We are looking forward to celebrating with you this weekend at The Current’s 20th Anniversary Celebration, two nights in the First Avenue Mainroom. On night two, we are really looking forward to performances by Beach Bunny and MAKR AN ERIS, as well as by Bad Bad Hats.

Bad Bad Hats are currently on tour in support of their self-titled album — their fourth full-length release — and the tour wraps up this Saturday in the First Avenue Mainroom in Minneapolis. Bad Bad Hats frontperson Kerry Alexander took time to check in from with road ahead of Saturday’s show. Use the audio player above to listen to her interview with The Current’s Jill Riley, and read a transcript below.

Interview Transcript

Jill Riley: This morning, I wanted to check in with Kerry Alexander of Bad Bad Hats. How are you?

Kerry Alexander: Doing well, thank you.

Jill Riley: You know, Kerry, we've been running through The Current's Top 89s of each year, and we recently did the year 2015, and I was reminded of just how big "Midway" was on The Current. In fact, it was No. 6 on The Current's Top 89, and we also did a Top 89 Local Songs countdown where it was No. 1. And so I've been thinking about that song a lot. And really, this year, being the 10th anniversary of your debut full length, Psychic Reader, Kerry, I wonder if we could kind of go back 10 years and think about that time when "Midway" really started to hit for you guys?

Kerry Alexander: We've been thinking about the anniversary quite a bit and how we're going to celebrate, because you only turn 10 once. I guess we recorded it in 2014 in the Little House on Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis. And I really felt like the It Hurts EP, our first thing that came out, got a lot of play on the Local Current, which we were very excited about, and we felt like we had some good momentum, and we started to record our full-length album just in our house, in our bedroom, like we had the It Hurts EP, and kind of quickly realized that we did not have the capacity to do it ourselves, which in some ways was a scary problem, but maybe a good problem, too, because I think it meant that we were growing and evolving.

And yeah, I feel like the second anyone would hear the record, "Midway" would seem to stand out. Dan Huiting, who made the music video, we just went to him with the general idea that we would work with him. He was like, "I gotta do 'Midway.' That's the song I gotta do." So we're like, "OK, I think people, you know, this one might be resonating with people." And it probably helps that people think about the State Fair Midway, even though that is not what it's about. But people are allowed to believe that.

Jill Riley: OK, well, if it isn't about maybe a summertime fair, or the Minnesota State Fair is one that really hits with people…

Kerry Alexander: Yes.

Jill Riley: OK, then in your point of view, as being the one who made the song, what was the original intention of "Midway"?

Kerry Alexander: The Midway of "Midway" by Bad Bad Hats is Chicago Midway Airport. Which I assume also, though a lot of Twin Citians have flown through Midway at some point in their lives. 

Jill Riley: That's kind of the fun part about how a song can kind of take on a new life, depending on maybe where you release it or who's hearing it. I'm talking with Kerry Alexander of Bad Bad Hats, just kind of reminiscing about the song "Midway" and the year 2015 when your debut full length Psychic Reader came out. Local music has been a part of The Current's legacy for 20 years. Can you talk, maybe, specifically about how for Bad Bad Hats, members really made an opportunity there by giving you know, space for local music to be played on The Current? I mean, realIy, I have to assume that that airplay really opened some doors for you guys.

Kerry Alexander: Yeah. I mean, I have a very specific story. I don't know if you remember the movie Dream Girls, Jill? There's a scene where they hear their song on the radio, but they're driving out of the like range of the signal, so they turn their car around on the bridge so they can go back to hear, keep hearing their single on the radio for the first time. And for me, in 2012, I had flown to Chicago to audition for The Voice.

Jill Riley: I didn't know about that. OK!

Kerry Alexander: Yes, and it was a very fun experience. Bizarre, but fun. But this was right around the time that Bad Bad Hats was kind of beginning. So I went and I sang, you know, covers, and there were like three people in front of me who all sounded exactly like Adele belting Adele songs. And I was like, "This is not going to be good."

