Hackensaw Boys Feature - Virginian Pilot

People always tell us, 'I never thought I would like bluegrass music, but I love you guys,' " said Ward Harrison, guitarist for the Hackensaw Boys.

"Whenever someone comes up to us after a show and says, 'I'd never seen a bluegrass band before,' we say, well you still haven't."

So say the Hackensaw Boys, a six-piece acoustic act from Charlottesville that plays moonshine-era-inspired melodies with a punk rock swagger.

"If anything, we're a fiddle-stomping rock 'n' roll string band," Harrison said.

For the Hackensaw Boys, that joyful noise is as much informed by the music of their youth as that of their great-grandparents. The bandmates came of age in the era of such alternative rock pioneers as The Replacements, a noted influence.

"That band directly inspired the angle at which we approach music," Harrison said. "They had that sort of reckless, throw-it-all-up-and-see-where-it-lands kind of spirit."

The Hackensaw Boys will conjure that spirit at The Jewish Mother in Virginia Beach on Saturday, using traditional instrumentation such as mandolin, upright bass and fiddle along with a rhythm device called the "charismo," a homemade contraption of tin cans, spoons, bicycle bells and hubcaps.

"It is kind of a spectacle, I have to admit," Harrison said of the band's stage show.

 But that doesn't mean the Hackensaw Boys aren't capable of tugging at heartstrings with an Appalachian-style lament.

"We're certainly known for very high-energy, dancey kind of stuff, but at the same time we can switch gears into something more contemplative and mature," Harrison said. "I liken it to an evening at the theater; we cover the gamut of emotions."

Eclectic but not gimmicky, the Hackensaw Boys embrace old-time music without a stitch of irony.
Sure, they have fun with the concept, as evidenced by their grizzly-bearded appearance and use of old-fashioned country music nicknames, but Harrison - aka "Spits" - says the band's intent is genuine.

"We love the tradition of the music that we do. It's what's in our hearts."

ETC Fest- Virginian Pilot

Small is the new big.

That's the premise behind this weekend's inaugural ETC Indie Music and Arts Festival at Town Point Park in Norfolk.

Organizers say the event aims to shine a light on independently produced music, art and even food.

"Indie can mean different things to different people, but it is the idea that the independent author, the visual artist that does not have a studio, or the band that is not heard every day on the radio is given an opportunity to showcase their talents in a premiere venue within a professional production," said Ted Baroody, president of Norfolk Festevents.

And ETC, which stands for Embrace the Culture, takes the independent theme a step further by including chefs who don't cook at typical brick-and-mortar restaurants. In addition to three stages of music and a retail arts marketplace, the festival will feature a food truck food court.

"It's a modern alternative to the traditional food setup," Baroody said. It's also a fitting representation of the do-it-yourself ethos.

"Chefs, musicians and artists are kindred spirits," said Cassandra Ayala, co-owner of Twisted Sisters Cupcakes, one of the mobile eateries that will be serving culinary creations on Saturday. "I think food is just another level of the kind of passion it takes to be any kind of creative soul."

Ayala should know. The enterprising epicurean and her sister, Tracy Busching, ditched their steady paying jobs several years ago to launch their traveling cupcake business. The siblings' pink polka-dotted van is likely recognizable to many Hampton Roads foodies who stay abreast of Twisted Sisters' ever-changing location via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

"We get to bring the community together," Ayala said. "It's about much more than just handing someone a plate of food."

That's a sentiment echoed by Amy Oliver, founder and co-owner of Wrap-N-Roll, a food truck that offers healthy wraps, salads and entrees.

Oliver and partner Jerri Hartz work with Hampton Roads Buy Fresh Buy Local, an organization connecting local farmers to consumers. The food truck proprietors are newbies to this. Oliver, a former flight attendant, was mulling over career options after a transitional job in food retail got her thinking. One day while scanning Craigslist, the Virginia Beach resident spotted an ad for a used truck and inspiration struck.

"I didn't tell anybody, I just pulled up to the driveway and told my husband I was starting a new business," she laughed of driving home with the vehicle.

Oliver says the venture has given her the opportunity to meet like-minded people.

"The woman who designed the logo for the food truck is also going to be at ETC," she noted. Local artist Tammy Deane repurposes goods found at local thrift shops.

"She takes things apart and puts them together into really interesting funky pieces. "That's what I love about this festival," added Oliver. "If you look around, you will see that we're sitting on all kinds of neat creative stuff here in Hampton Roads."