On The Rise: Bad Bad Hats Interview

For those who may have attended Tomorrow Never Knows festival in Chicago last weekend, you may have seen this talented band perform alongside many other indie bands.

Bad Bad Hats is a songwriting duo consisting of Chris Hoge and Kerry Alexander from Minneapolis.

Together, they are known to write songs that are short and sweet, upbeat and smart. They perform alongside their bassist, Noah Boswell, and Nate Hart-Andersen on guitar.

They were discovered by played at Macalester College's Battle of the Bands, and though they did not win the music faceoff, they are back to seek revenge and take the music industry by storm.

Empty Lighthouse recently had the opportunity to talk with Kerry, the lead singer of Bad Bad Hats, while in Chicago for the indie music festival, and the band had much to say about some of their musical influences, what keeps them going and some upcoming plans for the next few months.

Read further and get to know Bad Bad Hats, a band on the rise.

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: How did you first get your start in music?
BAD BAD HATS: I think we all got started in school. Jazz band and orchestra and choir. Violin was my first instrument.

My mom plays viola, so she encouraged me to pursue violin. Eventually though, the desire to rock became too strong. So I switched to guitar.

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: Who are your musical influences?
BAD BAD HATS: Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill made me want to be a songwriter. Letters to Cleo made me want to be in a rock band. I love Feist and Liz Phair.

Recently, Caitlin Rose and Land of Talk have been very influential. But this is just what I bring to the band.

The guys would probably add Pixies, Kraftwerk, Santigold, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Weezer, Kurt Vile, and Wilco to the list. Just to name a few.

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: How do you manage your time between your music and personal life?
BAD BAD HATS: I don't. Haha! At this point, they are one in the same.

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: What advice would you give to other young people looking to succeed in the industry?
BAD BAD HATS: We are still figuring things out ourselves, so I don't have too many words of wisdom.

But I think (I hope) if you work hard and love what you do, something good can happen.

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: When you hit a creativity block, what re-inspires you?
BAD BAD HATS: I like to bring ideas to practice and see where the band takes them.

Basically, when I get stuck, I let them do the work for me.

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: What are you most excited about performing at Tomorrow Never Knows?
BAD BAD HATS: We're very much looking forward to taking this show on the road. This is our first time playing in Chicago.

It's a city we love, we'll be playing for new people, and it's awesome that we get to play with such a great line-up. We're happy!

EMPTY LIGHTHOUSE: What are your upcoming plans in regards to more touring, releases and producing new music?
BAD BAD HATS: We'll definitely be playing more shows around the Twin Cities and we're hoping to do some touring this summer.

We are also currently working on our first full-length album. It's a new year and we can't wait to share some new songs.

For more information on this indie rock band on the rise, visit http://www.badbadhats.com, and look for more to come from Bad Bad Hats as summer rolls around!