But when I touched down in the Twin Cities, I got a text from [bandmate] Chris [Hoge], and he was like, "The Local Current is playing 'It Hurts'." And it was like the first time that our song had been on the radio, and I was able to, like, get it on my phone and listen. And I think in that moment, sort of solidified for me that I was like, "You know, I think I really want to try and make this work like with my own songwriting and my own voice, and have my kind of work be at the forefront." So to me, I always think about The Current as sort of like giving me permission to be a songwriter and just work on building a following here. And I'm always so impressed by the support from the city for local musicians. People in the Twin Cities just really love their local bands. There's so much pride for it, and The Current is so helpful sharing local songs with the community who [are] so open to it, which is really beautiful.

Jill Riley: Yeah. Thank you for sharing that story. I'm talking with Kerry Alexander of Bad Bad Hats. Now Kerry, if we could bring it up to the present, the band currently on tour before we see you rolling into town for the First Avenue show to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Current along with MAKR AN ERIS and Beach Bunny, that's gonna be a really fun night of music. You're on tour in support of the latest album. So we're bringing it up to your fourth studio album, full-length record, the self-titled record. How are things going on the road? How is the tour?

Kerry Alexander: It's pretty good. We had, at the beginning of the tour, had some like natural disasters. Had a blizzard in Kansas City, we had to cancel that show. And then, of course, the fires, the devastating fires in L.A., we had to postpone our L.A. show. So a little bit of, you know, like, sort of, sort of taking in the the world as like, "OK, yeah, you know, we might have more of this, you know, in our touring life, moving forward," but it's such a great group of people. We're traveling with our band, which includes Colby Hansen on bass, Joey Hayes on drums, and then Chris on guitar and myself, and then Party Nails, our opener, we're all in one party. Everyone's been so great and positive and supportive, so that's been so awesome. And all the shows that we've played have been really amazing. We did manage also to lock ourselves out of the back of our car.

Jill Riley: Oh, no! OK, tell this story. What happened?

Kerry Alexander: Well, so we have like, a special, like lock, and it managed to get, like, stuck. And so we realized the only way that we were going to be able to get to our belongings in the back of the car would be to physically saw through the barrier that we installed. Also the whole time, aptly singing the first song on a new album, "Let Me In," while we were doing this. But we went to Home Depot in Tempe, Arizona, and bought several saws and just got to work.

Jill Riley: For a moment, were you worried that someone was going to call the police and say, "Hey, there seems to be kind of a joyful group of people singing in unison while breaking into a car." I mean, there is kind of that where it's like, "No, it's my car. I swear!"

Kerry Alexander: Honestly, a real lack of interest in what we were doing in that parking lot from all people. So, you know, I think people were pretty focused on their DIY projects, and that's for the best, I think.

Jill Riley: I'm talking with Kerry Alexander from Bad Bad Hats. You know, a couple hiccups on the road, but it sounds like things have been going really great with this tour, and we're looking forward to you rolling into town this weekend for night two of The Current's anniversary celebration weekend, the 20th anniversary. I just want to say thank you for being a part of that event. And it's been a lot of fun over the years. I mean, now you're at your fourth full-length record, and there have just been so many, I think, great events that we've been able to do with you. You've had been in the studio, you played at Rock the Garden, and it's been a lot of fun to really be on this journey with you guys.

Kerry Alexander: We really appreciate it. When we heard about this show, we're so excited to play. But then Chris was like, "Didn't we play the [14th] birthday?" I was like, "Yeah, I think we did," but it didn't seem like that long ago. But you know, music keeps you young, so it doesn't feel like that much time has passed.

Jill Riley: Well, you'll have to tell Chris, "Hey, but they invited us back". That's the important part. They invited us back.

Kerry Alexander: That's all that matters.

Jill Riley: Well, Kerry, we're looking forward to seeing you, and best of luck on the road. Kerry Alexander of Bad Bad Hats, checking in with The Current's Morning Show. Again, night two of The Currents 20th Anniversary Party. Looking forward to your set, and we'll see you when you roll back into town.

Kerry Alexander: We're so excited!

Jill Riley: Excellent, excellent. Well, you are listening to The Current. Here's music of Bad Bad Hats.

Credits

Guest – Kerry Alexander of Bad Bad Hats
Host – Jill Riley
Producer – Nilufer Arsala
Digital Producer – Luke Taylor

External Link

Bad Bad Hats – official site