From the prairie to the stage

With a promise to heat up a chilly winter with the resonant twang of acoustic instruments, the Haymakers string band will have a live performance at 8 p.m., Feb. 22, at the Creston Eagles Club. The performance is sponsored by Creston Arts and the Eagles Club. Support for the event can be given through a free-will donation upon entering.

The Wichita, Kansas-born Haymakers originate in 2012 from a duo of primary singer-songwriter and guitarist Tom Page and lead vocalist and harmonica player Dustin Arbuckle. The two had played together through multiple junctions before deciding to build their ensemble.

“It’ll be 20 years of playing together this spring,” Arbuckle said.

Various members of the Haymakers have come and go, leaving behind memories as the band continued a move into wider touring. Alongside the duo of Arbuckle and Page, Caleb Drummond joins the band on upright bass, sometimes known as a double bass, and the newest addition of Evan Ogborn rounds out the string quartet on mandolin.

While the typical impression of a string band is based in bluegrass, the Haymakers don’t like to pigeonhole themselves to the popular style. The band is missing key traditional string band instruments like the banjo and the fiddle, which allows for the Haymakers to explore a different vibe.

“We have blues and western swing influence, some honky-tonk country,” Page said. “We’re a little jammy and still have roots in folk and country rock... There’s a lot more blues and swings to what we do.”

Haymakers’ Kansas origin is a major factor to the band’s style. As a hub in the center of the country, musicians bring a piece of their culture and pass them along through working with other musicians.

“We’re in the middle of things,” Page said. “We have a great stop in Wichita. Chicago people going south, Texas people going north. It brought a lot of stylistic stuff to our attention alongside the Kansas prairie, midwestern culture.”

“We all grew up listening to this part of the musical landscape,” Arbuckle said. “With living in an era of widely proliferated music, that brings in all sorts of influences.”

As Haymakers grew, and the ambitions of touring forced turnover of band members, new styles from new people kept the band evolving.

“Cross-pollination occurs a lot,” said Arbuckle. “[Travel] can pretty quickly exhaust touring availability. But, if you’re in music, you’re more likely to know people.”

The type of audience can change how the Haymakers choose the songs they play, with some songs in the band’s repertoire changing depending on the crowd. While the band laments crowds expecting the high-energy bluegrass jams, the band also knows how some slower songs bring out an emotional side of them they’re not always willing to show.

“Some of those songs bring you to a place where you don’t want to be in front of people,” Arbuckle said.

One song of the band’s “Wakonda Flyer” album, “Lights Over Broadway,” is a song dedicated to Vietnam veterans. Both Arbuckle and Page are sons of Vietnam veterans, and have lived and seen the effects the war has had during their lifetimes. Having that conversation with their audience, telling the stories behind these songs, is a vital part during each performance.

A part of the Haymakers’ recent discography is a “100 Years of Hank” tribute album to legendary western country singer-songwriter Hank Williams, which gave the band opportunities to mix their style while putting their spin on some golden classics.

The rotation of songs in the Haymakers’ bale range from originals to covers, traditionals, songs of unknown origin and songs by friends of the band. A typical Haymakers setlist was described by both Page and Arbuckle as a “mix of all that.” Arbuckle had a simple answer for what people should expect from a Haymakers performance.

“We’re going to break up the monotony of winter with our acoustic revelry,” he said.