Bootheels - 1988: The Original Demos

The Bootheels sprang to life for a few glorious months during the first half of 1988. Their brief existence was noted by a fortunate handful of friends and fans who happened to be in the right place and time to experience the youthful L.A. foursome’s meteoric creative surge and their equally swift dissolution. In between, they developed a raw, distinctive rock ’n’ roll sensibility and a repertoire of catchy, funny, introspective songs that never had a chance to become records. —Scott Schinder (from his liner notes) The members of The Bootheels were frontman/songwriter/bassist Luther Russell, who would later lead The Freewheelers before emerging as a prolific solo artist and half of Those Pretty Wrongs (with Big Star’s Jody Stephens); guitarist Jakob Dylan, who would soon achieve stardom as leader of The Wallflowers; future Wallflowers guitarist Tobi Miller, whose instrumental interplay with Dylan provided one of the Bootheels’ most notable sonic features; and drummer Aaron A. Brooks (who would go on to work with Moby, Lana Del Rey, and others). These tracks (13 on LP plus 3 bonus tracks on CD) provide a glimpse into the origins of teenage musicians who would rise to greater heights than they could ever have imagined. The packaging contains photos and an aural history of the band – with interviews with all four members conducted and assembled by noted writer Scott Schinder.