Ann Arbor, MI's own Taproot sent their demo to Limp Bizkit frontman/business entrepreneur Fred Durst in 1998, not even thinking Durst would call them back personally. To their surprise, he promised the alterna-punk metal four-piece the world. But Durst obviously took too long to deliver the goods, for Taproot -- frontman Stephen Richards, guitarist Michael DeWolf, bassist Philip Lipscomb, and drummer Jarrod Montague -- landed a sweet deal with Atlantic Records. Durst felt betrayed and heavily cursed the band, but Taproot wasn't fazed by such rude behavior. Their Velvet-Hammer/Atlantic debut, Gift was released in June 2000 and unveiled the band's tough thrash sound, heavy hooks, and beer soaked vocals.