Taproot/Boy Hits Car/X Factor 1

Not sure too many hard rock fans remember Taproot’s major label debut, Gift, which came out ten years ago. But the band is betting at least some of its fans will come out of the woodwork for this show, for which it’ll play the album in its entirety. While the disc doesn’t particularly hold up, it does recall a time period when off-kilter time signatures and pseudo-intellectual lyrics had become mainstream. Songs such as album opener “Smile” recall the avant-metal of System of a Down while “Again and Again” and “Emotional Times” have more in common with nu-metal acts like Korn. (Jeff Niesel)