“He did kind of set our fate by putting us in the same group. We stuck in the same group over time, especially during Covid. We stuck together and kept playing, and we keep playing now.”
Trevor Richards is remembering an event that took place five years ago. It was a summer day camp for young aspiring musicians. The teacher, a man Trevor had already known for several years, was a gentleman named Gary Steele.
On the very first day of camp, Mr. Steele decided to break the large group into smaller portions. The people he selected for you would be the ones you’d be playing with for the rest of the summer. He pointed at Trevor, a drummer only in the 8th grade at the time, and then a split second later, he pointed at high school freshman and lead guitarist Colin Lillich.
No one really knows how much thought Mr. Steele gave to his matchmaking skills. It is certainly possible that he knew exactly what he was doing. He had known both teenagers for a few years, knew their style, and the depth of their talent. Maybe it really was by design.
On the other hand, it is also very possible that it was all a fluke. Mr. Steele had to make sure that each of the students was partnered up. It could have been just blind, dumb luck that he pointed to Trevor and Colin at the same time.
However it happened, whether it was just random or some master plan, what started on that day in 2019 would eventually give birth to a great friendship, lead to the creation of a band, spawn one of the largest ensemble concerts of the summer, and pave the way for an adventure in Boston.
We’ll go into all that a little more in a moment. For now, whether it was a fluke or fate, one thing is for sure: Mr. Steele is taking the credit.
“He likes to joke with us that he chose our fate, but I don’t know. It definitely seemed like he wanted us to play together,” said Trevor. “He knew that we sorta had something. Even though we didn’t play the same stuff. I played a little different than Colin, and Colin played a little differently than me. Mr. Steele must have had this weird sense, I guess, that we would be good for each other.”
Musicians from the Start
Both Trevor and Colin will tell you that they’ve been playing music as long as they can remember. Trevor started playing drums at 12 years old. His official bio says he is literally “obsessed with drums and percussion.” Meanwhile, it seems like Colin has always been messing around with a guitar. He likes to lock himself in his bedroom for hours just practicing.
Of course, a drummer and guitarist are not enough for a band. So, after Mr. Steele’s summer camp was over, the new musical duo signed up for several other camps. They thought it would be the best way to find other young artists with the same taste and drive. That’s how they found a 7th grader with an amazing voice and range. Mason Mackinon joined the effort as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist.
Finding the fourth member was a little more complicated. Their first bass player was with the band for about 18 months before he left for college. Eventually, they turned to a friend, Ethan Langely, who was a guitarist but willing to convert to bass. The present lineup has been intact for 2 years now, performing around the region under the name Rukus.
When all the pieces came together, it all just started to work, which is amazing since, at the time, most of the band members couldn’t drive, and none of them were old enough to drink in the bars and pubs where they were now performing.
“It was hard as hell at first. We called so many places, emailed so many places, and never got a response,” said Trevor. “But my dad has been so adamant about getting us to keep the grind up and mastering our craft. He told us if we kept trying, we would get something out of it eventually. So we kept poking people’s backs, and eventually, some of the clubs said ‘yes,’ and that gave us the traction to keep going.”
Rukus plays what is commonly called alternative rock. The band was heavily influenced by the grunge era of the ’90s. They’ve been compared to Smashing Pumpkins and Red Hot Chili Peppers. And now they are being compared not just to great musicians, but to the all-time great promoters.
For the second year in a row, Rukus will be hosting a large ensemble concert featuring nine bands on stage for 12 hours.
“We were playing a show with multiple other bands, which was a new concept for us. Most of our early shows were three-hour sets where we had to pull all the weight. And then we played this collective show where we only had to play 45 minutes, and two other bands played 45 minutes,” said Colin. “It just seemed like (for the audience) it was more value for money, more different styles, more diversity in music. So we started thinking about hosting our own festival.”
The Port City Rock Jam will take place on August 3rd. For just $10, music lovers will get to hear performers like Dr. Bacon, The Kind Thieves, Rukus, Dickey Hazel, Dubtown Cosmonauts, The Brown Dirt Cowboys, Delia Stanley, Hot Seat, and Frank Grant. The festival is designed not just to show off talent but also to give back to the community. A portion of the proceeds will go to Play It Forward, a local nonprofit dedicated to finding used instruments and restoring them for kids.
“We chose them because music has been such a powerful thing for us,” said Colin. “So we wanted to help younger kids find that, to get the same thing that we got out of it.”
The first year the festival was held in a rented warehouse. The acoustics weren’t great, and the facility had no working air conditioning. So this year, they have moved to Bowstring Burgers and Brewyard.
“I love the Bowstring venue. I’ve seen a lot of bands there,” said Trevor. “I love that room. It may not be as big as other venues, but it has acoustics that are very lively, very fun, and exactly what we were looking for. Plus, we also have an outdoor option. Only one band will play at a time, but if the weather is good, some of us may choose to play outside.”
If you want to learn more about the festival or purchase tickets, you can click here.
It won’t be long after the big show is over that the friendship, perhaps chosen at random, will enter its next phase. Last year, Colin attended Berklee College of Music in Boston—perhaps the best-known music school in the country. At the end of August, he will be joined on campus by Trevor, a new incoming freshman.
“I think a lot is in store for Trevor and me. I am very confident about the things we’ve learned about playing music and sharing music with an audience. I think the experiences we’ve had make you feel very privileged, and now we get to take all of that into a big city like Boston. I am excited to keep writing new music together.”