Hackensaw Boys return with "Charismo", European tour this summer

On April 15th, Free Dirt Records will release "Charismo", the new record from notorious string band pickers Hackensaw Boys. The 11-track album feels like the zenith release of the band’s 17 years, gathering their diverse life experiences and myriad of roots influences, and crystallizing them into a magnum opus on the Hackensaw way of being. Traditional Appalachian and Delta music lay the groundwork, but it’s injected with a heavy dose of the contemporary, good-times-roll kind of spit and vinegar the band has become known for over the years.

Hackensaw Boys will tour Europe this summer and are happy to share the first bunch of tourdates now, with many more to follow!

25-JUNE: Rotterdam (NL) @ Pijnackerplein Bluegrass Festival
26-JUNE: Waardamme (BE) @ Muddy Roots Europe
28-JUNE: London (UK) @ Boston Music Arms
29-JUNE: Cardiff (UK) @ The Moon Club
30-JUNE: Newcastle (UK) @ The Cluny
01-JULY: Easton (UK) @ Maverick Festival
10-JULY: Deventer (NL) @ Hoogtevrees
13-JULY: Lugano (CH) @ Busker Festival
14-JULY: Selestat (FR) @ Le Tigre
17-JULY: Jablonec nad Nisou (CZ) @ Eurocentrum
22-JULY: Luzern (CH) @ Blueballs Festival
23-JULY: Krefeld (DE) @ Kulturrampe
24-JULY: Lichtenvoorde (NL) @ Zwarte Cross

Produced by Larry Campbell - who has lent his talents to Bob Dylan, Levon Helm, and countless others- "Charismo" sees the band reeled in and slightly refined, though still as spirited as ever. The songs (all written by longtime Hackensaws David Sickmen and Ferd Moyse) are tinged with an attitude of scrappy resilience, spinning tales and metaphors of everyday, working class struggles and triumphs. With Campbell’s production, the Hackensaw’s somewhat casual, porch-front aesthetic is sharpened around the edges, focusing in on the simple beauty of their melodies and the earnestness in their delivery. Transcendent of the parts that make up its whole, the record has a collective feel that reflects the band’s rambling history; the Hackensaws have been a home for dozens of musicians over the years, but have steadfastly endured through life’s many changes. With "Charismo", the Boys don’t let down on providing their signature ever-present, feel-good energy. It’s the kind of intangible presence that reminds us of our connection to other people and to our history, to the idea that we are a part of something much larger than ourselves.

The name of the album is the same as the percussive instrument invented by Justin Neuhardt (who played with the band in its early days) that has been employed nightly since the band’s maiden tour 16 years ago. The charismo is made of recycled wood and scrap – tin cans, hubcaps, and so on – and is constantly broken down and re-assembled as the parts wear out and new ones are found. Much like the fluid, ever-changing nature of the instrument, "Charismo" shows us that Hackensaw Boys are always moving forward like a mighty wheel turning, continuing to spread the (not quite) bygone spirit of down-home music to old and new audiences alike.