Check out was hours ago, but Ax and the Hatchetmen aren’t leaving. The indie rock six piece, fronted by Axel Ellis, hit the road this fall for the “Late Check Out Tour” — a coast to coast run bringing their sunburnt guitars and jangly tunes to the masses. What started in high school hallways outside Chicago has grown into a band with millions of listeners, diehard fans, and nearly a decade of life on the road.

The Rare Occasions

The Rare Occasions are an LA-based, New England-bred indie rock band known for their explosive garage rock anthems with catchy vocal harmonies.

The Rare Occasions formed in Boston in 2012. Since then, they have toured nationally, won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and released a vast catalog of music online.

In 2021 the band released their album, Big Whoop, which received significant press and radio play. Around the same time, their 2016 track “Notion” went viral on TikTok and continues to make waves, topping Spotify’s viral chart in the US and several other countries, and later landing on Billboard’s alternative charts and top 100 singles charts in the UK, Ireland, and Canada.

They released their 3rd LP, Through Moonshot Eyes end of 2024. They’ve garnered radio play across the states, and even in the UK for the new album and completed a national headlining tour to support it.