The Caravan du Nord is an ongoing project of The Minnesota Music Coalition. The tour creates partnerships between independent musicians (who are not traditionally viewed as members of the fine arts community) and presenters who are excited to engage new audiences with the artists. At the same time the program includes education for developing artists with workshops that fit the needs for each town. The Caravan Du Nord tour is sponsored by 89.3 The Current and made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Bad Bad Hats is an indie rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kerry Alexander (vocals, guitar, wisdom), Chris Hoge (drums, courage), and Noah Boswell (bass, power) met while attending Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minn. Kerry and Chris began writing songs together in 2010, recording a collection of demos that would later become their first EP. The addition of their friend Noah in 2012 solidified the line-up. The indie rock trio's songwriting quickly caught the ear of Minneapolis label Afternoon Records, whose alumni includes Yellow Ostrich, Now Now, Haley Bonar, and One for the Team, among others. Afternoon Records signed the trio and released their It Hurts EP in early 2013. Two years later, the band is ready to release their bold debut LP, Psychic Reader, due out on July 17th.
Before the three joined forces (creating what is now known as the Triforce), Alexander recorded rough demos in her mom's walk-in shower and sang 90s pop covers at open mic nights. Hoge played electric guitar in high school, but took up drums in college to fill out his own fuzzy recordings. Boswell played in jazz band by day and spun turntables by night in a teen experimental rap squad called The Erotic Assassins.
As primary songwriter, Kerry's perspective is the guiding force behind Bad Bad Hats. In her early teens, Kerry's family moved away from her childhood home in Birmingham, Alabama. As the new kid at a new school, Alexander began writing songs to temper her loneliness and take up the time. Inspired by popular female songwriters of the 90s, notably Alanis Morissette, Kim Deal, and Letters to Cleo's Kay Hanley, Kerry developed a unique songwriting voice of her own. She embraces classic melodies and simple arrangements, and does not shy away from emotive lyrics. It's Kerry's party and she'll cry if she wants to.
Since the release of It Hurts, the three friends have performed around the Midwest, working on new material that expands upon the homespun sound of their previous work. Psychic Reader is the result of their sonic growth. Bolstered by the experimental touches of the album's producer, Brett Bullion, Psychic Reader draws from the influences of all three members, exploring a number of musical styles over the course of 33 minutes. Kerry's strong vocals and lyrical sensibilities tie the songs together as a cohesive unit, making for an album that is both surprising and universal.
Erik Koskinen’s America Theatre is a translucent eulogy to the genuine. Musically sprouted from the blend of American folk, country, rock-n-roll, and blues, Koskinen and his top-shelf band realize a sound that is distinctive and fresh while familiar and classic. From the tender opener, “First Time in Years” to the defiant “Six Pack of Beer” to “Boomtown,” a track that flays the history of the west’s settlement from bedrock to fracking with a locomotive's force of barbwire guitars, marching bass and cracking drums, Koskinen moves the listener through a landscape of personal and social struggles, as well as small triumphs, of our nation and its people.
Ending on the quiet heartbreaker and breath taker, “Slow Burn,” Koskinen’s album is a lyrical and musical metaphor of American’s theaters of war, of history, of relationships, and of the reflections in the mirror. Knowing but not didactic, Koskinen channels the ways of Whitman and reverently enters the anthology of uniquely crafted wry songs with the likes of Woody Guthrie and Ry Cooder while speaking as plainly as your neighbor. Koskinen joins the ranks of chief musicians and sharp wordsmiths. Since moving to Minneapolis eight years ago, Koskinen has amassed a following as a musician, songwriter, producer and engineer. With experience stemming from years of traveling north to south and coast to coast, Koskinen taps those adventures and encounters in his second album, the follow-up to the acclaimed Keep It to Yourself.
The Severe Logic band members have opened for acts such as Poison, Firehouse, Great White, Corey Stevens, Head East and HairBall. They have come together to bring a different set of songs to the masses! The members of this band perform rock, pop, country and a wide variety music with use of Saxophone, Keyboards, Harmonica, Electric Guitar.
Tickets: $10
