Ax and the Hatchetmen at Thalia Hall.

Ax and the Hatchetmen perform at Thalia Hall for the first time.

*promotional image provided by Ax and the Hatchetmen’s management team.*

I do not give my junior year of high school enough credit. Although it consisted mostly of monotonous safety precautions and Zoom classes, it was also full of new music. Namely, through the wonders of Apple Music’s autoplay feature, I was introduced to “Silhouette” by Ax and the Hatchetmen. I was instantly hooked by the funky guitar that opens the song and I’ve kept up with the band through social media ever since. So when the time came, I jumped at the opportunity to see them live and catch up on all the new gems they had cooked up over the past few years.

Chicago-based band Ax and the Hatchetmen returned to their hometown on March 29th with an exciting performance at Thalia Hall. The six-piece ensemble is led by Axel Ellis on vocals and lead guitar with the help of Hunter Olshefke on vocals and bass, Sal Defilippis on vocals and guitar, Nick Deputy on drums, Phil Pistone on trumpet, and Quinn Dolan on saxophone. And while they were delightfully humble, greeting fans and selling merch before the show, and adamantly grateful for the opportunity to share their music with locals fans, they were also full of a certain electrifying energy that brought the house down that night.

As the house lights went down, an illuminated Ellis appeared and began to strum a few chords as Olshefke and Defilippis joined him on stage. They quickly fell in sync while Deputy, Pistone, and Dolan gradually joined the fray. After this quick sneak peek of what we could expect for the next hour, they jumped right into “Flagstaff.” Unreleased at the time, but out as of May 3!, the song started with a groovy guitar riff that had me immediately hooked even before Ellis urged the crowd to “book it down to Flagstaff” and enjoy their youth in the song’s addicting hook. Better yet, the addition of Pistone’s brass and Dolan’s woodwind gave the song an even jauntier feel that got everyone in the crowd moving to the music.

“Hello, Thalia Hall! Thank you so much for coming out.” Ellis said as the applause died down. The crowd did not remain silent for long though as the music for “What’s New,” a track from their 2020 EP Bear on the Roof, filled the room. The band also performed “Sleeping in My Jeans”, “Silhouette”, and “Goofy” from that EP throughout the night.

In addition to their commentary and anecdotes between songs, the band treated fans to a slew of unreleased music, making for an intimate and exclusive experience. My favorite song still awaiting its streaming debut was “Stay,” a song where all of the guys dazzled with standout solos. The set list struck a perfect balance between these exciting new bangers and their classic tunes, while also incorporating two covers, “Last Nite” by The Strokes and “Twist and Shout” by the Beatles, with the latter providing an extremely energetic end to the show.

Overall, Ax and the Hatchetmen definitely made the most out of their first performance at Thalia Hall. The upbeat music and dedicated fans generated an enjoyable concert experience. As the band gains more traction, I recommend checking out their music and catching them live if you get the chance!