Ax and the Hatchetmen
Formed in 2018, Ax and the Hatchetmen came roaring out of Chicago with feel-great, crowd-pleasing shows, tight-knit musical camaraderie and a wide range of influences spanning generations and genres. Led by guitarist/singer Axel Ellis, the band also features Sal Defilippis on guitar, Hunter Olshefke on bass, Nick Deputy on drums, Phil Pistone on trumpet and Quinn Dolan on saxophone. Along with Ellis, the road-tripping sextet originally met in music school, where they were studying jazz. Though each band member has a formal music education, together Ax and the Hatchetmen have a loose, organic, rollicking vibe, channeling everyone from the Strokes to the Specials to the Rolling Stones, the Black Keys, Pink Floyd, ELO, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Cage The Elephant and Hippo Campus.
Over the past few years, Ax and the Hatchetmen have sold out headlining tours, played their hometown festival, Lollapalooza, dropped a live album and scored a deal with Arista Records. Their debut album So Much To Tell You, produced by Jake Sinclair (Panic! At The Disco, Weezer, Avril Lavigne), features a cameo from Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes on the lead single “Blurry Lights.” Another single, “Hotel,” has been in among Spotify’s top 50 viral songs throughout spring 2026 and launched the band from 400,000 monthly listeners to more than two million in only a few weeks. In addition, Ellis launched his on-screen career this year with a featured role in the Amazon Prime series The Runarounds.
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