, and a willingness to pass out flyers fairly late at night.

If you do a fantastic job, you could win a pair of backstage passes to see Taproot next time they come to your city!

We are looking for help in these areas:

California - Santa Rosa
Illinois - Chicago
Iowa - Cedar Rapids
Iowa - Des Moines
Michigan - Detroit
Michigan - Flint
Michigan - Grand Rapids
Michigan - Saginaw
Minnesota - Minneapolis
Mississippi - Jackson
Nevada - Las Vegas
Tennessee - Nashville
Virginia - Norfolk
Washington - Spokane

To get started, send an email to taproot@velvethammer.net with the name of your city in the email's subject header (for instance "NORFOLK"). If chosen, you will be promptly contacted by our street team leader.

Tap Your Space

See the set list below? This is an actual set list signed by everybody in Taproot.



Want to win it? Here's how...

We want you to TAP YOUR SPACE. Change your Myspace profile name to "(your name)-root," add "Wherever I Stand" to your profile, add us to your top friends and basically get creative and TAP YOUR SPACE however you see fit.

After you "Tap Your Space," send an email with the subject "TAPPED SPACE" to taproot@velvethammer.net. All you have to do is write your myspace URL in the body of the email (ours is http://www.myspace.com/taproot). You must enter by no later than MONDAY, AUG 18 and leave your profile "TAPPED" until MONDAY, SEP 1ST. Your profile must be left TAPPED for the entire two weeks or more... it will be checked regularly. On September 1, one participating fan will be chosen at random to win the set list above!

Good luck!

Pre-order New Album

We're very excited to announce Our Long Road Home is available for pre-order at MerchNow.com/Taproot. There are two options:
1) Order the CD for $12
2) Order the CD and cool new T-shirt bundle for $20

Order the new album, request Wherever I Stand at your local Radio Station, and spread the word - Our Long Road Home is almost here!

Lunatic Luau Tickets On-Sale Now!

Click here for tickets – we're looking forward to seeing you all on September 6th!

SPOKANE, DES MOINES, and CEDAR RAPIDS!

We just added three more cities now open for participation in our flyer promotion. If you live in SPOKANE, WA, DES MOINES, IA, or CEDAR RAPIDS, IA, see the revised contest posting below!

---

Would you like to hear our new single, "Wherever I Stand," on your favorite radio station? You can help force them to take notice!

We are looking for a handful of diehard Taproot fans to inundate rock shows in certain cities with flyers asking people to request "Wherever I Stand" on the radio. You must have a car, a digital camera, and a willingness to pass out flyers fairly late at night.

If you do a fantastic job, you could win a pair of backstage passes to see Taproot next time they come to your city!

We are looking for help in these areas:

California - Santa Rosa
Illinois - Chicago
Iowa - Cedar Rapids
Iowa - Des Moines
Michigan - Detroit
Michigan - Flint
Michigan - Grand Rapids
Michigan - Saginaw
Minnesota - Minneapolis
Nevada - Las Vegas
Virginia - Norfolk
Washington - Spokane

To get started, send an email to taproot@velvethammer.net with the name of your city in the email's subject header (for instance "NORFOLK"). If chosen, you will be promptly contacted by our street team leader.

NEW MERCH !!

The new Taproot store is up and running. New shirts are available now and the old ones are all on sale. Check it out at merchnow.com/taproot merchnow.com/taproot

STICKER YOUR CITY

Do you live in one of the cities below? Help us spread the word!

Detroit
Chicago
Boston
Dallas
Los Angeles
Philadelphia
Denver
New York
Minneapolis
Las Vegas

If you live in or near one of the above cities and want to help promote Taproot, we want to hear from you! The best promoter will receive the bass drum head below signed by the whole band:



We need some diehard fans to assault these cities with Taproot stickers. The requirements are: a digital camera, dependable means of transportation around the city, and a dedication to spread the word. You must be able to promote in one of the actual cities above -- not a suburb.

So, if you are ready to devote some significant time to pasting stickers around one of these cities, send an email with the subject header STICKERS followed by your city, for example: "STICKERS - CHICAGO," to taproot@velvethammer.net. You will then be contacted with further instructions by our street team leader.

Michiganders and 89X

Our new song "Wherever I Stand" will be on the People's Choice on detroit/windsor's 89x RADIO (88.7) TONIGHT, August 4th at 7pm Eastern time. They'll put our song up against another song and the people vote on which one they like best. So tune in tonight and show your Taproot love!

89X People's Choice
X lines phone numbers:
(313) 298-7999
(519) 792-5000

Taproot at WNOR’s Lunatic Luau!

