Axel Ellis of Ax and the Hatchetmen Speaks on Their New Single “Flagstaff” and Their Creative Processes

Axel Ellis of Ax and the Hatchetmen Speaks on Their New Single “Flagstaff” and Their Creative Processes

By Zoe Blakeman

Chicago’s very own Ax and the Hatchetmen releases their newest single “Flagstaff,” about road-tripping with friends. The band’s lighthearted music keeps people of all ages drawn to their feel-good vibe and their lively improvisational performances. Read the Q&A below to find out more about their creative processes behind their new single, the upcoming EP, and past music below!

ZB: “Where TF Did I Park My Car?” captures a humorous yet relatable experience. Can you share more about the inspiration behind the song and how it reflects the band’s dynamic?

AE: It’s definitely one of our more energetic songs that I wrote with a friend. It’s about our collective car trouble stories in terms of getting tickets and towed. Very much a Chicago thing that happens to anyone who moves here with a car. We realized that our stories about car troubles are related to many people. We just get so excited to go where we’re headed that we forget to pay for parking. It has themes of love and, like fuck, my car is gone. What do we do now? It’s a little ode to Chicago and thanks for all of the tickets we’ve gotten.

ZB: Transitioning from jazz studies to forming an indie rock band is quite a shift. How has your background in jazz influenced the sound and style of Ax & The Hatchetmen’s music?

AE: We all loved playing jazz in school and still listen to it. I think the improvisational aspect is what we really enjoyed about it, and we try to keep that in our live performances. We leave a lot of room in our live shows for improvising on-the-spot kind of stuff which is inspired by all of the jazz we listen to. The whole reason I wanted to learn jazz was to have a better pallet for songwriting. It’s very nice to be able to use this education and implement it into our music. It’s fun to have in our wheelhouse.

ZB: With your upcoming single release and recent signing to Arista Records, how do you feel about the band’s growth and trajectory in the music industry?

AE: We’re super stoked that we signed to Arista. We love them, and we’ve been having a great time working with them. I’m not sure about the band’s trajectory, but I hope things go well! We’re going to try our best to make music we love and that fans want to listen to. We’ve been having a great time thus far, so I hope it continues!

ZB: “Bear On The Roof” was your debut EP. How do you think the band has evolved musically since then, and what can listeners expect from your upcoming EP?

AE: We’re still just having fun with it. Maybe the new EP sounds more like cohesive songs than the first one we did. The first EP we ever put out was made up of the first songs we ever wrote. Hopefully, these songs are a little more well-thought-out in some ways. But we didn’t change much or change how we write or play sounds.

ZB: Can you give us some insight into the creative process behind your upcoming EP? How do you decide which tracks to include and how to approach re-recording existing songs?

AE: It’s been in conjunction with the label we just signed for. We’ve been trying to figure out what to put out and when. It’s nice to have someone to ask about the best ways to go about these things. For this project, we did something a bit different.

We wrote with some other songwriters for the first time and had a great time doing that! Half of the EP came from the bedroom before we wrote with anyone or went over anything, and the other half has some super fun co-writes. It’s just a collaboration of the new things we’re happy to do with the label and some songs we already had in the bank, which we had a ton of.

ZB: What inspired the creation of your newest song, “Flagstaff,” and how does the song reflect themes of friendship, love, and adventure?

AE: The actual city, or town, of Flagstaff, Arizona, I’ve only been to one time when I was a kid. I liked it and had a great couple of days there. I don’t remember it a ton, but I remember the hiking and the nature. More than just the town, which I love, it’s about the destination and spirit of adventure. It makes me think of the little dude from Up! With the little patches on his shirt. It’s an idea of hitting the road with your friends. “Let’s book it down to Flagstaff. Just take my hand. Been a little lonely. Why don’t we be friends.” It’s more about the experience rather than the city itself.

ZB: How have your live performances shaped your approach to music, and what do you like most about playing live?

AE: Our live performances have been kind of everything in terms of what we mostly do. Instead of spending time in a studio, we’re playing gigs every weekend. That’s given me every piece of advice I’ve needed in terms of recording things and whatnot. It’s really nice to be able to play songs and workshop them live for a while before going to the studio and recording it. Playing live helps you get things down, and it helps you know how you like a song. It’s a great way to get out the kinks in a song. Playing live is our favorite thing. It allows us to connect with each other and our audiences.

ZB: What do you hope listeners take away from your music, particularly from your upcoming single and EP release?

AE: I think to just have fun for a second. I hope you throw it on and you can relate or you enjoy the combination of notes. You don’t have to take away anything monumental. Just enjoy it!

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Links:

Official: https://www.axandthehatchetmen.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/axandthehatchetmen
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Ax_Hatchetmen
Instagram: https://instagram.com/axandthehatchetmen