Taproot's Diverse Sports Interests

By Jeff Arnold
Special to ESPN Music

Stephen Richards learned to skate when he was 3 and drum when he was 4, so it's only natural the Taproot frontman considers himself equally versed in hockey and music.

Throw him into the company of his hockey friends and Richards can guarantee they'll want to discuss his craft as much as the rocker does theirs.

"All my pro hockey buddies are definitely wannabe rock stars just like I'm still definitely a wannabe hockey player," he says.

At times the two intertwine, allowing Richards to chase his dream rather than simply live vicariously through his puck pals or his beloved Chicago Blackhawks. But given the time that's passed since his music career grabbed topped billing, Richards dedicates himself to the stage rather than the ice.

Taproot's sixth album and first in two years, "The Episodes," will be released April 10. The album, conceived six years ago by Richards and guitarist Mike Dewolf, includes "No Surrender," a single with a music video shot at Chicago's Logan Square subway station.

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Bryan Brothers Still In Tune Off Court

By Judd Spicer
Special to ESPN Music

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Cougars cooed in the background and palm trees swayed gently in the cool desert night. And then the serenity was broken -- by a couple of tennis players.

Mike and Bob Bryan, ranked No. 1 in men's doubles for the past three years, made some noise -- on the stage, rather than the court. The Bryan brothers, who were in town playing in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., performed with their band before an audience of several thousand people on March 8.

"We're trying to play every other week at these tournaments," said Bob Bryan during the sound check. "In the U.S., we have a little better following and it's easier to organize so we can bring our bandmates in from where they are in the country."

The performance -- their 70th in two years by Bob's estimate -- was one in a string of charity shows that have become a staple of their tennis appearances. And it turns out the Bryan Bros. Band isn't half bad. The twins have teamed up with Counting Crows drummer Jim Bogios, who has also played with the Dixie Chicks and Sheryl Crow, and Michael Johns, who was featured on "American Idol."

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