We’re excited to announce that we’ll be headlining the second stage at the Lunatic Luau in Norfolk on September 6th!

Tickets go on sale Friday, August 8th and all other info can be found at http://www.fm99.com/luau.asp

Can’t wait to see you all on the 6th!!!
More touring news coming soon!

New song up on MySpace

"Wherever I Stand" - the first single from our new record - is now up on Taproot's Myspace page. It's time to hear something new... Call or email your local radio stations and demand it!

OLRH Release Date Pushed Back

As some of you may already know, we pushed Our Long Road Home back to September 16 to give us a little extra time to perfect the set-up of the record. Being our first independent release, and given our strong belief and confidence in this album, we want to make sure everything is just right. Thank you as always for your continued patience, understanding, and loyalty. ¡Viva la Independencia!

Detroit and Vegas!

Taproot will be playing a FREE set as part of the Detroit River Days Festival on Friday June 20th. That's right, a FREE show. The stage opens at 5PM and we will be going on around 10PM. For more details go to www.detroitriverdays.com/music.html

June 20, 2008
Detroit River Days Festival
1 Rivard Plaze
Detroit, MI
Admission: FREE

We will also be playing in Las Vegas for the July 4th edition of Rock The Block. This too, will be a FREE show. The show starts at 6PM, Taproot will be going on around 10PM. For more details go to www.myspace.com/rocktheblockvegas

July 4, 2008
Rock the Block - Vegas
500 E. Fremont St.
Las Vegas, NV
Admission: FREE

Film A Taproot Show From Backstage

Help promote our upcoming shows in Toledo, Battlecreek, and Flint, and you could win an opportunity to film our performance and a short interview from backstage at the shows. Here's what to do...

1. Send an email to taproot@velvethammer.net with the name of the appropriate city in the subject line (for example: subject="TOLEDO").

2. 5 people will be chosen for each of the three cities to receive a flyer promoting the shows. The 15 chosen people will print out the flyers and promote in and around that city. You will need to submit pictures showing your efforts in distributing the flyers around town.

3. The person from each city (3 people total) who submits the most and best pictures demonstrating their promotional efforts will win free admission to the show in their town, backstage passes, and an opportunity to use our camera to film the performance and a short
interview. Your footage will appear on our YouTube channel, our Myspace page, and our official blog!

Good luck!

Album Release Date

As you well know by now, we finally have a release date for Our Long Road Home : Aug. 5th, 2008. We know many of you were hoping it would be sooner, but we need time to properly set the album up so it can receive the exposure it deserves. Equally, we had a couple more songs we wanted to record and add to the record, which we're doing now. 

We often receive comments from you guys, curious about our label situation; after weighing our options, we felt that it was best for us as a band to forgo the major labels and release the album on our own. After doing our diligence, we found a fantastic company in RED to distribute our record through our management's record label, Velvet Hammer Music. Both companies share the same vision as we do and we really feel like this situation is a great fit for us. Thank you as always for your continued support and we hope to see all of you very soon! -Taproot

Album Teasers

Taproot LIVE!

Taproot is getting back in gear and playing some live shows. Phil flew back to MI last week and the band has started rehearsing for their upcoming shows. The first show we can announce is May 24th we'll be at one of our favorite places to play, The Machine Shop in Flint, MI which has become our adopted home town.

To purchase advance tickets for concerts at THE MACHINE SHOP you can go to the club itself, Paradise Express on Dort Hwy. Flint, Busted Knuckle Underground Clothing, 5880 State St., Saginaw or just simply go to www.etix.com and you can print tickets on your printer. It is very simple and is less costly than other ticket sales companies.

We have a couple more shows we'll be announcing in the next few days, so stay tuned! We can't wait to get back out and play in front of our fans!

NOT just Sirius subscribers....

Sirius channel 20 Octane, has added our new song "you're not home tonight" into early rotation which means it's on 3x a day, but with requests and feedback, that'll go up to like 5x or 6x a day, and maybe lead to bigger and better things... like getting this album out quicker! so if you have any free time, subscriber or not, please help us out by "requesting a song" at www.sirius.com/octane thanks guy's..and gal's- steve

Demand Taproot!

We are in the planning stages for our next tour, so demand that Taproot comes to your area! Click on the "Demand It" button below and let us know you want Taproot to come to your city. Also, post this on your myspace, blog, facebook, etc. so other people know to demand Taproot! See code at bottom.

