{"id":51106,"date":"2025-11-10T17:24:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T22:24:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=51106"},"modified":"2025-11-10T18:31:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T23:31:30","slug":"interview-ax-and-the-hatchetmen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2025\/11\/10\/interview-ax-and-the-hatchetmen\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Ax and The Hatchetmen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo Credit: Harry Bearrows<\/span><\/p>\n

By: Isabelle Ireland<\/span><\/p>\n

Ax and The Hatchetmen are an indie rock band from Illinois. They got their start on TikTok in 2019, a year after they began playing music together. The six friends, Axel Ellis (singer and guitarist), Sal Defilippis (guitar), Hunter Olshefke (bass), Nick Deputy (drums), Phil Pistone (trumpet), and Quinn Dolan (saxophone), just released their first full album,<\/span> \u201c<\/span>So Much to Tell You<\/span>\u201d <\/span>on <\/span>Oct. 24<\/span>. I had the pleasure of talking to Axel, who also recently starred on the hit Amazon Prime show,<\/span> \u201c<\/span>The Runarounds<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Isabelle Ireland (II):<\/strong> Thank you so much for making time in your busy schedule.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Axel Ellis (AE):<\/strong> Of course.<\/span><\/p>\n

II: <\/strong>I have actually been a fan \u2013 TikTok follower since 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> No way, really?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> One of my best friends from middle school and I used to say, \u201cOh my god, they have to come to Connecticut,\u201d since that\u2019s where I\u2019m from. So this interview really feels like a full-circle moment for me.<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Well, yeah, dude, <\/span>it’s<\/span> a pleasure. <\/span>That’s<\/span> so cool. Thank you for listening. I appreciate you.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> <\/span>It’s<\/span> been so cool to watch you, especially Ax and the Hatchetmen, growing since COVID. How did you feel about handling the pandemic and continuing to practice during that time?<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Well, I have to thank that period of time, in a way. <\/span>That <\/span>was <\/span>when we had just started<\/span>\u00a0putting<\/span> videos online.<\/span> <\/span>We had never really been very privy to social media, but <\/span>we\u2019d<\/span> post dumb videos of us practicing or goofing around.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>I think the same <\/span>goes for a lot of<\/span> artists online during that period <\/span>of time<\/span>.<\/span> Everyone <\/span>was locked<\/span> inside their house, and it felt like it was really time to go digital and get our projects off the ground. <\/span>I <\/span>don’t<\/span> know that<\/span> we would have been able to go on our first tour across the country or have the exposure that we did without TikTok.<\/span> <\/span>It was a good time <\/span>to <\/span>just<\/span> sit<\/span> and write music, too.<\/span> <\/span>We wrote a ton of songs, and once everybody could be in the same room, it was a <\/span>good time<\/span> to practice and <\/span>get<\/span> our music <\/span>out there to<\/span> a broader audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> Yeah, I feel like TikTok definitely has its advantages in that sense. Seeing you on my For You page then and now is crazy.<\/span><\/p>\n

