Buffalo’s Rust Belt Brigade will be at Mohawk Place on Saturday to celebrate the release of their first full-length album, “Howdy Hallelujah, Here’s the Thing.” It’s not your typical release party. The album came out three years ago, and shortly afterward, the band split up, so this will also be a reunion for the band.
They were founded in 2016 by singer-songwriter Victor Castillo and my son Trevor Jennings on cajon, a box-shaped percussion instrument. After a short stint as a duo, they added Brandon Mueckl on bass and Jeremiah Franco on banjo. During their four-year run, they built a solid following, which is challenging for a band that performs primarily original alt-country/folk material.
“When we started, we didn’t want to carry any electric instruments or a full drum set,” Victor recalled during a recent interview with the band members. “We shared a love of country music and wanted to have the energy of a punk band.”
“The first time I heard them, I thought they were energetic and fun, and I noticed they didn’t have a bass player,” Brandon noted while discussing his history with the group. Jeremiah joined shortly before Brandon; he was already friends with Victor.
The group became a fixture at Mr. Goodbar, landed a prime slot at Music is Art, and performed a popular annual St. Patrick’s Day show in Medina at 810 Meadworks. They were scheduled to play the 2020 St. Patrick’s Day show when the pandemic shut everything down.
While it would be easy to call Rust Belt Brigade a Covid casualty, the truth is more complex. Victor relocated to Colorado shortly after the album dropped, and everybody went their separate ways, at least musically.
Even after Victor returned home to Buffalo, the band didn’t reform, although Victor and Trevor did perform some shows together. At some point, they realized they had unfinished business and needed to host a proper album release show. But would the magic still be there when they all got in the same room for the first time in three years?
“It felt natural when we got back together; it felt like we pressed resume,” Trevor said.
“I still perform a lot of the songs, but I missed the camaraderie, especially when we would look at each other as if to say ‘job well done,’” Victor said.
Brandon and Jeremiah still perform together in a group called Heart of the Dog. However, when they received a call asking if they wanted to do a Rust Belt Brigade show, they quickly accepted the offer.
“I always wanted to do an album release show because it is a great recording. It felt like things fizzled out, so it is satisfying to do this show,” Jeremiah said.
The group will perform the album in its entirety.
“It’s a great time of year to do something like this, and we feel fortunate to have landed a Saturday at Mohawk Place. The practices have been great, and we sound tight and are looking forward to playing these songs live,” Trevor added.
Mega-talented and in-demand violinist Sally Schaefer will also be performing with the group; she also appears on multiple tracks on the album.
There are no firm plans regarding the group’s future, but that could change depending on how well the album release show goes.
They all have busy schedules, and in addition to Brandon and Jeremiah’s project, Victor has a solo career, and Trevor plays drums for Do It with Malice, Captain Tom & the Hooligans and Bobby & the Pedestrians, and cajon with Cody Barcroft.
Doors for the show open at 7 p.m. Tyler Westcott and Shoot Ya are the openers.