Hackensaw Boys

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Biography

The Hackensaw Boys are a string band based in central Virginia, first formed in 1999. The band has drawn on many musical influences, but are best known as a secular gospel collective of east coast musicians dedicated to songwriting, Old-Time Music, Bluegrass Music, Country Music, Rock and Roll Music, live music played in expected, as well as unexpected venues in expected, as well as unexpected ways, recorded music, and are "Known best for rowdy, energetic live shows,""" by Jedd Ferris / Charlottesville Daily Progress | The Daily Progress; September 11, 2009. the group is mainly a touring and live-performance act in the United States|U.S. and Europe . The Hackensaw Boys have recorded and released five full-length albums and three EPs in that time. They have performed at prominent U.S. festivals including All Good Music Festival , Artists. Bonnaroo , Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Telluride Bluegrass Festival|Telluride , Past Festival Performers. and FloydFest . They have also performed at various festivals in Europe, including in Norway and The Open House Festival in Belfast. list of artists.

History

The Hackensaw Boys were founded in the Fall of 1999"" by Matt Cameron, published 4/5/2007 in the FREE LANCE-STAR. by Rob Bullington, Tom Peloso , David Sickmen, and Robert "Bobby" St. Ours who were all living in Charlottesville, Virginia at the time.

Prior to forming Hackensaws, Sickmen and Bullington met in Harrisonburg, Virginia in the early 1990s. At the time, Bullington was playing in a band called Fried Moose."" by Kristen Seal, Cape Gazette; December 8, 1995. e-Yearbook.com. Bobby St. Ours, along with brothers Phillip and Johnny, played in the Harrisonburg-based Route 11 Boys with Ketch Secor and Chris "Critter" Fuqua. Peloso formed a band with some friends in the same decade called Chigger, in which he played the doghouse bass and was the lead singer. Sickmen played in a band called Pieboy with future Hackensaw Boy, Ward Harrison. Fuqua and Secor would go on to found Old Crow Medicine Show in 1998. All had performed as young musicians on the open mic stage at the Little Grill Collective|Little Grill diner in Harrisonburg, as well. "American Roots from the Soul" by Greg Tutwiler May/June 2009 issue. The Little Grill stage was also graced by future Hackensaw Boys, Ferd Moyse (no relation to Fried Moose), and Shawn Galbraith in 2004. At that time, the two were performing and touring with old-time string band outfit, The Blooms, from Black Mountain, NC , along with Jeremy Odom (guitar, vocals) and Emily Moberg (fiddle, bass).

The Hackensaw Boys formed in August of 1999, when Sickmen, Bullington, Peloso, and St. Ours met at Miller's restaurant in Charlottesville to watch Fuqua perform with the recently formed OCMS. Sickmen and Peloso had previously been talking about other possible music projects."" Charlottesville, VA--by Paige La Grone Babcock, No Depression; Town and Country - Shorter Artist Feature from Issue #42 Nov-Dec 2002. The four decided at that time to form a new group that would become known as The Hackensaw Boys."" Charlottesville, VA--by Paige La Grone Babcock, No Depression; Town and Country - Shorter Artist Feature from Issue #42 Nov-Dec 2002. They would develop their sound busking on the streets of Virginia."" by Matt Cameron, published 4/5/2007 in the FREE LANCE-STAR.

"The Dirty Bird"

In the Fall of 2000, an enlarged group of twelve musicians departed from Virginia in a 1964 GMC motorcoach,"" by Matt Cameron, published 4/5/2007 in the FREE LANCE-STAR. nicknamed "The Dirty Bird", on the six-week Get Some Tour of "theaters, bars, street corners and alleys." Official Website: Band page. The bus had been given to the group by Charlottesville developer Oliver Kuttner, together with a second one dubbed "Ramblin' Fever," which went to Mark S. Hahn, then owner of the Blue Moon Diner."" by Rebecca Beirne March 13, 2003, in issue #0210 of the Hook. Hahn briefly served as manager for the group."" interview by Eric Mitts, Recoil; May 2007. The Ramblin' Fever Bus now rolls under the tutelage of former Hackensaw banjo player, Shawn Galbraith. The Dirty Bird lives in Charlottesville with Christian Breeden.

