We had a lot of music we wanted to record in 2024. But that all took a backseat when we released Free Rock Express and spent the rest of the year supporting it with increasingly frequent live appearances. Before we knew it, it was December and we were still releasing new content from Express. We hadn't spent this long in a single album cycle since 2021, but the songs kept giving us life. As a result, the urge to record some bolder releases (a progressive rock narrative album, a collection of jazz covers, a thrash metal release) was pushed aside by the rising urge to evolve the sound of Express into something a bit punchier, a but more energetic, something to reflect the high-energy shows we played last year. And what a better way to channel that energy than by recording the album in front of a live audience? We gathered a crowd of our best friends and their best friends and spread out in the basement of Dud's Dungeon to track Downstairs Rock. You'll hear it in the mixes- audience chatter, coughs, burps, warts and all. Our first album was going to be titled Downstairs Rock before we came up with Free Rock, named after the basement we were founded in. But the name is arguably more appropriate here, as this album was recorded in the basement where Free Rock was arguably resurrected in 2021 post-covid. It's filled with love, and this one holds a special place in my heart.

​

- Jacob