Here and Somewhere Else followed in 1998. Only two months later, the band released the semi-concept album The Tan Mule, an Internet-only collection of tracks described by Kelly as "kind of western" and a "cultish, fan thing". The project had been started prior to Here and Somewhere Else in order to fulfill a contract obligation to their management company. The band intended the album to be bad enough in order to get themselves released from their ill-conceived management contract, but still good enough to not be a total loss. Nevertheless, they were released from their contract, and The Tan Mule was well received by fans. The band began to release albums independently, beginning with 2001's "Return to Earth", which featured new drummer Sam Young. Return to Earth was, in some ways, a return to form for the band; it mostly relied on eclectic uptempo songs and received perhaps the warmest reception from fans since Autopilot. In 2003, Andy Sheldon left the band. Since then, there have been numerous member changes with the exception of Sean Kelly as frontman and only remaining original member. Sean Kelly and long-time Samples acoustic guitarist Tom Askin released the acoustic Seventeen album/DVD in 2003. The Samples returned in 2004 with the mostly fan-funded Black and White, and in 2005 with Rehearsing for Life. America was released in 2014, and in 2019 The Samples released Indian Summer. In 2008, an announcement appeared on The Samples's website indicating that the band was unlikely to continue. However, Kelly resumed playing shows under The Samples name with new members in 2009. The Colorado Rapids Soccer Club's Game Entertainment Dept. reunited the original five-piece lineup for an in-stadium concert on July 4, 2009 as part of the state's largest Independence Day celebration that year, at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. This was followed by the reunited band again playing at the same stadium for the Mile High Music Festival in 2010. The newest lineup played the Denver Day of Rock in 2011 and have continued to tour with many more dates planned for the future. The Best Band You've Never Heard, documentary about the band, was produced in 2012 by Besame films. It is currently only available on YouTube. The song "Could It Be Another Change" from the band's debut album was used in the 2012 film The Perks of Being a Wallflower. In June 2013, The Samples returned to the