The Chart Show: Bad Bad Hats inducted to Hall of Fame, Hippo Campus go out on top
by Mark Wheat
December 17, 2015
The final chart of 2015 proves what a good year it has been for Minnesota music! Five of the top seven are local acts and Hippo Campus remain at No.1 for the fifth straight week, falling just one week short of equaling Alabama Shakes and Father John Misty's time at the top. They are also inducted to the Hall of Fame as, traditionally, when we close the year with the best-of shows, we add two weeks to everyone's standing. Taking that rule into consideration, we have the largest Hall of Fame induction group of the year: Bad Bad Hats, Deerhunter, Gary Clark Jr. and Ryan Adams (with the first cover song to be inducted)!
That makes 72 songs added to our Hall of Fame this year, the most inductions in The Chart Show's seven year history. It's the third induction for Hippo Campus, putting them just outside the top 40 of the All-Time Hall of Fame chart. The Black Keys are still at No.1 on that chart with 10 inductions, so it doesn't look like Mumford and Sons, at No.2 with seven, are going to close that gap with songs from their latest album, one that has been missing from most year-end lists. Check out The Current's staff lists and get your votes in for the Top 89 which I will host as we ring in the New Year. After midnight I'm playing a set to get our 2016 off to a great start!
Speaking of next year, Bad Bad Hats and Low will be performing at our 11th birthday bashes at First Avenue on Jan. 23 and 24. Tickets are still available for the all-local lineups, which are a great reflection of local music in 2015.
Should be a big year for one of our new entries, too: Wilco will do an extensive world tour in support of Star Wars (no, not that one, silly!) and they are getting into the spirit of the season with a holiday sale (in case you didn't download the album the first time around, when it was free).
Jason Isbell is back on this week at No.19. The ex-Drive By Trucker ended a good "comeback year" by being nominated for the Best Americana Album Grammy. Seems like he's impressing crowds on his tour according to Denver's Westword who called him "one of the world's best songwriters."
Cage the Elephant were nominated for a Grammy with their last album in 2013. Their new record Tell Me I'm Pretty, produced by Dan Auerbach of the Arcs and Black Keys, is out on Friday. The first track we're playing off it, "Mess Around," comes in at No.20 this week.
Brandi Carlile bounced back after a week's hiatus, cementing another great year in her blossoming career: She's been nominated for a Grammy and received kudos from the good folks of NPR Music in their Top 50 Songs of 2015. They've also just put together a stream of favorite songs from dozens of public radio hosts and writers, including some of us at The Current.
For the next two Wednesdays tune in at 8 p.m. CT for the best-of installments of The Chart Show, when I'll count down all 24 No.1s that were inducted to the Hall of Fame. Thanks for listening voting this year. We can all be very proud of the results! Happy Solstice, everyone — next week it'll start getting lighter again!