In less than a week, Andy Stepanian and Chase Heard will trek from Texas to their beloved University of Virginia to reveal the latest line from their successful apparel company. As a thank-you to the place where their achievements are rooted, the line is Wahoo-themed.
The pair left Grounds in the early 2000s to chase a dream of creating rugged clothing for the lifestyle they loved: surfing, fishing, traveling and a passion for the outdoors. Now their Howler Brothers clothing company is thriving in Austin, Texas, and nationwide through the internet. They’re coming back to Grounds Oct. 25 for a special event outside Peabody Hall to launch the UVA-themed line.
Heard, left on banjo; Stepanian, center on guitar; and Brent, right on guitar, play a fraternity party on a plywood stage in the early 2000s at UVA. (Contributed Photo)
But ahead of that, and without much fanfare, they slipped back into Central Virginia under a different name: the Wrinkle Neck Mules. That’s the twangy, old-timey country music and bluegrass band that Stepanian, Heard and another Wahoo named Mason Brent formed on Grounds in 1999. Somehow, a trio of students with wildly different musical tastes combined into a band that struck a chord.
“You know, bands like Neil Young and Uncle Tupelo and some of the more twangy, heavier bands were some of our favorites,” Heard explained. “But then Mason, our guitar player, is a metal guy. I really love reggae more than anything. And Andy is all over the place.
“So, the influences are far and wide, but kind of come together to make something weird and enjoyable.”
The band hasn’t toured in years, but they had a mini-reunion tour earlier this month, playing gigs in Winchester, Richmond and Warm Springs. UVA Today caught the Oct. 11 Richmond show at The Broadberry, and the club was filled to the brim with fans old and new.
Stepanian, Brent and Heard stroll the Academical Village on a recent visit to Grounds sporting some items from the new, custom-designed Howler Brothers’ Wahoowa collection. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)
Bob High drove from Raleigh, North Carolina, with 10 other people to catch the Mules. The first time he saw them play, he said, was in the early 2000s at a place called The Pour House in Raleigh.
“And they came and played, and it was like a Tuesday night,” he said over the din of the crowd. “Nobody was there, and they were amazing. But the people that were there took note and everybody was like, ‘Wow, these guys are really good.’”
