Jimmy Young and Carlos Lara discuss the lifeblood of Bootleg Rascal.
With sold out shows in almost every corner of the world, features on Spotify, NME, Rage and Apple Music, it’s safe to say Bootleg Rascal are on a bit of a hot streak at the moment. Now with a new single, tour, and plenty more on the way, it’s a great time to be a fan of the group.
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“It’s been a minute between drinks,” Jimmy Young notes. “We’ve been working on a lot of songs, and once you finally put it out to everybody, it takes on its own little life. And it’s cool to see.”
“I feel like for us, this is kind of a new era of Bootleg”, Carlos Lara notes. “I feel like there’s been a very big new energy into it all lately.”
The new energy has come in the form of a fresh single, ‘Oti’, which is the brand-new track from the pair, written about Young’s son; an area they thought would never be the basis for a Bootleg Rascal song.
“It’s got a lot of personal meaning for both of us. We didn’t really plan to write a song about it. But then we started getting lyrics and ideas down.”
“You were trying to get him to sleep,” Lara adds. “I was downstairs and started working on that idea. It almost happened almost as a little nursery rhyme.
“And then we’re like, “oh, this is actually really cool”.”
‘Oti’’s taken to the next level with a feature from Dante Knows, a mate of the pair who is an artist everyone should keep an eye on.
“I was chatting to him about it. And I was like, “Do you want to be on this?” Then it got right down to the point where we’re in the studio. I was like, hey, “do you want to send us some ideas?”
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“He was like, “let’s just see what happens”. And he literally, almost did that verse, at least very close to that, straight off the bat. And I just remember thinking like, “holy shit”, like, I would not have thought of a lot of those ideas.”
Stories about the road change vastly from band to band, some struggling with the day to day, some finding it inspirational, others wanting to do it 24×7. Bootleg are definitely in the latter, loving opportunities to see rural Australia and get inspired to write.
“A lot of the time, we’re just trying to recover from a violent hangover from the night before,” Jimmy adds with a laugh. “There’s a lot of times we’re just staring out a window, driving or flying, or just sitting in the back of a green room hearing someone hit a snare drum while you’re waiting to get on stage and do your thing.
“So, the ideas for songs come at the weirdest times. It often is like the most, kind of, mundane scenarios for me that I get little ideas”.
It’s clear Bootleg lives the touring life, hitting the road a bunch over the last few years. We’re about to receive a fresh tour from the group, hitting the regional path, including a stop at the iconic Barwon Hotel in the heart of Geelong.
“It’s often very hard to not get stuck in that loop of just doing the capital cities, we were always like, “there’s got to be a way to get other spots popping”. It’s kind of the key, the whole key to touring in Australia, I think is being able to link up these other little pockets.
“I think a lot of people maybe get afraid, it’s a lot of work, obviously, I think it’d be times with not many people at some of these shows, potentially. But it’s actually a matter of putting in that effort.
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“We’re willing to be like, “alright, let’s just try it, let’s risk it. If we can build something out of it, awesome”, which means we can bring more bands with us, and hopefully help build that kind of touring around Australia.”
Meeting people in these off beaten path spots is also a big part of a Bootleg Rascal tour, sharing music with people who don’t get it that often.
“I think they are some of the best, funnest little shows, when we go to the places that are off the beaten track.
“You get different interactions with people, and they’re super thankful that you have come out. Shows don’t usually go out there, I love going and checking out the local food and wine, and what cuisines they’ve got.”
Late mornings, motels, and pub meals seem to be the stereotypes whenever us music fans ponder a tour off the beaten path, but Lara and Young love the less glamorous side of regional touring as well, as Lara notes.
“I’ve said I’ve really wanted to start like a Getaway style show when we’re on tour. I’d love to visit local spots, do it ourselves, and review all the sad little things, everyone thinks it’s like fancy hotels. And it’s really just me and Jim sharing a double bed!”
‘Oti’ is out now. Bootleg Rascal hit the Barwon Club Hotel on Thursday 31 October, Sooki Lounge on Friday 1 November and Pelly Bar in Frankston on Saturday 2 November. Tickets are on sale here.
