Hinder Drummer Cody Hanson Talks Dangerous Hippies Side Project, ‘Extreme Behavior’ 15th Anniversary + More

2020-06-11

Dangerous Hippies – Story by Anne Erickson, courtesy photo

Meet “Dangerous Hippies,” the side project featuring Hinder drummer Cody Hanson and vocalist Marshal Dutton

Marshal Dutton and Cody Hanson aren’t crafting aggressive, in-your-face, riff-heavy tunes for their hard rock band Hinder, the Oklahoma musicians make a different kind of music with their side project “Dangerous Hippies.”

“Dangerous Hippes” offers a completely opposite sound from Hinder, one that features an alternative and pop bend with upbeat rhythms, catchy beats and bright visuals.

Hanson spoke with Audio Ink Radio about the side project, the status of Hinder’s upcoming 15th anniversary tour in honor of their “Extreme Behavior” album and his thoughts on when concerts might return amid the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Audio Ink Radio: You and Marshal Dutton from Hinder have a side project called “Dangerous Hippies,” which has a more alternative-leaning sound than Hinder. How did this project come about?

Cody Hanson: We stared this project and called it something else in the beginning, and we started it years ago, before Marshal was even in Hinder. We were writing and producing it before Marshal was even in Hinder, too. We were writing and producing for other projects and an opportunity came for a commercial, and they wanted a song that was kind of in the vein of the Black Keys, so we wrote a song like that, and everybody seemed to really like it. We had a great time doing it, so we kept writing in that style, and we realized how much fun were were having, and the style morphed into something else, and we thought it would be a lot of fun to make the project where there were no rules– where we could write whatever we wanted to write.

Tell me about your new single with Dangerous Hippies, “1982.”

I think the idea of the song started with the hook. It’s got a really catchy hook, and we are both big fans of ’80s pop culture. At least when I think about the ’80s, everything seemed to be more upbeat and vibrant. So, we thought it would be a lot of fun to write a fun, energetic song that made references to all of our favorite things about 1982. It’s been cool and fun to come up with all the visuals and marketing behind it. It’s always fun to do things in vibrant, bright colors and support a song so upbeat and catchy.

Dangerous Hippies won’t be replacing Hinder in your lives, correct?

No. Hinder is something that’s been our passion for my entire adult life, so it’s definitively not something that’s going to replace Hinder. Hinder’s not going anywhere.

Hinder has had to reschedule some dates for their 15th anniversary “Extreme Behavior” tour. How is that going?

Yes, we have rescheduled all the dates. Some of those dates in July have not been postponed, so we’re waiting to see on that. Starting in July, we have dates going all the way through October. We’ll see what happens. Nobody knows what’s going to happen right now. Our biggest things in making sure everybody can be safe and healthy, and we’re definitely want to do our part, so we’re taking in one day and get all the info we can and make the best decision, so we’re really hoping everything will stay on track and we can actually do it.

Based on what you’re hearing in the music industry, do you have any guess as to when concerts might return?

I think it’s one of those things where nobody really knows what’s going to happen. I don’t know that it will all be the same for everyone. I think some artists might jump back out there and do some of the smaller clubs where it might be a little bit different for the big artists, if they’re going out and packing 20,000 into an arena, that might get pushed back further. I don’t really know, and either does anybody else. I think we’re just waiting to see what happens, and hopefully this thing will settle down a little bit.

Looking back on that massive Hinder album, “Extreme Behavior,” do you have a favorite memory from that time in Hinder’s career?

I think the trip to New York City to sign our record deal keep popping in my brain. It was our first trip to New York City, so for us, that itself was a big deal. Going into the Universal Records office and going out and having a big sushi dinner with our manager and label executives. That was a pretty surreal moment for a bunch of kids from Oklahoma. I think that was one of the best memories for me, at least today! It changes.

Is there any new music from Hinder on the horizon?

Not right now. Marshall and I had written pretty much an entire album’s worth of music, and then I think some of the other guys in the band, I don’t know if we’ve gotten to a point where our musical styles have changed or maybe some of the other guys want to see different things, but I think we decided that right now we’re going to put new music on hold and put our focus on the anniversary tour and regroup after that. So right now, I don’t foresee us doing anything now on the music front.

Anne Erickson
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Posted by Anne Erickson | Music, Rock, Rock News

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