AE: <\/strong>That’s<\/span> funny. <\/span>I mean, my dad always says<\/span>, <\/span>as long as you use it for good,\u00a0 then <\/span>it’s<\/span> good and helpful.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> Exactly, <\/span>he’s<\/span> got it, right. <\/span>Now that <\/span>it’s<\/span> been a few years since then, how <\/span>are<\/span> you <\/span>feeling<\/span> about headlining <\/span>for<\/span> your album,<\/span> “<\/span>So Much To Tell You,<\/span>” <\/span>which is releasing tomorrow?<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Yeah! Thank you. <\/span>I’m<\/span> so stoked<\/span>. <\/span>It’s<\/span> gonna be <\/span>a really fun<\/span> tour. I always love going on the road with these guys. We truly have such a good time.\u00a0 <\/span>To have<\/span> a body of work that <\/span>we’re<\/span> ready to <\/span>get out there and show<\/span> people<\/span>, <\/span>and provide a live show <\/span>with,<\/span> is a great feeling.<\/span> <\/span>It’s<\/span> fulfilling to have an album out and <\/span>more of<\/span> a vision and<\/span> a <\/span>theme to follow.<\/span> I think before it was a lot of,<\/span> \u201c<\/span>Oh, well, we got some songs, <\/span>let’s<\/span> go!<\/span>\u201d <\/span>Which is fine, and we enjoyed that too, but it feels like we are honing in on something now. It feels good to hopefully provide a more cohesive show and tell a story in a way that we <\/span>haven’t<\/span> really done before.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> Yeah, <\/span>it’ll<\/span> be exciting to see all of the songs performed kind of back to back. I know that often each title on the album is set for a <\/span>certain<\/span> reason. <\/span>I’m<\/span> excited to listen to it all the way through.<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Well, thank you. I appreciate it. Yeah, we put some thought into the track list.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> You talked about touring. <\/span>What’s<\/span> your favorite tour shenanigans?<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Ah, whenever <\/span>somebody’s<\/span> the last guy to get in the van, and often <\/span>it’s<\/span> me,\u00a0 everybody else yells,<\/span> “<\/span>last guy in the van<\/span>!”,<\/span> and it makes you feel terrible. You <\/span>don’t<\/span> want to be the last guy in the van, holding everybody up<\/span>. That<\/span> and I mean, just really everything. <\/span>Our friends waking up and telling them <\/span>we’re<\/span> in different places that we totally <\/span>aren’t<\/span> and<\/span>, <\/span>yeah, just <\/span>f**king<\/span> with everyone on as high a level as we possibly can keeps it fun.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> I feel like <\/span>that’s<\/span> the best part about it. A road trip is always good, but especially when <\/span>you’re<\/span> with close friends, <\/span>it’s<\/span> got<\/span> to be awesome.<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Absolutely, <\/span>we’re<\/span> lucky to do it.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> What is your favorite song on the album and why?<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> <\/span>It’s<\/span> one called<\/span> “<\/span>Model Citizen<\/span>.”A<\/span>fter I heard the recording, a few of us were like, yeah, this is our favorite thing <\/span>we’ve<\/span> ever done. The theme of the song is that <\/span>nobody’s<\/span> perfect, and <\/span>there’s<\/span> no right or wrong to be yourself. <\/span>It’s<\/span> just accepting who you are and the pace at which <\/span>you’re<\/span> moving, and trying not to compare yourself.\u00a0 <\/span>We modeled it <\/span>kind of<\/span> after<\/span> a <\/span>The Zombies song<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>“<\/span>Care of Cell 44,<\/span>” <\/span>off<\/span> their<\/span> \u201c<\/span>Odyssey and Oracle<\/span>\u201d <\/span>album.<\/span> <\/span>It’s<\/span> just really fun. The harmonies are fun. The horn parts are fun. <\/span>There’s<\/span> a key change for the trumpet solo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> I love that about your band. The trumpet and saxophone \u2013 <\/span>they’re<\/span> so incorporated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> <\/span>It’s<\/span> great.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> Speaking of the nostalgic feel, I was listening to<\/span> “<\/span>7×9<\/span>” <\/span>earlier today, and I feel like it takes me back, especially after watching the music video. What was it like shooting that?<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> We had a blast. <\/span>We shot it with our friend Harry, who <\/span>kind of<\/span> directed it, and we were both just sitting on Zoom calls.<\/span> <\/span>We wanted it to feel young, and the first thing <\/span>we thought of<\/span> was a school setting.<\/span> <\/span>I rush-ordered prep school uniforms on Amazon for everybody,<\/span>\u00a0vests <\/span>and<\/span> ties and <\/span>stuff<\/span>.<\/span> I got Sal a pinwheel hat, which was the best purchase <\/span>I’ve<\/span> ever made. He rocked the hell out of it. My mom happens to be a special ed teacher, and so we used her school. <\/span>It was during the summer, <\/span>so<\/span> nobody was in school, and we had <\/span>so much fun<\/span>.<\/span> We had a loose plan. We kind of just had settings. Start in the school, then go outside. We escape school, the teacher falls asleep, or we pull a prank on him and leave, <\/span>and then he drags us<\/span> back inside for yearbook photos, which was a total rip-off of the<\/span> \u201c<\/span>Freaks and Geeks<\/span>\u201d <\/span>theme intro. We <\/span>didn’t<\/span> really know how to paste them all together, but we figured it out on the day, and we shot it on my birthday, which was a <\/span>nice<\/span> gift.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> I hope someone got you a cake.<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Yeah! We all went to my <\/span>parents’<\/span> house afterwards and ate oysters and cake.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> The perfect pairing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> I think so.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> Also, I hope you guys bring that pinwheel hat with you on tour. <\/span>That’d<\/span> be funny.<\/span><\/p>\n

