For over twenty years, the Hackensaw Boys from Virginia have been energetic purveyors of pure American roots music. The band has functioned as a kind of musicians’ community, and in their current incarnation, the Hackensaw Boys are a quintet, with songwriter and guitarist David Sickmen at the centre. The band’s musical style effortlessly covers folk, americana, old-time, bluegrass and country with a good dash of punk attitude. Here be loads of vocal harmony, finger-pickin banjo, acoustic guitars, fiddle, plus their own invention, the percussion assembly they call a charismo. Portable and one hundred percent analogue, this instrument comprises empty tins, metal plates and diverse junkyard thingymebobs. The charismo, along with the band’s other acoustic instruments, helps create the unique Hackensaw Boys sound. The instrument has also given its name to one of the group’s notable releases, the album Charismo (2016), produced by multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell. Their latest album is Hackensaw Boys from 2022. Their only Danish festival in 2023.