Taproot’s Stephen Richards Is Hopeful About Band’s Future – ‘We’re Going to Enjoy the Ride + See Where It Takes Us’

With the release of their first studio album in more than a decade, SC\SSRS, Taproot are experiencing a revival of sorts — and frontman Stephen Richards is excited to see what the future holds.

"They're starting to book more festivals already for next year," Richards told Chuck Armstrong on Loudwire Nights Wednesday night (Oct. 11). "We'll still keep going. I don't think right now, off the top of our heads, we're planning on writing or going into the studio anytime soon. This is kind of getting started up again, so that'll take awhile."

That being said, Richards told Chuck their latest album — their first since 2012's The Episodes — is far from a "one and done" sort of thing.

"We're just going to enjoy the ride and see where it takes us," he admitted. "If it ends up being worthwhile, then we'll do it for sure."

What Led to Taproot Releasing a New Album

The fact that SC\SSRS is pushing Taproot into the future is a bit of a surprise to Richards. As he explained to Chuck, he almost released the album as a solo record.

"I've been working on this thing for the last six years," he said. "After my mom passed, I went in the studio just to kind of focus, get my head off of things ... I was just going to release it on my own."

He considered the fans who followed him on social media and figured it'd be easy enough to have them check it out — and then he'd simply move on.

Taproot bassist and co-founder Phil Lipscomb pushed Richards to consider a different approach, though.

"He was the one who was like, 'Dude, we were playing [some of these songs] while touring on The Episodes. We had your demos and we were rocking. We all loved them. This is supposed to be the next Taproot record. So, let's make it a Taproot record.'"

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It didn't take long for Richards to agree with Lipscomb's suggestion.

"It clicked right away," Richards said.

"I'm just over here throwing myself a little pity party, working forever and ever and then he was like, 'No, dude, this is good stuff. We're releasing this' ... I quit my job, hoping this works out."

What Else Did Taproot's Stephen Richards Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• The inspiration behind "Favourite Song" from SC\SSRS
• What it's like having a whole team around the band helping them with the new album and their tour
• How he found encouragement when revisiting Taproot's older songs ahead of returning to the stage

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

Stephen Richards joined Loudwire Nights on Wednesday, Oct. 11; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand. Stream SC\SSRS at this location and then check out Taproot's full tour schedule.