Events by Eventful

<br/><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowScriptAccess="never" allowNetworking="internal"width="300"height="275"data="http://static.eventful.com/store/stickers/flash/split.swf"><param name="flashVars" value="&bg=black&sid=P0-001-000116733-8&size=300&fg=FFFFFF&target=myspace" /><param name="movie" value="http://static.eventful.com/store/stickers/flash/split.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="salign" value="lt" /></object><br /><a href="http://eventful.com/performers/P0-001-000116733-8/demand?bg=black&fg=FFFFFF&t=new" target="_new"><img height="45" width="300" border="0" src="http://static.eventful.com/store/stickers/flash/assets/split/300x45_mid-black.gif" /></a><br /><a href="http://eventful.com/demand/learn/P0-001-000116733-8?t=new" target="_new"><img height="30" width="300" border="0" src="http://static.eventful.com/store/stickers/flash/assets/split/300x30_bottom-black.gif" /></a><br/><br /><font color="#999999"><a href="http://eventful.com"><font color="#999999">Events</font></a> by Eventful</font></center>

The Battle Continues...

Just a reminder, Our new song "You're Not Home Tonight" will once again be on the People's Choice on detroit/windsor's 89x RADIO (88.7) Monday night March 10th at 7pm. So tune in tonight, call in and vote, and show your Taproot love! You can listen in at:
www.89xradio.com
89X People's Choice X lines phone numbers:
(313) 298-7999

THE NEW 89X PEOPLE'S CHOICE CHAMPION IS...

TAPROOT! Thank you to everyone that called in and cast your vote for us. Those of you that were listening heard Stephen call in and thank our fans and 89X for their support, and even put a vote in for us, haha. It was exciting to have the song played on the radio, and it was great to hear from all of our fans showing their Taproot love. Let's see if we can make it two in a row, back on Monday, same time, same channel! :)

Michiganders and 89X

Our new song "You're Not Home Tonight" will be on the People's Choice on detroit/windsor's 89x RADIO (88.7) Friday night March 7th at 7pm. They'll put our song up against another song and the people vote on which one they like best. So tune in tomorrow night and show your Taproot love!

89X People's Choice

X lines phone numbers:

(313) 298-7999

(519) 792-5000

Help spread the word!

As everyone knows by now, our latest album Our Long Road Home is officially mixed and mastered. The album as a whole takes you on a journey that expresses many different moods and feelings. This isn't a "metal" album or a "pop" album or an "alternative" album or whatever people are calling music these days... It's a Taproot album, and if you're familiar with our previous bodies of work, you'll know what we mean. We haven't so much "redefined" ourselves with this album, but rather defined ourselves more. You get to know a little bit more about us and see our growth as people and musicians. As our fans you have been a part of this journey as much as we have, and it's been your help and undying support that has gotten us to where we are now. Having been a minute since we've released new music, we would love to see all of you die-hards continue to spread the word. Send a blank email to taproot@velvethammer.net and they'll give you details as to how to help. We're ramping it back up again, dropping a new song is just the beginning... -Taproot

What's up with Bees?

seriously? - stephen    

ha...blog!

Esteban Ricardo checkin' in:

hello everyone...  not much goin' on here in A2,  just startin' to get fired up about the new album.  keep in mind "home" is just one track, so for all the haters, there's at least 8 or 9 other songs to look forward to hating as well, so don't let it all out at once!  and thanks to everyone for being so patient w/ us and still checkin' in....love you all- Stephen Steele Richards

Jarrod Checks In

Hey everyone! It's been a long time since I've checked in with you all, so with the posting of the new tune I thought I'd say Hi.

As always, it took us awhile to get some new music to you all, but I think you'll be excited about what you hear. Making this album was probably the most efficiently we've ever worked. With all of our busy schedules, we were really challenged to make the best use of our time when writing, jamming, and recording. So, the music sounds very focused and purposeful to me.

I find myself listening to songs on this record more at this stage of it being finished than the past records. We experimented more in the studio than on past records so it sounds more fresh to me. On all of our past records, we would rehearse the songs for weeks before recording, then change very little in the studio. I think there are some really cool, creative things that happened as a result of this approach. I also think overall there is a bit of a darker feel to the record when compared to BSR, even though "You're Not Home" doesn't really reflect that.

Other than that, I've just been busy wrangling my 2 boys pictured above, Max (2 years old) and Evan (6 months old). They're a blast and they keep me busy!

That's it for now. Enjoy "Home" and we'll see ya out there soon!

-Jarrod

New Music

After a long wait, finally some new music from Taproot! I'm going to argue that Sunday is actually the last day of the week, not the first, therefore this is still "within the week" that I claimed I was going to post this. :) The song is called "You're Not Home Tonight" from our upcoming release "Our Long Road Home." Hope you like it.

Philly TR's UFC Picks

For those of you that are into watching The Ultimate Fighting Championships, here are my picks for tonights event. I'm very excited for this one.

