Carlos Lara — aka one half of Bootleg Rascal — is the latest guest on Making Music, Making Ends Meet, a series focused on musicians during the cost-of-living crisis, and she told us about her life overseas.
Lara features in our series at a busy time for the Gold Coast, as he and bandmate Jimmy Young celebrate the 10th anniversary of their beloved debut album, Asleep in the Machine, with a deluxe edition.
When asked how it feels to be revisiting their debut all these years later, Lara said, “We’re very lucky that we never really stopped playing a lot of the tracks from that album because they’re the songs people always want to hear live. The crazy thing is that it feels like it came out just yesterday.
“It really forces you to stop and reflect on the last ten years and everything that’s unfolded, the highs, the lows, the band members we’ve lost and gained, and just how far we’ve come. Not a lot of musicians can say they’ve stuck it out and made a band work for a solid decade, so I’m proud of that.”
The new version features the 12 original tracks alongside acoustic cuts, songs in Spanish, and a track previously only available on a vinyl compilation.
The Spanish songs are Lara’s favourite parts of the deluxe edition for a very good reason.
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“Anyone who knows me knows at least one definitive thing about me: I’m Latino, mi familia es de Chile,” he explained. “It’s a culture steeped in love and passion, and it’s something I am incredibly proud of.
“I love that I’ve finally had the opportunity to bring that into the music and sing in Spanish. It’s definitely inspired me to write some brand-new tracks in Spanish moving forward. Maybe I can become the Australian Bad Bunny… We can call me Bad Skippy!”
Following the deluxe drop, which arrived last week, Bootleg Rascal will celebrate the release on an Australian and New Zealand tour between September and December.
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Lara said he can’t wait to hit the road.
“Playing the Gold Coast is always a blast… It’s home, so it easily turns into the wildest night of the tour. I’m also really excited to head over to WA. Margaret River is easily one of my favourite places in Australia, so I’m keen to get back out there. Whichever show you’re coming to, we’ll see you there!” he told us.
Bootleg Rascal’s Asleep in the Machine 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition is out now. Ticket information for their ANZ tour is available here.
