Hackensaw Boys

Tuesday, August 14

“Dancin’ with the girls/That’s a mighty fine thing/You ain’t gotta buy no weddin’ ring.” So sang the neo-hillbilly band Hackensaw Boys about four years ago in a tiny bar in Portland. It was a hot night, and those Oregon hippies (most of whom traveled back from the Telluride Fest that weekend just to see the Hacks play again!) twirled and swayed all over the place. It was about 89 degrees that night, and the bar was sweltering. Even the beer tasted warm. But nobody was sweating more than the Hackensaw Boys. They fired up their set at about 8 p.m., and when I left after midnight, they had yet to stop for a break. It was insanity. Ferocious hillbilly pickin’ and a-sangin’ that was raw and beautiful all at once. Shortly after that, their fiddler, Tom Peloso, was hired by Modest Mouse, and I wasn’t sure what would happen to my beloved Hacks. Turns out, they soldiered on, and even have a new record, Look Out! Look out, indeed. These boys are on a mission to make sure they’re the last to leave the dance floor at the end of the night.