Ax and the Hatchetmen


Ax and the Hatchetmen are an American alternative/indie rock band formed in Chicago in 2018. Members of the group include Axel Ellis, Salvatore Defilippis, Hunter Olshefke, Phil Pistone, Quinn Dolan, and Nick Deputy. They are signed with Arista Records and their first album, So Much to Tell You, was released October 24, 2025.

History

The band had its start when Defilippis posted a fingerstyle acoustic guitar video and Ellis messaged him on Instagram. Ellis, Defilippis, Olshefke, Dolan, Deputy, and Kenny Olzewski were members of the Midwest Young Artists in Fort Sheridan jazz band, and Pistone was a student at a nearby jazz conservatory. Ellis, who is from Lake Villa, a northern suburb of Chicago, plays a Gretsch White Falcon guitar given to him by his father. Ellis' father coined the band's name, and Ellis writes the song lyrics that all members then revise and set to music collaboratively. "Having fun is the basis of the songs," Ellis says. The band won the Evanston Battle of the Bands in 2019, which earned them ten free studio hours to record their first EP at Gremlin Recording Studios.
In their early years, the band members alternated between weekend gigs and weekdays at college. Ellis attended music school at Columbia College Chicago, Olshefke studied business at the College of Lake County, and Pistone studied music at Northern Illinois University.
The band's popularity grew as they capitalized on the rise of TikTok, posting frequently and amassing 150,000 TikTok followers and 15.7 thousand Instagram followers by early 2022. The band's grueling commitment to posting on social media is chronicled in their song, Existential Crisis Pt. 1. They signed an initial licensing deal with Frty Fve, a streaming and social media independent label, and in 2022 completed two headlining tours and released four singles. The band played in the 2023 Chicago Lolapalooza lineup.

Early songs (2018-2022)

''Bear on the Roof''

The band wrote and performed their first two songs titled, Sleeping in my Jeans and Silhouette, released as an EP in June 2019. Silhouette garnered one million streams within its first year, and their first breakout hit, Peach Trees, reached two million streams in 2021. Sunscreen was cowritten with Ellis, Defilippis, Kacey Smith and the band's producer Jake Sinclair.

''Ax and the Hatchetmen on Audiotree'' (2023)

With this recording, the band released the songs Goofy, Victim, Utah, Drive-In Movie, Existential Crisis Pt 1, and MAKO/OK:AM.

''So Much to Tell You'' (2025)

The release of the band's debut album coincided with the release of the Amazon Prime American teen television series The Runarounds, in which Ellis plays Neil, also a vocalist and guitarist in the band by the same name. Both bands Ax and the Hatchetmen and The Runarounds played numerous sold out venues in the Fall of 2025.
Featured on the band's debut album is Love Songs, with its "sunny and summery" sound, recorded live on tape. That track first came out on August 16, 2024, accompanied by their first music video. Jam in the Van was then released on February 17, 2025. Blurry Lights, first released on April 3, 2025, features a collaboration with Albert Hammond of The Strokes. Ellis noted that their producer Jake Sinclair and Hammond have children that attend the same school in the Los Angeles, which led Hammond to listen to and then provide a distorted guitar track on the song.
The video for 7 x 9 released on July 17, 2025. The album also includes songs titled, Red Carpet, New Years, Lucy, and Hotel Room, which begins with the lyrics, "So much to tell you." Some of the songs on the album had been in development for a long time. Ellis noted that Flagstaff's riff had evolved since its first iteration in 2019. He and Defilippis also acknowledge a collaboration with Rivers Cuomo from Weezer via an app called RiverTunes that Cuomo had created.
Olshefke has named Utah as his favorite song of their set from the album and tour, and Ellis likes the upbeat nature of Where the F did I park my car?
Ellis names his "dream venue" as Red Rocks near Morrison, Colorado.

Discography

Albums

  • ''So Much To Tell You''

Extended Plays

Love Songs
  • ''Constant Change''