Indie rock trio Bad Bad Hats to perform at Maintenance Shop
Megan Petzold/ Iowa State Daily
Lead singer and songwriter Kerry Alexander performed at the M-shop on March 8th with her band Bad Bad Hats. She sang “Fight Song”, “Joseph”, “Super America”, and a few other hits of theirs to the audience that congregated to hear them perform. Between songs, she would talk about the background of the songs or just talk to the audience. The rest of her band are Chris Hoge (drums), Noah Boswell (bass).
October 10, 2018
Indie rock outfit Bad Bad Hats will make their return to the Maintenance Shop.
The Maintenance Shop regulars come to Ames on Oct. 12 and perform at 8 p.m. The Minneapolis-based trio combine earthy guitar and subtle synth with lead singer Kerry Alexander’s crisp, poignant vocals to provide a one-two punch of infectious indie rock.
Fresh off the release of their sophomore album “Lightning Round,” the band is now taking their expanded playlist on a nationwide tour.
Audiences can expect what their website describes as a “balance of sweet and sour.” The band can bound effortlessly from the gloomy, sentimental “Absolute Worst,” to the pounding drums and infectious chorus of “Midway.”
Alexander’s stage presence is not something to overlook either.
“They’re all super nice,” said Angela Chamberlain, the M-Shop co-director. “She has a very interesting stage presence where she’s really funny in the way she introduces songs. She does it in a way that the audience actually listens.”
The band’s latest album released August of this year and took the indie rock scene by storm. Alexander’s bandmates, which include her husband, play stupendously throughout the album, which was recorded live in studio. This was a new approach for the band, forcing them out of their familiar realm and allowing every little mistake to become a welcome characteristic of each song.
The band also set out on a mission to prove themselves on their new album, which is named after the segment found in many game shows.
“The lightning round is where you really need to prove yourself. It’s fast paced,” said Alexander in a City Pages interview. “So for the second album it’s like you’ve heard us before. Now this is our chance to show that we mean business, that we’re not just a one-trick pony.”
Bad Bad Hats banded together in 2012 while Alexander and now-husband Chris Hoge were studying at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. They also enlisted the help of drummer Connor Davison and ex-bassist Noah Boswell. Boswell has since departed from the band in the pursuit of a master’s degree, but the remaining three artists have wasted no time getting to work despite being down a band member.
Doors for the event open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase on MidwestTix’s website or at the door. Prices are $14 or $10 with student ID.
