The Hackensaw Boys are a string band formed in 1999 and based in central Virginia. The band has drawn on many musical influences and are "[k]nown best for rowdy, energetic live shows." Over the last fifteen years, the band's live performances have earned a measure of notoriety in the Mid-Atlantic region. They have performed at premier outdoor U.S. music festivals including Bonnaroo, Lock'n, Floydfest, and the All Good Music Festival. The band has toured continuously since formation, but also claims at least twenty former and current members over the same fourteen-year period. The current four-piece lineup contains only one original member, David Sickmen (Sickmen rejoined the band in 2012 after quitting the band in 2005).
The Hackensaw Boys were founded in the Fall of 1999 by Rob Bullington, Tom Peloso, David Sickmen, and Robert "Bobby" St. Ours who were all living in Charlottesville, Virginia at the time.
Prior to forming Hackensaws, Sickmen and Bullington met in Harrisonburg, Virginia in the early 1990s. At the time, Bullington was playing in a band called Fried Moose. Peloso formed a band with some friends in the same decade called Chigger, in which he played the doghouse bass and was the lead singer. Sickmen played in a band called Pieboy with future (now former) Hackensaw Boy, Ward Harrison. All had performed as young musicians on the open mic stage at the Little Grill diner in Harrisonburg, as well.