Touring

The group took part in the Unlimited Sunshine Tour the first two years. The 2002 tour included headliner Cake (band)|Cake , De La Soul , The Flaming Lips , Modest Mouse , and Kinky (band)|Kinky . In addition to Cake, the 2003 tour featured Cheap Trick , "garage rockers" The Detroit Cobras , and "country legend" Charlie Louvin of the Louvin Brothers . In 2003 they served as Country Music Hall of Fame member Charlie Louvin ’s backing band on one of his last nationwide tours. Official Website: Band page. They opened for Modest Mouse twice (a group founding member Tom Peloso eventually joined). The group continued to gain "a following as it traveled." It has performed with such major acts as Cracker (band)|Cracker , Camper Van Beethoven , and Railroad Earth . A tour in Europe featured events in Belgium and the Netherlands ."" by Matt Cameron, published 4/5/2007 in the FREE LANCE-STAR. Overseas they have performed in such cities as Antwerp , Amsterdam (), London , Dublin , Brussels ,"" live review at Guy's Music Review Site of show at Ab Club, Brussels; 11/10/05. and Utrecht . In the U.S. they have played venues in major music towns like Seattle, Asheville , San Francisco, Minneapolis, Knoxville , New York, Portland, Baltimore, Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

The tours included appearances at the Bonnaroo Music Festival (2003 and 2004), Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado (2003), Past Festival Performers. All Good Music Festival (2004 and 2006), Artists. FloydFest in Virginia (2003), and in Oregon . Appearances at European music festivals include Pukkelpop in Belgium (2005) and in Norway (2007 and 2008). list of artists.

A European tour Summer of 2012 includes: Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, England, Ireland, Scotland, and the Czech Republic."" by T.J. Jones (with interview by Lydia Loveless), Carbondale Rocks; February 16, 2012.

Nicknames

They came up with nicknames for each other because it seemed all of the old country and blues performers had them. This became a big part of their act. Original members included Robert "Mahlon" Bullington (1999-2011), Thomas "Pee Paw" Peloso (1999-2004), David "Shiner" Sickmen (1999-2005; rejoined 2012), and Robert "Uncle Blind Bobby" St. Ours (1999-2003). Phillip "Jigsaw" St. Ours played washboard in both Hackensaw and Old Crow early on (1999-2001), and then for Hackensaw in (2008). Other early members included Jesse "Baby J." Fiske (1999-2011), Phil "Slate Hill Phil" Gianniny (1999-2001; d. 2006),"" by Hawes Spencer, The Hook; December 27, 2006. Hogwaller Ramblers official site. and Jimmy "Kooky-Eyed Fox" Stelling (1999-2007). Others to join the ever-evolving group have included Chris "Sawzall" Johnson (1999-2001), Justin "Salvage" Neuhardt (1999-2010), David "Bellows Lugusi" Goldstein (1999-2004), Charlie "C.B." Bell (1999-2004), and Shawn "Plantain" Galbraith (2007-2012). Ferd "Four" Moyse joined in 2004, Ward "Cousin Spits" Harrison in 2006, Brian "Nugget" Gorby in 2010, and Ben "JuJu" Jacobs in 2012. Additional contributions came from William "Bear" Gage in 1999 and Pokey LaFarge|Drew "Pokey" LaFarge in 2006. Facebook info page.

Band name

The Hackensaw Boys derived their name "from the actions you perform on a mandolin (hack) and a fiddle (saw)." The Hackensaw Boys; posted January 13, 2012. Says Bullington "it was one of those jokes that sort of sticks . . and after about a week and you've played six or seven shows during the course of that week, you have no choice but to keep the name.""" interview with Scott Simon, N.P.R.'s Weekend Edition Saturday; November 26, 2005.

Recordings

The first two Hackensaw Boys albums were released by the Valley Entertainment label: Get Some in 2000 and Keep It Simple in 2002.

" Keep It Simple , is packed with vigorous, pitchy bursts" notes Amanda Petrusich in her Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork review, noting the album "doesn't perfectly reflect the band's fast-and-fierce live show . .

Get Some was recorded by Rhoderick Cole in his Charlottesville mansion. Keep It Simple was recorded in Sickmen's apartment in Charlottesville's Linen Building, also by Cole who did the sound engineering on both recordings. Give It Back , released in 2004, was self-produced.

