You probably haven’t heard of Hondo. It’s a planet. It’s also doomed. According to the lore of a specific New York cult hit, a massive comet is headed straight for it, and the only thing that can save the Hondonian race is a specialized mission to Earth to find a new home. But there’s a catch. Once the lead scout, General Trius, landed in a Brooklyn backyard, he didn't find tactical advantages. He found music. Specifically, he heard a guy playing a banjo, and it blew his alien mind.
This is the chaotic, heartwarming, and strangely sincere foundation for the history of Future Folk movie, a 2012 sci-fi musical comedy officially titled The History of Future Folk.
It’s one of those rare "lightning in a bottle" indie films. Most people stumble upon it on a streaming service at 2 a.m. and end up crying over a man in a plastic red spacesuit singing about space worms. It shouldn't work. The budget was shoestring. The premise is absurd. Yet, it holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. How did a goofy stage act from the comedy clubs of Manhattan turn into a legitimate cinematic underdog story?
The Birth of the Bluegrass Aliens
Before there was a movie, there was just a band. And honestly, the "band" started as a bit of a lark. Nils d'Aulaire and Jay Klaitz are the brains behind the helmets. D'Aulaire, a musician, and Klaitz, a Broadway and character actor, developed the personas of General Trius and The Mighty Kevin.
They didn't just play songs; they built an entire mythology.
The live shows were legendary in the NYC underground scene. They wore duct-taped costumes and red buckets on their heads. They told stories about the "Hondonian Civil War" and the "Great Dyson Vacuum Incident." The music was actually good, though. That’s the secret. If the songs sucked, the joke would wear thin in five minutes. But d'Aulaire's finger-picking banjo skills and Klaitz's booming, operatic energy made for a genuine folk experience.
Basically, they were "Tenacious D" meets "Flight of the Conchords" if they were obsessed with 1950s B-movies.
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Making the Leap to the Screen
By 2011, the act had a loyal following, but bringing it to film was a massive risk. John Mitchell and Jeremy Kipp Walker stepped in to direct and produce. They didn't want to make a concert film. They wanted a narrative that grounded the absurdity.
They filmed in Brooklyn. They used real locations. They leaned into the DIY aesthetic because, frankly, they had no choice. The "spaceship" interiors look like they were built from recycled junk because, well, they were. This lack of polish is exactly why the history of Future Folk movie feels so authentic. It feels like it was made by people who cared more about the story than the special effects.
Why the Movie Actually Works
Most "band movies" are vanity projects. This isn't.
The plot follows General Trius, who has abandoned his mission to colonize Earth because he fell in love with a human woman and her music. He’s living a quiet life as "Bill" in the suburbs. Then, the Hondonian government sends an assassin to kill him for his desertion. That assassin is The Mighty Kevin. But instead of killing Bill, Kevin also falls in love with music.
It’s a fish-out-of-water story.
The stakes are weirdly high. If they don't convince the Hondonian High Council that music is worth saving, their entire species dies. It’s a metaphor for the power of art, but it’s told through the lens of two guys wearing red plastic armor in a dive bar.
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The Power of "Hondo!"
If you've seen the film, you know the catchphrase. It's usually accompanied by a frantic hand gesture. The fans—known as the "Hondonians"—have adopted it worldwide. The film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2012 and instantly became a festival darling.
It wasn't a blockbuster. It didn't have a multi-million dollar marketing campaign. It grew through word of mouth. People would tell their friends, "You have to see this movie about the banjo aliens." It’s the kind of film that rewards repeat viewings because the world-building is surprisingly dense.
The Legacy of the Hondonian Invasion
What happened after the film?
The band continued to tour. They released albums like The Future Folk Vol. 1. They performed at festivals and kept the dream of Hondo alive. But the movie remains the definitive piece of their legacy. It captured a specific moment in the Brooklyn indie scene where weirdness was celebrated and sincerity wasn't a dirty word.
The history of Future Folk movie is a testament to what happens when you take a "stupid" idea seriously. If you approach a joke with enough heart, it stops being a joke and starts being a story.
Nuance in the Narrative
It's easy to dismiss this as just a comedy. But there's a melancholy undercurrent to the film. It touches on themes of immigration, assimilation, and the fear of losing one's culture while trying to embrace a new one. Trius is a man without a country, caught between his duty to his dying planet and his love for his new home.
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That’s a lot of weight for a movie featuring a song called "Space Worms."
Where to Find Future Folk Today
While the band isn't as active as they were in the mid-2010s, the film has found a permanent home in the cult cinema pantheon. It frequently pops up on "best movies you've never seen" lists.
If you are looking to dive into the history of Future Folk movie, start with the film itself. Don't look up trailers. Don't read spoilers. Just sit down and let the Hondonian bluegrass wash over you.
Actionable Insights for the Aspiring Hondonian
- Watch the Movie: It is currently available on various VOD platforms. Check for it on Amazon or Apple TV.
- Listen to the Soundtrack: The music stands alone. "Stingy Man" and "Over the Moon" are legitimately great folk tracks.
- Support Indie Sci-Fi: This film proves you don't need $200 million to tell a compelling story about space.
- Practice Your Banjo: You never know when you might need to save your species from a comet.
The story of Future Folk is a reminder that the best art often comes from the fringes. It’s about the joy of creation, the importance of community, and the undeniable fact that a well-played banjo can save the world. Hondo!
To truly appreciate the journey, look for the 10th-anniversary retrospective interviews with Nils and Jay. They often discuss the difficulties of filming in cramped Brooklyn apartments while wearing full-body plastic suits in the middle of summer. It wasn't glamorous. It was a labor of love, and that love is visible in every frame of the film.
Next time you’re scrolling through a streaming service, skipping over the latest corporate-mandated sequels, look for the two guys in the red helmets. They have a story to tell you. And they brought their banjos.
Next Steps for Discovery
- Locate a copy of The History of Future Folk (2012) on your preferred streaming service or via a physical media retailer.
- Follow the official social media archives or the performers' personal pages (Nils d'Aulaire and Jay Klaitz) to stay updated on any potential "Hondonian" reunions or new musical projects.
- Explore the "Bluegrass Sci-Fi" sub-genre—if you can find anything else that fits that oddly specific description.