New Jersey musician Alex Bleeker began recording under the moniker Alex Bleeker & the Freaks in the late 2000s, around the same time he was working under his own name and playing bass in Real Estate. Similar to the hazy, mellow vibes of Real Estate, Bleeker's solo tunes were more informed by roots rock and jam band tendencies, with a heavier Grateful Dead and Neil Young influence than his main band. Bleeker assembled a different group of Freaks to back him on almost every tour and release, beginning with low-key cassette and 7" releases and and a self-titled full-length. Busy with the increasingly popular Real Estate, Bleeker would tour intermittently and not release another album until 2013's How Far Away. ~ Fred Thomas