The group signed with the music label Nettwerk for the 2005 release of "Love What You Do". Their second release for Nettwerk Records, Look Out! in 2007, was a "celebratory but defiant sound culled from old-time mountains, backstage doorways and punishing drives through the evolving American landscape" according to Isthmus (newspaper)|Isthmus/The Daily Page .

Another reviewer concurred, stating the album "is the Boys at their best, a perfect medium between their raw early years and the more polished sound of their previous release.""" The Hank in Chains Review Thursday, July 12, 2007. Bullington states Look Out! "was definitely an attempt to capture sonically and as beautifully as possible, the sound of the Hackensaws onstage." The group went into the studio "with the defined intention of . . trying to capture the live performance as best as we possibly could. And I think we totally succeeded in doing that.""" interview by Eric Mitts, Recoil; May 2007. The album "got to No. 6 on the Americana music charts" and "contained nine originals including a couple from the sometimes Modest Mouse, sometimes Hackensaw Tom Peloso.""" by Dave Lavender, The Herald-Dispatch; December 10, 2008.

Following the release of Love What You Do and Look Out! , The Hackensaws departed from Nettwerk Records to release two independently produced six-song Extended play|EP s, The Old Sound of Music, Vol. 1 and The Old Sound of Music, Vol. 2 These two collections are "recommended for anyone who feels that time, popularity and (maybe) Don Was has watered down Old Crow Medicine Show, The Hackensaw Boys bring the Appalachian string band roots with punk rock flowers hard and raw.""" in 9b; February 14, 2011. The albums resulted from recording sessions held at the Sound of Music studios in Richmond, Virginia . They were mastered by Grammy award winner Charlie Pilzer. As with Look Out! in 2007, all songs were engineered by Bryan Hoffa, archival audio restoration specialist at the Library of Congress . The titles, bestowed by Ferd Lionel Moyse IV were inspired by the fact that these were the last two recording projects to come out of the old Sound Of Music facility, which has recently moved to a new building in Richmond. The Old Sound of Music, Vol. 1 and The Old Sound of Music, Vol. 2 are available for sale at live Hackensaw Boys shows, in select record stores, and can be purchased and downloaded in digital form from The Hackensaw Boys official website. official website.

Charismo

A distinctive aspect of the Hackensaw live-performance experience is the percussion instrument known as a "charismo". Invented and played by Justin "Salvage" Neuhardt, who also performs on Spoon (musical instrument)|spoons and the musical saw , it is described as "a home-made tin can contraption." Official Website: Band page. Calvin James Pynn of The Tartan ( Radford University ) notes, "Neuhardt’s charismo" is the "most notable" of their instruments:

In an interview with Scott Simon of N.P.R. Neuhardt himself explains how it came to be:

According to photographer Ryan Romero, who saw Neuhardt play his contraption on the streets of Los Angeles, it is an "incredible homemade multi-percussion objet d’art slung across his chest made up of upside down cans tied together with rusted wire.""" Ryan Romero Photography; August 5, 2010. Romero reported in 2010 that:

Neuhardt can be seen playing his charismo in this video: "."

Musical style

As founder Bullington puts it "we can play an old folks home in the afternoon and then play for a bunch of punk rockers, or whoever else might still be up and ready for a good time, or some music at midnight. They all seem to enjoy it equally.""" interview by Eric Mitts, Recoil; May 2007. Fellow founder Sickmen claims "the original intent of the band . . was to bring old-time Appalachian country punk rock.""" by T.J. Jones (with interview by Lydia Loveless), Carbondale Rocks; February 16, 2012. Band member Jesse "Baby J." Fiske questions the importance of assigning a specific style: "We're not really an old-time band either. As long as we speak to someone, it doesn't really matter what the genre is.""" by Matt Cameron, published 4/5/2007 in the FREE LANCE-STAR. The group largely performs original material, with a traditional feel. As Shawn Galbraith, banjo player, puts it: "We play original material provided by different members of the band. There are some traditional elements to our sound for sure, but we always try to maintain some uniqueness.""" interview by Hunter Homistek, The Daily Athenaeum > A& E; November 17, 2011. "I don't think many people would call us a traditional oldtime band," states Sickmen: "I'd say our songs are about ninety percent originals. Then we have some old-time songs we play in our own way.""" by T.J. Jones (with interview by Lydia Loveless), Carbondale Rocks; February 16, 2012.

