Michigan Hard Rock Mainstays TAPROOT have announced the release date for their upcoming 7th studio album SC\SSRS, the first since 2012’s The Episodes, set to hit stores September 29th via THC MUSIC/Amplified Distribution. Produced by guitarist/vocalist Stephen Richards at The Loft in Saline, MI, SC\SSRS is the musical brainchild of Richards, recorded and written over the last decade, first as material for a new Taproot album, then with the intention of a solo release, before coming full circle back to Taproot.
Says Richards, “I had written most of this record to be the next Taproot release years ago, following The Episodes, when some health and other issues arose, we decided to take a break that turned into a longer than anticipated hiatus. After my mother’s passing, I decided I needed to record these songs and share them with friends and fans that were interested in hearing what was next. I’ve spent the last 6 years doing as much as I could around my personal life to make it happen, and after all of the hard work, the other guys jumped behind me to support and we decided to get it out there and release what IS the new Taproot record SC\SSRS.”
Bassist Phil Lipscomb adds, “Steve had all these great songs recorded that he’d originally written for the next Taproot record that he was planning to just release independently as part of his solo project, but we started talking, and I encouraged him that we should just do it as a Taproot record and pay it the respect that it deserves. And that’s exactly what we did.”
SC\SSRS will be available for pre-order 3/15 from taprootmerch.com.
Taproot also welcomes new guitarist Taylor Roberts, and the return of original drummer Jarrod Montague, who will join the band for select upcoming shows (with all other shows featuring longtime drummer Dave Coughlin of Sponge) including their “reunion” appearance at Blue Ridge Rock Fest in September, and the SC\SSRS album release party, which will mark the band’s first club show in 6 years, September 29th at The Machine Shop, in Flint, MI.
Tickets go on sale Friday morning at 10 am EST and a VIP Upgrade is available at taprootmerch.com.
Taproot also recently announced the release of Best of Besides, a 17-track collection of remastered demos and rarities, mastered by Richard Easterling (Tantric, Zen From Mars) in stores and digital May 5th, available for pre-order now at taprootmerch.com
Taproot formed in 1997 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and went on to sign to Atlantic Records, releasing their Ulrich Wild (Static-X, Pantera, Mindless Self Indulgence) produced debut album GIFT in 2000, followed by extensive touring including appearances on Ozzfest 2000 and 2001, and tours with Deftones, Incubus, Papa Roach, Slipknot, Mudvayne, Disturbed, and Linkin Park.
The bands sophomore release Welcome, their first pairing with legendary producer Toby Wright (Alice in Chains, Metallica, Korn, Primus) which Rolling Stone called, “a self-preserving transition from new metal to art metal”, went on to sell over 500,000 copies and spawn the hit Rock singles “Poem”, which peaked at #5 on the Mainstream Rock charts, and “Mine”, helping propel “Welcome” to over 50 million digital streams. The band would continue heavy touring with Alien Ant Farm, Chevelle, joining Disturbed on the Music As A Weapon Tour, and Linkin Park. Vocalist Stephen Richards would also appear on the track “P5hng Me A*wy” on Linkin Park’s 2002 remix album REANIMATION.
2005 saw the release of Blue-Sky Research, also helmed by Wright, the band’s final release for Atlantic, which spawned the hit radio single “Calling”, co-written with FAR vocalist Jonah Matranga, and saw the band collaborate with Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Nick Hexum (311), and Stephen Carpenter (Deftones), with heavy touring again, with the likes of Chevelle, Staind, P.O.D., and Flyleaf.
Taproot released several more full-length studio albums, including 2008’s Our Long Road Home (Velvet Hammer), 2010’s Plead The Fifth (Victory), with the single “Fractured (Everything I Said was True)” reaching the top 20 on the Active Rock Chart, and 2012’s The Episodes, while continuing to tour consistently through 2013, when the band went on an indefinite hiatus, returning only to play a sporadic handful of local Michigan shows, before reforming officially this year.
Taproot will play BLUE RIDGE ROCK FEST in September, and The Machine Shop in Flint, MI on 9/29.
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