Hackensaw Boys

The Hackensaw Boys are an eight-man acoustic unit that combines the primitive strains of old-time mountain and string band music with modern-day sensibilities. In fact, the group has shared the stage with acts that range from experimental indie-rockers the Flaming Lips to hip-hoppers De La Soul. The roots of the Hackensaw Boys go back to late 1999 in Charlottesville, VA, when Dave Sickmen and Tom Peloso set out to form a group. At a gig by the similarly minded Old Crow Medicine Show, the two met up with future primary members Robbie St. Ours (multi-instrumentalist) and Rob Bullington (mandolin). The four ended up on-stage and found they had immediate chemistry. Subsequently, the group played regular engagements around Charlottesville (including street busking and a residency at the Blue Moon Diner) as musicians moved through its ranks. At one point, the Hackensaw Boys consisted of a dozen players; by the time they got around to recording their debut album, Get Some, on reel-to-reel in the living room in 2000, it was a nine-man unit. Heading into their self-released sophomore album, 2002's Keep It Simple, the group had stabilized at eight players.