LEWISTON – Taproot is driving.

Driving like cement blocks hurled at a brick wall with thick crunching guitars and surging rhythms.

Driving with ominous vocal melodies that wrap around your ears in a dulcet harmony before erupting into an on-key growl.

Driving with energy.

In a supporting spot on the second “Music as a Weapon” tour, they plan on bringing that intensity.

“We pour ourselves into this,” said guitarist Mike DeWolf. “It’s every last drop of us.”

The hard rock four-pack will be joined by headliners Disturbed, as well as Chevelle and Unloco, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 19, at the Lewiston Civic Center.

Hailing from Ann Arbor, Mich., Taproot landed in the midst of a burgeoning nu metal scene with their aggressive but raw 2000 release, “Gift.” With their sophomore effort, “Welcome,” the emphasis moved toward developing a cohesive sound.

“This time around, it wasn’t a compilation of all our favorite songs,” DeWolf said. “We went into the studio to write and practice and so we had to learn together.”

With a list of national and world tours and runs on Ozzfest, Taproot qualifies as one of the hardest working and most upwardly mobile hard rock bands in the last few years.

Never intrigued by the thought of overnight stardom, DeWolf and the band have always believed in working for fan respect.

“We go out to grab a few new fans every night and that’s what it’s been about since day one,” DeWolf said.

With that mentality, the band hasn’t gotten roped into fitting an image or specific sound. Hard-core, heavy metal, rap rock, nu metal – categories are useless to DeWolf.

“Every few years, there’s a new catch phrase, but it’s basically all rock or metal,” DeWolf said. “Whatever – we’re a rock band and we do what we do.”

And after playing a slew of clubs recently, the band is looking forward to getting into larger venues, DeWolf said.

“We’re excited to get back to this setup,” DeWolf said. “When we play live, we want to be punk rock and jump around.”

Tickets are $29.50 in advance or $32.50 the day of the show. Tickets are available by calling Ticketmaster at 775-3331 or by visiting them online at www.ticketmaster.com.