by abby crabill
photo by rett rogers
Chicago-based group, Ax and the Hatchetmen, recently dropped their new single, “Love Songs.” They hope to share the message of positivity with a care-free enjoyment of life. Along with the release of their new single, the group also announced their Way Too Late Tour across the United States. The group is focused on creating and friendship, while enjoying the overall experience.
Can you tell me a bit about the creation of Ax and the Hatchetmen?
Hunter Olshefke: “Yeah! Back in his sophomore year of high school, Sal, one of our guitarists, posted videos of himself playing acoustic on Instagram. Axel Ellis (singer and other guitarists) stumbled upon one of them and DM’d Sal, asking if he wanted to jam sometime. Within the next two weeks, they recorded a cover of ‘Cyclone’ by Sticky Fingers.
Sal and I were already playing together for fun, and they decided to bring me in for bass. From there, we just brought different people we knew to rehearsals and jammed. Everyone (Phil, Quinn, and Nick) who plays in the band now was also in our high school’s jazz band. So it was pretty easy to connect over that.”
How would you describe your aesthetic/sound to new listeners?
Hunter Olshefke: “I would describe it as an ode to 60s and 70s music with a big alternative/indie twist. We all are super inspired by multiple genres like jazz, rock, and blues that I think we cover quite a few bases, genre-wise.”
What does your writing process typically look like?
Hunter Olshefke: “Recently, we have been working with a producer and other songwriters outside of the band. Typically, Axel and Sal go to work with a couple of people to write a song (structure, lyrics, melody) and then they bring it back to the band to beef it up a bit.
We started it out with Axel mostly writing a song on acoustic guitar and then bringing it to the band, in the same manner.”
Can you tell me a bit about your single “Love Songs?”
Hunter Olshefke: “That was one of our favorite tunes to work on with our producer Jake Sinclair. We recorded at his studio in LA and were stoked that it was the third new song we’ve released this year.”
So far, what has been one of the most difficult parts about being musicians?
Hunter Olshefke: “In my opinion, one of the most difficult parts about being a musician has been staying healthy on tour. Quite often when one person gets sick it just leads to everyone else going down with them.”
What are you most excited about when you go back on tour?
Hunter Olshefke: “We are always stoked to be able to have a few nights to go camping and hiking. It’s always awesome when there is time to go explore.”
What do you enjoy doing on a free day?
Hunter Olshefke: “We love to hike and try the best restaurants we can find.”
Who are some of your dream collaborations?
Hunter Olshefke: “We all love Hippo Campus. It would be an honor to collaborate with them in some way shape or form!”
As a group, how do you overcome challenges that you encounter?
Hunter Olshefke: “Any challenges we encounter we just try to push through and make sure that we are keeping our heads on straight. In my opinion, we are lucky to have such a good fun-loving group of guys. We’re always able to laugh with each other even if things can get a bit stressful.”
Ideally, what does success look like to you?
Hunter Olshefke: “I think success to me and maybe all of us is just being able to have a good time doing what we do. No one in the band wants this to become mundane or unenjoyable (obviously). I think as long as we get to do what we want to do (play and record music, hike, camp) then we are in good shape.”
What can listeners expect to see from you in the future?
Hunter Olshefke: “More fun music and an upcoming tour starting in November!”