Release Date: March 20th, 2026
Warning: Some of us didn’t live through the making of this record.
In the fall of 2024, The Bootstrap Boys embarked on what they thought was a simple recording project to bring new life to some old songs and a couple new ones. They had no idea that for some of them, this would be their last.
Just four days after recording his lead guitar tracks in January of 2025, founding member of the band Nick Alexander suddenly passed away.
Through many tears and with the utmost respect, they continued the project as they knew he would have wanted. A small army of West Michigan-based musicians stepped up to the plate to help bring these eleven songs to life.
Here you’ll find the essence of The Bootstrap Boys. Songs about working class problems, songs about family, and even some songs about whiskey. It’s bonifide country music just exactly how songwriter Big Jake imagines it should sound.
Most of the songs are Bootstrap Boys classics from the very beginning of the project, even including the song that started it all, a class-conscious little ditty called ‘Poverty Line’. Though there are two brand new offerings on the record.
The lead single “Better Than” which marks Jake’s beginning forays into a more refined, bluegrass-inspired sound. The jaunty, cinematic tune “Charlie the Crow” is another previously unreleased song which imagines a mythical backstory for a real life character from Jake’s family history, a pet crow named Charlie.
The album ends the same way every live performance has ended over the last ten years: with the Golden Girls Theme song, Thank You for Being a Friend, where you’ll hear Big Jake and his departed collaborator Nick singing together for the last time.
Like much of this life, it’s bittersweet.
But with the bad, often comes the good. Some of the folks who helped them make this record have been brought on in a more permanent role, helping Jake realize the Michigan-meets-Texas Swing sound he’s always wanted for this project. There will be much more to come in the future, but for now, they want to celebrate what was left behind: a legacy that won’t ever be forgotten.
Official Music Video
Credits:
All songs written by Jake Stilson except *Thank You For Being a Friend (written by Andrew Gold)
Jake Stilson - vocals, acoustic guitar, baritone guitar
Nick Alexander - backing vocals, electric guitar, bass six
Jonny Bruha - bass
Jeff Knol - drums
Justin Wierenga - pedal steel
Isaac Smith - fiddle
Dutcher Snedeker - piano
Jon Bassin - harmonica
Hayes Griffin - mandolin
Bingo H.J. - organ, bass
Adam Aymor - pedal steel (on Thank You for Being a Friend)
Recorded at Cold War Studios, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Mixed by Rick Johnson
Mastered by Ian Gorman at La Luna Recording & Sound, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Produced by Diamond Jo at Letter S Records, Grand Rapids, Michigan
These songs and related videos, artwork, and promotional material is 100% human made with zero use of Gen AI.