JAMESTOWN — The trajectory of the band Zach Bellas (which shares the name of its frontman) has been tumultuous from the start: their initial plans to get off the ground derailed when the world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The three-piece lineup of Bellas on guitar and lead vocals, Kyle Hadley on bass and backing vocals, and Tom McAteer on drums met in Baltimore and quickly made plans to build momentum. However, the pandemic shut down their plans to tour and record two full-length albums back-to-back.
“As it was happening, if you remember, it was sort of like, ‘Oh, yeah, we’ll be open in a couple weeks, this’ll blow over, maybe six weeks tops or something,” recalls Bellas about plans for the band. “At some point, we just gave up and went on hiatus for the better part of a year, year-and-a-half.”
Once places started opening again, the band booked the venues still available from their previous scheduling and began sparsely touring nationwide. With the material they had, the band also pulled together their debut EP, "This Was Not The Plan."
“If somebody had been like, ‘Hey, by the way, you’re gonna be shut down for about two years,’ we would have played it a lot differently, probably,” says Bellas, “but it feels really great to be out of it now.”
However, 2026 has thrown a different set of challenges at the band. The cost of touring nationally, as well as internationally to venues in Canada, has increased significantly with import tariffs and rising gas prices. Still, the band pushes on, not just for their livelihoods, but for the environment their shows can provide for themselves and their audience.
“We’re reminding ourselves that people need this type of thing more than ever,” says Zach. “Going to a good rock show is a great way to get off your phone, get away from the seeming burning down of everything in the entire world.”
The internal and external conflicts the band has experienced since their formation have shaped them in many ways as performers and as a unit. They’ve continued finding their way through even when the world seems to stop them in their tracks. Often, it’s just as cathartic for the band as it is for the audience.
“Touring is hard enough as it is,” says Bellas. “You’re not getting a lot of sleep and not necessarily the best nutrients, you’re away from people you care about, and you’re in, like, a three- or four-way marriage with two other people who are too in your ear and snoring the whole time.
"Then, you get on stage, and you get to perform for 45 minutes to a few hours and just let it all out—sweat, play loud guitars, smash the drums, and have that cathartic release of all your frustrations. A lot of touring is awful, but that part never gets old.”
Zach Bellas will perform at the Jamestown Mercantile, located at 108 Main Street in Jamestown, on Friday, October 2, 2026, starting at 7 p.m.
