As the veterans behind the Article 15 Clothing company made their way from apparel to viral videos to movies and more, the most common message they received from fans wasn't suggesting a new T-shirt design, or asking what William Shatner is really like.

Instead, says Article 15 Chief Marketing Officer Jarred 'JT' Taylor, it was, "Man, you guys have so much fun together, I wish we had friends like that."

"And we were like, 'You do. You just have to find them.' "

That concept came to life when Taylor and fellow Article 15ers Mat Best and Vincent "Rocco" Vargas joined Ross Patterson to form Drinkin' Bros, a twice-weekly podcast that earns just as big of a "not safe for work" warning as "Range 15," the movie all four starred in and Pattinson directed.

Here's a clip of the podcast: 

The podcast launched in November. Its fans, and supporters of other Article 15-related creations, began forming Drinkin’ Bros groups, both by region and by interest. Taylor estimated about 35,000 members make up hundreds of groups that not only provide a virtual and real-world veterans community, but have raised about $200,000 in less than a year for various charitable causes.

The show itself will make its on-stage charitable debut Oct. 14, hosting the Drinkin’ Bros Freedom On Festivalin Boulder, Colorado, to benefit the Fallen Angel Aviator Foundation, a nonprofit group that assists military families and funds memorial projects. Acts scheduled to appear include metal band All that Remains and country singer/Marine veteran Justin Jeansonne.

Friends of the Drinkin’ Bros crew ran into foundation representatives at a "Range 15" screening, Taylor says. That led to a meeting, and that led to the Drinkin’ Bros-orchestrated festival.

From left, Article 15 team members Vincent "Rocco" Vargas, Jarred "JT" Taylor and Mat Best teamed with fellow veteran-owned apparel-maker Ranger Up to create the movie "Range 15."

Photo Credit: Screenshot courtesy of MBest11x via YouTube

"If somebody just kind of picks us up and drops us into their mold of what they’re doing, and then expects us to get our audience to come do it, it’s much more difficult than if we’re designing it," says Taylor, who plans to visit nearby Fort Carson with some of his co-hosts prior to the show.

The team has given to military charities since Article 15’s inception, but Taylor says they’re not inclined to pick a favorite.

"We’ve never just stuck with one," he says. "We think that’s unfair. … That’s why we’ve never started one ourselves. We just think that there are other people out there who are better at doing this, and we’d like to keep it in their hands. We want to spread our attention across the board, to everybody who’s doing good things.


Back on the 'Range'?

The podcast flew past 1 million downloads and gets about 25,000 downloads on release days, Taylor says. While he calls them "big-boy numbers," they’re not quite as buzz-worthy as the rapid rise up the iTunes charts by "Range 15," which was ranked second among all of the service’s movies shortly after its digital release.


Plans for a sequel were tossed around long before those figures came about, but Taylor added a new wrinkle: "We're kicking around possibly filming two back-to-back. It's cheaper that way." 

Along with positive critical feedback and the iTunes success, "Range 15" follow-ups may benefit from an unexpected source: Hollywood insiders.

"We got great feedback from agents that said a lot of the celebrities had the most fun they ever had," Taylor says. "Everybody that was involved in the first one wants to come back."

While the concept of a "dream cast" seems within reach, Taylor says he expects future films to continue with a mix of star power — Shatner was joined by Danny Trejo, Sean Astin and others in the first film — and celebrities in the military community.

"We’re going to stay more focused on getting the high profile veterans who are out there doing things right now and giving them the spotlight a little bit," said Taylor, who recently received a promotion to technical sergeant in the Washington Air National Guard. "And that’s what makes this fun for us."


Learn more about the festival and the Fallen Angel Aviator Foundation at  https://fallenangelaviator.com/freedom-on/. Learn more about the podcast (NSFW) at  www.drinkinbrospodcast.com.

About Kevin Lilley

Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.

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