Awards, honors, distinctions

The Hackensaw Boys served as Country Music Hall of Fame member Charlie Louvin ’s backing band on a nationwide tour in 2003. Official Website: Band page.

The Hackensaw Boys opened, along with King Wilkie , for The Del McCoury Band at that group's 2004 New Year's Eve bluegrass blowout at Nashville 's Ryman Auditorium "" by Vijith Assar, The Hook (Issue 0347); November 25, 2004. (former home of the Grand Ole Opry ). The bill also featured the Waybacks and .

The Hackensaw Boys have performed at many prominent U.S. music festivals, including All Good Music Festival (2004 and 2006), Artists. Bonnaroo (2004), Telluride Bluegrass Festival|Telluride (2003), Past Festival Performers. and FloydFest (2003).

The Hackensaw Boys appeared on National Public Radio 's Weekend Edition Saturday on November 26, 2005 with Scott Simon . Making Their Own Kind of Music featured interviews and performances Robert Bullington, David Sickmen, Justin Neuhardt, Jesse Fiske, Jimmy Stelling, and Ferd Moyse, IV."" interview with Scott Simon, N.P.R.'s Weekend Edition Saturday; November 26, 2005.

The Hackensaw Boys have twice performed at the prestigious European music festival in Norway, , where they shared the stage with Marianne Faithfull , Pet Shop Boys , and Shooter Jennings --in 2007--and Delbert McClinton , Mary Gauthier , Patti Smith , and Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes --in 2008. list of artists.

The Hackensaw Boys have most recently been nominated for the Independent Country Music Awards "Best Bluegrass Band, Duo, or Group" category, 2012. You Can Vote Here ---- http://www.icmanet.com/voting/fanvoting.php

Personnel

Current "tour lineup" as of January 2012:

Ward "Cousin Spits" Harrison - guitar

Ferd Lionel "Four" Moyse, IV - fiddle / Stand-up bass|bass

Ben "Ju Ju" Jacobs - Stand-up bass|bass / accordion / harmonica / guitar

Brian "Nugget" Gorby - drums /charismo

David "Shiner" Sickmen - guitar

Justin "Salvage" Neuhardt, who plays Spoon (musical instrument)|spoons , Musical saw|saw , and the charismo--"a home-made tin can contraption" Official Website: Band page.--is not currently touring with the group. Robert "Mahlon" Bullington, who performed on mandolin and guitar, "is retired from the full-time touring lineup but participates in select shows." Official Website: Band page (as confirmed by e-mail from Rob Bullington 1.27.12).

Discography

Full Length Albums:

Get Some (2000) Valley Entertainment—ASIN: B000I2IT26

Keep It Simple (2002) Valley Entertainment—ASIN: B000I2IT2Q

Give It Back (2004) - live (self-produced)—ASIN: B0002N6A0E

Love What You Do (2005) —ASIN: B000AHJ7ZW

Look Out! (2007) —ASIN: B000Q66I22

EPs:

"Who's Lookin' After Me? " (2007)

"The Old Sound Of Music, Vol. 1" (2011)

"The Old Sound Of Music, Vol. 2" (2011)

Video

The Hackensaw Boys recorded live at the AB Club, Brussels, Belgium|Brussels Monday 23 April 2007.

The Hackensaw Boys performing "Radio" from their recent release "Look Out!". Recorded live at the N9 Villa, Eeklo, Belgium Friday September 21st 2007.

The Hackensaw Boys play "Cannonball" at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Richmond, Virginia Summer 2006 (double bill with The Avett Brothers).

Appearances

in St. Louis, Missouri on 3/3/12.

The Hackensaw Boys perform "Down South Blues" at WNRN in Charlottesville, Virginia on September 11, 2009.

The Hackensaw Boys perform "Nashville" on the on WDVX Blue Plate Special show in Knoxville, TN on December 2, 2006.

"" interview with Scott Simon, N.P.R.'s Weekend Edition Saturday on November 26, 2005.

Copyright Citations

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1. Old Crow Medicine Show 2. Kinky

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