Anderson Silva vs Dan Henderson: I'm going with the champ Anderson Silva on this one. This isn't an east pick. I think Dan has the skill to beat Anderson, but he's become more of a brawler and striker lately and less of a wrestler. Anderson's striking is top notch and super accurate, so unless Dan starts incorporating his wrestling into this match, he's gonna get beat. I see Dan being stubborn and trying to slug it out and getting knocked out by Silva in the 2nd round.

Heath Herring vs Cheick Kongo: Kongo is the favorite, but I'm picking Herring. Kongo is a one dimensional fighter who's shown horrible takedown defense in the past. If Herring comes in with a good game plan he can win this one. Herring by decision.

Yushin Okami vs Evan Tanner: I like Evan Tanner a lot, but he's been out for two years and Okami is a beast. A boring beast, but he's too strong for Tanner. Okami by decision.

Chris Wilson vs Jon Fitch: Jon Fitch has looked fantastic lately and although he may end up in some bad spots occasionally, he's so tough he gets through it and continues to put on the pressure. I don't see anything changing in this match, Jon Fitch by submission in the 3rd.

David Bielkheden vs Diego Sanchez: Never seen Bielkheden fight, so I'm going with Sanchez by decision.

Jake O'Brien vs Andrei Arlovski: Arlovski better win this one otherwise I'm officially off his bandwagon. KO in the first.

Luigi Fioravanti vs Luke Cummo: Luke Cummo

Dustin Hazelett vs Josh Koscheck: Josh Koscheck

Jon Halverson vs Jorge Gurgel: Another underdog pick, I'm going with Halverson. Jorge hasn't impressed me, ever.

Alessio Sakara vs Chris Leben: Not a Leben fan, but he hits harder than Sakara, so I'm gonna go with him.

No matter what, Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson always put on good fights, so the main event should be pretty amazing. If you don't normally watch this stuff, find a bar that's playing it and check it out, it's good times. -Philly TR

Glad I'm not in Michigan...

I talked to Mike today and apparently it's really cold in Ann Arbor, so I'm not regretting my decision to live in North Hollywood. :) Some people say they couldn't deal with the LA traffic, and that they need all four seasons, and blah blah blah. I got in my car today and didn't have to scrape off any snow or let it warm up, and that's plenty good for me. If I want snow I can drive a couple hours to the mountains and have snow, and when I'm done I can drive back to my apartment and change back into a pair of shorts. The weather was beautiful today, and that's worth the extra cost of living to me. Anyway, since Mike thanked me for introducing him to matcha tea, I'll have to thank him for introducing me to QUINOA, the king of the grains. Those of you that know me know I can be a bit of a health nut, and quinoa is amazing! It tastes great, and is a healthier alternative to the other grains such as wheat and rice. It contains complete protein, which means it provides all 8 essential amino acids. You can find it in most healthy grocery stores such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. It's also gluten-free, for those of you that have a gluten-intolerance like myself. Keep checking in, new song up soon. Leave comments and let us know what you think about the blog so far. Till next time... -Philly TR

uh huh, huh?

ni hao! just wanted to check in and say hello. im at home here in lovely ann arbor michigan sitting in my office. its cold outside and snowing. yesterday i finished putting together the last (for now) of four bookshelves. ive been reading alot as of late and the books began demanding homes. soon enough, we will need more. started my day off with tsampa and tea. matcha tea! (thanx phil) so im feelin good. who is tuned in this political season? i for one, am addicted. been watching/reading/learning everything i can. im a bit obsessed but i find it a fairly healthy one. how many of you have checked out the taproot mog pages? there are links to each of ours on the myspace page. i am very fond of mog. you guys should join in and become our friends... cause we dont have any :( haha anyways, new music soon right?! i know, we cant wait for you to hear it. hopefully you will find it as exciting and uplifting as we do. till then, take care and be well. - mike

New Blog/More News

Welcome to our new blog. This is where we will be doing all our future updates, where you can be the first to hear all the latest happenings with Taproot - tour dates, videos, and even new music! I've been given approval to release one of our new album tracks which will be up within the coming week. I'm excited to hear everyone's reaction. I received my copy of the mixed and mastered version of "Our Long Road Home" on Tuesday, and I've been listening to it constantly ever since. I'm extremely happy with the way it turned out, can't wait for everyone to hear it. We are going to use this as a real blog, which means you'll also get random thoughts and ramblings from all of us on here about anything and everything - from tv shows and movies we're watching to what we ate for dinner last night. If there's anything you want to hear about or see on here, any ideas, please let us know and we'll try to accommodate. Till next time. -Philly TR