AE: <\/strong>That’s<\/span> a good idea. <\/span>I’ve<\/span> got it, <\/span>it’s<\/span> lying around somewhere. <\/span>I’ll<\/span> have to find it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> So <\/span>you’re<\/span> making a bunch of these references to some of the songs. What was your inspiration for each song? What was your biggest inspiration for the album?<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Well, our friend Jake Sinclair produced it. The first time I sat down with him\u2014I was obsessed with The Strokes, and still am\u2014he said, <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Let’s<\/span> make something like,<\/span> ‘<\/span>Is This It.’<\/span>” <\/span>I was immediately down. He wanted to track it all on tape. <\/span>It <\/span>didn’t<\/span> exactly <\/span>end up like<\/span> that.<\/span> <\/span>It’s<\/span> <\/span>got some <\/span>kind of<\/span> old British invasion <\/span>feeling<\/span> to it.<\/span> There are certainly some songs that we had The Beatles and The Beach Boys running in our minds. Definitely The Strokes and The Zombies<\/span> <\/span><\/em>too. <\/span>There’s<\/span> a song on there called<\/span> “<\/span>Love Songs<\/span>” <\/span>that was inspired by Bretton <\/span>Woods’<\/span> “<\/span>Oogum Boogum Song.<\/span>\u201d <\/span>Oogum oogum boogum boogum.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> Great song.<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Yeah, I love it. There are kinds of elements from all across the board. And <\/span>Hippocampus<\/span><\/em> is a band that we all love, so I always gravitate towards melodies and guitar riffs that are kind of in that arena, because <\/span>that’s<\/span> kind of what I spent my high school learning and doing.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> Awesome. What are three words you could use to describe your album?<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Youthful, um, nostalgic and longing or loving, one of the two I <\/span>don’t<\/span> know. <\/span>Coming-of-age could <\/span>just<\/span> be one word?.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> Yeah, hyphenate it, <\/span>that’s<\/span> fine. <\/span>Also<\/span>, you <\/span>spoke about<\/span> your inspirations.<\/span> How did it feel when you met Albert Hammond Jr. from The Strokes?<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Dude, I actually <\/span>haven’t<\/span> met him. <\/span>It’s<\/span> so funny how that played out. <\/span>Our producer, Jake, his <\/span>kid<\/span>, and <\/span>Albert’s<\/span> <\/span>kid went to<\/span> the same school in L.A., so they knew each other.<\/span> Jake played him our song one day, and Albert texted us that he liked it. We were all over the moon. W<\/span>e’d<\/span> been huge Strokes fans <\/span>for all of<\/span> high school and college. One day, he sent us the track he recorded, and we all freaked out listening to it in the green room of a venue one night. <\/span>We’re<\/span> trying to get him out to play with us in L.A. when <\/span>we’re<\/span> there in a couple of months. So <\/span>we’ll<\/span> see what happens. We would be honored to have him. <\/span>I’d<\/span> love to meet him at some point, but I have texted with him.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> A text is almost as good, but you’ve got to get him out!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> I know, we have got to get him out.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> Changing speed a little bit, Axel, how did it feel when you found out <\/span>you’re<\/span> going to be in<\/span> \u201c<\/span>The Runarounds<\/span>?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> I was stoked! I had no idea what it was really. I signed up thinking it was a cameo for<\/span> “<\/span>Outer Banks<\/span>.”W<\/span>e thought <\/span>we’d<\/span> be playing on the beach while John B got arrested, or some crap. <\/span>We had been going back and forth <\/span>on emails<\/span> for a while, but it <\/span>wasn’t<\/span> until they got me on a Zoom call and said,\u00a0<\/span> \u201c<\/span>Hey, we want to cast a band and do this whole other kind of project.<\/span>\u201d<\/span> <\/span>They <\/span>didn’t<\/span> really even know what it was at that point. They were calling it a mockumentary of sorts, where we <\/span>wouldn’t<\/span> really have to do much acting. <\/span>I had never acted before, and so it <\/span>kind of<\/span> took shape over the course of four or five years, as we were <\/span>kind of<\/span> trying to be a band and writing songs.<\/span> <\/span>It was fun how some songs <\/span>that<\/span> we <\/span>just<\/span> wrote on our own wound up making it into the show and having storylines around them.<\/span> <\/span>I was really excited, and\u00a0 I still am <\/span>really stoked<\/span>, <\/span>and so lucky<\/span> to be a part of it, <\/span>not having<\/span> come from an acting background.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> I was gonna ask if they had you take any acting lessons or anything like that.<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Not <\/span>prior to<\/span>. I did theater in seventh grade because I had a crush on somebody in it, but I was no good. We had an <\/span>amazing<\/span> acting coach, Russ Blackwell. He helped us about a month before we started shooting, and then when we <\/span>shot<\/span> the pilot a few years <\/span>prior to<\/span> the rest of the season. I would not have been able to do any of it without his help and guidance, and he was fusing music and acting together in a way that made it palatable and understandable for us. He was <\/span>really helpful<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> How did the<\/span> “<\/span>Hatchetmen” <\/span>r<\/span>eact to seeing you on TV? <\/span>I’m<\/span> sure <\/span>that’s<\/span> such a wild thing. I <\/span>can’t<\/span> imagine them sitting in a room together watching.<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Well, <\/span>they’re<\/span> all my best friends, and they were all, thankfully, super supportive of it the whole time. I mean, if they had given any <\/span>inkling of not wanting<\/span> me to do it, <\/span>I’m<\/span> not sure I would have in the first place. Having signed up with them, I almost needed their <\/span>blessing in order<\/span> to continue pursuing it. A few of the guys came out for the premiere just a couple of months ago. Both bands are all friends with each other. We all get along <\/span>great<\/span>. <\/span>And while we were shooting <\/span>it<\/span>, we even had some band practices on set, because <\/span>we<\/span> had nowhere else to practice when I was working.<\/span> They also have a brief cameo in episode eight in the final performance scene.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

