Often recognized as the drummer of Hinder and a founding member of the band, Cody Hanson also has a new alternative pop band called Dangerous Hippies with Hinder’s current vocalist Marshal Dutton. Cody recently took the time to answer a few of my questions regarding the new Dangerous Hippies single, the 15th anniversary of Hinder’s album ‘Extreme Behavior’, and more.
All questions were answered by Cody Hanson.
Q: Let’s start off looking down memory lane. Throughout your music career, what has been a moment or experience that has always stuck with you as one you’ll never forget?
A: Probably playing our hometown, Oklahoma City on the “Bad Boys of Rock” tour. We played the big amphitheater in town. Playing in front of your family and friends in a setting like that is indescribable. Especially when you have some of your favorite bands from your high school/college days opening for you.
Q: Aside from Hinder, you and vocalist Marshal Dutton have the band Dangerous Hippies. How did the project come about? Does it allow you to have an outlet for some ideas that wouldn’t mesh well with Hinder’s sound?
A: It absolutely does. It all started when we were approached to write a song for a commercial that was similar to The Black Keys. Once we were finished with the song and sent it around to everyone, they all seemed to really like it. Since we had such a great time writing it, we decided to keep writing songs in that style. Since then, the sound has definitely evolved. The thing is, with Hinder, the fans have grown to expect a certain sound and style. Since Marshal and I write and produce all different styles of music together, Dangerous Hippies gives us the opportunity to incorporate some of those ideas. We like to say that there are no rules with this project.
Q: Given that the band’s latest single is titled “1982”, and you have previously stated you love pop culture from the ‘80s, what is something ‘90s kids (including myself) missed out on and may still not have experienced? Bonus points for obscurity.
A: Honestly, since I was born in 1982, I don’t really remember a ton from the 80’s as I experienced it at the time. My love and appreciation for that time period came much later. Everything about it seemed more upbeat, vibrant, and positive. One thing that I really loved about the 80’s, were the movies. While there are definitely more cheesy elements and moments, they seemed really well thought out in the writing and directing. Don’t get me wrong, I also liked the 90’s.
Q: How would you describe the single, and what was the inspiration during the writing process?
A: To me, 1982 feels like a fun, upbeat summer song that was written to bring back some good memories from a great time period. As far as the inspiration, the chorus hook just popped into my head one day while I was driving down the road. I must have mentioned it to Marshal 100 times, but once we finally sat down to work on it, he really brought it to life.
Q: Is there anything new in the works for Dangerous Hippies that you’re able to tell me at this time?
A: We just released the official video for “1982”, and we’re pretty excited about that. We’ve also started planning the release of our next single and discussing concepts for that video. We have quite a bit of material that’s ready to release, so there is a lot more music coming.
Q: Switching topics, Hinder’s album ‘Extreme Behavior’ is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Were there any songs that were demoed but didn’t make their way onto the album? If so, why didn’t they make the cut, and would you ever consider releasing them, like a release from the vault?
A: Actually, that is the only Hinder album that we didn’t have extra songs for. Every song that we wrote for that album, is on it.
Q: I couldn’t possibly ask questions about ‘Extreme Behavior’ without mentioning THAT song. In the studio, did you guys instantly connect with “Lips Of An Angel” and feel like it would become what it did, or was there another song like “Get Stoned” or “Better Than Me” that you thought would have been the top favorite from the album?
A: We always thought that it had potential to be something special. However, I can’t say that anyone ever thought that it would be as big as it was.
Q: I love the video of your revisited version of “By The Way” you guys posted on Facebook back in May, any word on more of those happening?
A: Thanks! We have actually recorded a few more of those. I’m not sure what the hold up is on those, but I’m sure we’ll be releasing them soon.
Q: Now that it’s 15 years following the release, if you could reach back in time and tell yourself anything you’ve learned throughout the years, what would you say?
A: It’s funny, my wife and I talk about this from time to time. I can honestly say that I can’t think of a single thing that I could have done differently in the last 15 years that would have changed the way my life is now. I guess one thing that I have learned, is that the vast majority of people that hung around in the early days, never really cared about us and weren’t real “friends”. That really bothered me for a while, but life goes on.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to mention? Maybe throw in a highlight for a few bands you’ve been listening to lately that you feel people should give a listen to, if they haven’t already?
A: To be honest, I’m a little bit ashamed to say that I don’t listen to a ton of new bands, but I’m really digging the new tunes from our good friend, Jared Weeks, as well as our good buddies in Wayland. One band that has really impressed me from a songwriting perspective, are the Glorious Sons. I know Marshal is pretty into the new Kip Moore album. Another thing that I would like to add….I would like to give a HUGE thanks to all of the people that have stuck with us throughout the years. We’ve gone through quite a bit as a band, and most bands probably wouldn’t have made it. The only reason that we stuck it out was for the people that stayed by our side and gave us support and encouragement. So again, thank you so much!
