Bootleg Live

Bootleg Live is an ongoing series of live albums by Massachusetts-based psychedelic rock band Free Rock. So far there have been three volumes released.

History
Upon the founding of The Free Rock Trio, members Jacob Keplinger, Justin Siegel, and James Siegel began filming live in-studio sessions and posting them to YouTube, titling it Bootleg Series. Following the conclusion of the first season, the Trio released all 8 tracks as Songs from the Vault. This was the title because they were pulling primarily New Threads songs out of the "vault" for the new videos. However, following the arrival of COVID-19, the band's next steps (which were planned to be heavily live performances) were thrown into shambles, and they resumed their progress with a second (remote) season of Bootleg.

This season was different, however, and the band felt that Songs from the Vault, Vol. 2 was not the right fit. They wanted the album and web series to correlate more, and the second season was released as Bootleg Live, Vol. 2. Upon its' release, the first volume was renamed to Bootleg Live, Vol. 1.

Future
With the release of vaccines and the re-opening of concert venues, the band resumed their live schedule in the fall of 2021. With it, they had a newfound will to document each and every show they played, and that idea stemmed into releasing them all on Bandcamp. Thus, Bootleg Live, Vol. 3 was born- the band multi-tracked their September 25, 2021 set at Dungeonfest in Weymouth, Massachusetts, and released it online the next day. The band has promised that all future shows will follow this trend, meaning fans are in for a lot more Bootleg Live albums. There are no plans to release the majority of the live albums to streaming services, mostly due to cover songs. The only way to own a copy is to buy it on Bandcamp or to purchase a CD at one of their shows.

Bootleg Live, Vol. 1
Released November 29, 2019 [Re-released July 9, 2020]


 * 1) Sunburn - Live at Pink Hat Studios, Winchester, MA, 10/5/19
 * 2) Neighbors - Live at Pink Hat Studios, Winchester, MA, 10/5/19
 * 3) There Goes My Mind - Live at Pink Hat Studios, Winchester, MA, 10/12/19
 * 4) The Bread - Live at Pink Hat Studios, Winchester, MA, 10/12/19
 * 5) Bringing Me Down - Live at Pink Hat Studios, Winchester, MA, 10/21/19
 * 6) Way Back Home - Live at Pink Hat Studios, Winchester, MA, 10/28/19
 * 7) Calvin Klein - Live at Pink Hat Studios, Winchester, MA, 11/9/19
 * 8) Peach - Live at Pink Hat Studios, Winchester, MA, 11/9/19
 * 9) Head in the Sand - Live at Pink Hat Studios, Winchester, MA, 3/14/20*

* 7/9/20 re-release

Bootleg Live, Vol. 1 was recorded over the months of October and November 2019 at PINK HAT® Boston. The band initially recorded "Calvin Klein" and "Strawberry Shake" as the season's final two episodes, but those recordings (along with everything else on Pink Hat Records pre-November 2019) were lost in the '19 Hard Drive Crash. The band recorded a new "Calvin Klein" and "Peach" the following week. "Head in the Sand" was filmed along with three other tracks as the first half of Bootleg Season 2, but COVID-19 interrupted the release and only "Sand" came out. Subsequently, the track was added onto the end of Bootleg Live, Vol. 1 with the re-release in June 2020.

Bootleg Live, Vol. 2
Released July 9, 2020


 * 1) Schlitz
 * 2) Alone, Leave Me - Live from Isolation, June 2020
 * 3) Clean - Live from Isolation, June 2020
 * 4) House Show - Live from Isolation, June 2020
 * 5) Alcohol - Live from Isolation, June 2020
 * 6) Monuments - Live from Isolation, June 2020
 * 7) California Bound - Live from Isolation, June 2020
 * 8) KEEP'EMOUT! - Live from Isolation, June 2020

Bootleg Live, Vol. 2 was (and still is) considered a largely controversial release in the Trio's canon. This is largely because the recordings on Vol. 2 have more in common with a studio album than any live recording. All of the instruments were multi-tracked, and on different days. Granted, each musician played all 7 tracks in a single take (James Siegel has a split about halfway through his). But there's no improvisation, a trademark for the band (and something that would become increasingly non-present on subsequent studio albums) and the inclusion of "Schlitz," a track recorded essentially the same way as Vol. 2 but marketed as a studio recording, does not help immerse the listener in the live setting, like Vol. 1 touches on and Vol. 3 perfects. Fans don't need to worry too much, however- the LP is only available through New Threads' bandcamp, and is not included in the Bootleg Bin at live shows.

Bootleg Live, Vol. 3
Released September 26, 2021


 * 1) Jam - Live at Dungeonfest, Weymouth, MA, 9/25/21
 * 2) Racket - Live at Dungeonfest, Weymouth, MA, 9/25/21
 * 3) Tuning - Live at Dungeonfest, Weymouth, MA, 9/25/21
 * 4) Captain Trips - Live at Dungeonfest, Weymouth, MA, 9/25/21
 * 5) Ida - Live at Dungeonfest, Weymouth, MA, 9/25/21
 * 6) The Lowdown - Live at Dungeonfest, Weymouth, MA, 9/25/21
 * 7) Noggin - Live at Dungeonfest, Weymouth, MA, 9/25/21
 * 8) Fantastic! - Live at Dungeonfest, Weymouth, MA, 9/25/21
 * 9) Hocus Pocus - Live at Dungeonfest, Weymouth, MA, 9/25/21

Bootleg Live, Vol. 3 is notable for an odd reason- there's no vocals. Due to a heavy rainstorm that began moments before the Trio's set at Dungeonfest in September 2021, the connection to the board sourcing the vocal microphones was lost. However, the band released the album anyway, and used it as a launchpad for the new Bootleg Live era. It features the band's full set with no interruptions. Due to the humidity, Keplinger's guitar falls steeply out of tune halfway through "Racket," and due to an earlier pedalboard malfunction that left him without a tuner, he tuned by ear following the song. They closed their set with a very short cover of Focus' "Hocus Pocus," in a similar style to how New Threads would end their sets with a single chorus of "Pretty Woman."