II: <\/strong>That’s<\/span> so lucky, just having people to support you, even though it could <\/span>be seen<\/span> as scandalous.<\/span><\/p>\n

AE: <\/strong>I’m<\/span> a Traitor! <\/span>I’m<\/span> cheating! Yeah, no. <\/span>They’ve<\/span> been great. A couple of these guys also started their own band too. And so <\/span>it’s<\/span> called<\/span> “<\/span>The Back Alley,<\/span>” <\/span>and it works out that when <\/span>I’m<\/span> going out with<\/span> “<\/span>The Runarounds,<\/span>” <\/span>they work with<\/span> “<\/span>The Back Alley.<\/span>” <\/span>It’s<\/span> all <\/span>kind of<\/span> grown into a family of bands, which I love being a part of.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> Yeah, <\/span>that’s<\/span> so awesome. <\/span>It’s<\/span> so <\/span>nice<\/span> to be able to also maybe listen to each <\/span>other’s<\/span> music, get feedback from others-<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Totally!<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> <\/span>That’s<\/span> so awesome.<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Yeah, <\/span>we’re<\/span> very back and forth about everything we make.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> What are you most excited about in the next couple of months?<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> I mean, this tour for sure. I <\/span>can’t<\/span> wait. The first show was last night. <\/span>But<\/span> <\/span>we’re<\/span> <\/span>really<\/span> starting the run in a week or so in Phoenix.<\/span> We just went to Memphis a couple of weeks ago and recorded a few new songs. <\/span>So, I think <\/span>we’re<\/span> <\/span>gonna<\/span> do a deluxe version of the album, with some new stuff on it.<\/span> Hopefully, <\/span>we\u2019ll<\/span> see.\u00a0 <\/span>I think<\/span> we might take a break from touring after this tour, <\/span>just<\/span> to sit down and record some more stuff and get back in the studio.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> Definitely. <\/span>Or maybe <\/span>just<\/span> sit.<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Yeah, or maybe <\/span>just<\/span> sit.<\/span> <\/span>That’s<\/span> great too. Sit under a tree and yeah, strum some open chords. That works too.<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> Yeah, you guys have seemed to be very busy. So again, thank you.<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Lucky to do it. Yeah.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> Yeah. <\/span>Is there anything else you <\/span>want<\/span> to share or <\/span>talk about<\/span>?<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Not necessarily. I thought your questions were awesome, and I appreciate your time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

II:<\/strong> Thank you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AE:<\/strong> Thank you so much. Cheers. Bye.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take a listen to their new album<\/span> \u201c<\/span>So Much to Tell You<\/span>\u201d <\/span>and see Axel and the rest of<\/span> \u201c<\/span>Ax and The Hatchetmen<\/span>\u201d <\/span>on <\/span>November 18<\/span> at Brighton Music Hall.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This interview was edited for clarity.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo Credit: Harry Bearrows By: Isabelle Ireland Ax and The Hatchetmen are an indie rock band from Illinois. They got their start on TikTok in 2019, a year after they began playing music together. The six friends, Axel Ellis (singer and guitarist), Sal Defilippis (guitar), Hunter Olshefke (bass), Nick Deputy (drums), Phil Pistone (trumpet), and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25371,"featured_media":51107,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16,1523],"tags":[2587],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51106"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25371"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51106"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51112,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51106\/revisions\/51112"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}