Concertwire.com

The Hackensaw Boys are an eight-man acoustic unit that combines the primitive strains of old-time mountain and string band music with modern-day sensibilities. In fact, the group has shared the stage with acts that range from experimental indie-rockers the Flaming Lips to hip-hoppers De La Soul. At one point, the Hackensaw Boys consisted of a dozen players; by the time they recorded their debut album, Get Some, on reel-to-reel in the living room in 2000, it was a nine-man unit. Heading into their self-released sophomore album, 2002's Keep It Simple, the group had stabilized at eight players. Sharing the bill with the Hackensaw Boys is singer/songwriter Chris Knight. His self-titled debut album invited comparisons to Steve Earle and John Prine. After six years of perfecting his story songs about the downtrodden of small-town America, Knight came to Nashville and won a coveted spot on a songwriters' night at the Bluebird Cafe. When Decca released his debut in 1997, Knight still lived in a house trailer on 90 acres in Slaughters, Kentucky. He has since become a popular name in Americana music, releasing five more albums including the soon-to-be-released Heart of Stone.