Free Rock Trio, Track Meat and Rusty Mullet at Dud’s Dungeon
Photos by Will Ingman, Words by Lily Hartenstein
As sleet turned to snow on the evening of Fri., March 12, Will and I made the journey to Weymouth, Massachusetts to see Free Rock Trio, Track Meat and Rusty Mullet at Dud’s Dungeon. John Quinlan (he/him), one of the organizers of the DIY space, remarked that the weather always sucks whenever they throw a show. Everyone who entered the warm, wood-paneled room was greeted like an old friend; most of them were. Quinlan let us know this was the first show they’d put on that was open to the public since COVID first started. Since then, they’d mostly been playing live music for their friends.
Free Rock Trio
The Free Rock Trio was first up and after performing “Slow Emotion,” which I later learned was their first live performance of the song, I excitedly texted my Deadhead parents while they seamlessly transitioned into the next track. After spending years watching bands in basements around Boston, here was the music that sounded like the jam bands I grew up seeing perform. Consisting of cousins Justin Siegel (he/him) on drums and James Siegel (he/him) on bass with Jacob Keplinger (he/him) on guitar and vocals, the trio layered funky bass lines with trippy riffs, all held up by Keplinger’s dad-grunge voice. They closed out with a cover of “Franklin’s Tower” by, of course, the Grateful Dead.
Track Meat
Next up was Track Meat; this was not my first time at one of their shows, and it will not be the last. The four-piece group brings an energy that can open up the pit wherever they are, and the Dungeon is basically their home turf. The walls were lined with Track Meat posters, Bernie campaign posters and even homemade Bernie x Track Meat posters. They played new songs like “Sun Beneath the Wave” alongside ones the crowd knew every word to. For “Ashtray Projections,” the audience threw their arms around each other's shoulders, swaying to the slow start and gaining energy as the song did, pulling apart and breaking into a pit for the height of the song. In the middle of the set, they stopped playing and introduced a game called “Beat the Meat,” where anyone in the audience could challenge a member of the band to any competition of their choosing. Rocky (she/they) leaped on stage to challenge guitarist Matt Comoletti (he/him) to balance beer cans on their heads. Both of them got lower and lower to the ground as the crowd screamed, until finally a can fell and the music began again. If you ever see Track Meat on a lineup near you, it’s a guaranteed fun time—and bring a skill to flex.
Rusty Mullet
Finally, Rusty Mullet took the stage. I’ve been following them online for awhile and was beyond excited to see frontwoman Dirt’s (she/her) insane guitar playing up close in the cozy confines of the Dungeon. Equipped with pink cowboy hat earrings and a bandana she quickly shed in favor of headbanging, Dirt exuded an effortless coolness that gave way to chaotic frenzy once she started playing. After starting with some psychedelic riffs ripped right out of the 60’s, Dirt leaned over to the mic to say “Everyone else was being super jammy so we figured we’d do it too,” before launching into the next song. That in-the-moment drive was shown throughout the set, as Dirt, bassist John Frechette (he/him) and drummer Sunny (she/her) decided what directions to go as members of the crowd called for more, electrified by the energy on stage. Dirt, swinging her hair as she played with such energy that the fan on the ceiling was spinning with her, is balanced in her helter-skelter style perfectly by the relaxed calm of John on bass, who casually sat down on an amp while playing during one of the final songs. I can’t wait to see Rusty Mullet again.