Woo!
WZPL in Indianapolis, has posted their 25 minute long interview with Hanson, in 2 segments: Part 1 & Part 2 for your listening enjoyment!!
MMMBoppers explore new sound By: Andrew Hibbard Back in the summer of 1997, three bright-eyed teenagers dominated the airwaves with the infectious pop song "MMMBop." Hanson has since put out three more albums, created their own record label, 3CG, and started their own charity project to help bring shoes to Africa. Currently, the trio is touring around the country playing music from 2007's The Walk. Taylor Hanson recently took a break from the band's busy schedule to talk to recess' Andrew Hibbard.
Could you address more specifically what makes the record unique?
What you hear, obviously, right from the beginning of the record is two very unique things. One is just the chant of the African children's choir. It sets the mood in a very different way. That is partly something that influences the whole process. So that's just the tone. It's something different. And then musically, the sound of "Great Divide," the sound of "Blue Sky," songs like "Tearing It Down," "Something Going Round," I think those songs, they're driven by sort of a musical riff or really the sound of the band playing together, kind of playing off each other and it being really musically identifiable. The energy that's on "Great Divide" -we talked about creating an identity not only with our voices or lyrics but wanting people to hear the record and be like 'Oh, that sounds like Isaac Hanson the guitar player' or 'Oh, that sounds like Taylor Hanson' the keyboard player.' You hear it in style and in a tone that is unique just as players, just as guys in a band, not necessarily as vocalists, which I think is one of the more obvious calling cards of the band. So that was one of the things that came through and it comes to life more in songs like "Great Divide," "Tear It Down," and "Blue Sky." The tone of those songs is a little darker and a little more pointed and it comes from just a lot of energy of us playing together and really just us wanting to sort of come out of this record with drop swinging.
In the decade-plus that you have been in the music industry, you've seen a lot of changes, from the decline of the record industry to the rise of piracy, music blogs, digital music and also personal changes. How have all these factors affected the way you make music?
I think it's made me realize there's so much out there. The experience you create for your fans and the quality you put on your record and the connection you have with the music is that much more important because you really have to captivate people and you have to keep them with you. And I think that as a band we've gone through all kinds of changes in the business, but we've just tried to never follow, to never look at what was happening and reshape our band for a particular style or trend. I think the evolution we have made is to try to cater more and more to feeling our core fan base, feeling our live touring and our approach with our fans around the world that are the ones who have stuck around since the beginning. So our thinking and our approach has always been music first; stay focused on it, stay focused on the best possible quality and delivering that over and over. And as we go forward and see all these changes in the music business, I think we've just said it's that much more important to stay involved and engaged with our fans, to stay focused on putting out great records, to not get lazy.
You chronicled the experience of leaving Island/Def Jam and forming 3CG with your documentary, Strong Enough to Break. How was that experience?
That documentary was something we're really proud of. It was kind of an accident because when we started that process, we didn't know for sure what was going to unfold. We had had tensions with the label and it had been building. The film really began showing the process that a lot of bands go through with a lot of major labels, which is disjointed. You're dealing with people that don't have a background in music. There's a waste of money and time that goes on. The story shows our one example of what goes on that many bands have gone through, which was 'Wow, here we are writing songs endlessly without a goal, spending money and spending over two and half years trying to get an album made and ultimately sort of that crossroads that says this is the way the music industry is, this is the way a lot of labels operate.' They're just kind of waiting around for a good sure thing but they don't have any people within the company to tell them what a sure thing is. So bands have to decide, do you self-destruct and stay in this world or wait for the business you have found yourself in try and help yourself succeed or do you branch out and look for other alternatives? Ultimately, our story came down to us saying, "We can't do this. We can't spend two and half years on a rap label that doesn't have an interest in this band's career." We made the decision to part ways. What was important to the film for us for people from the outside and also other artists was to realize that this has been kind of an epidemic of the music business. Bands and labels just being unable to work together because the system has become so corporate. People aren't willing to take risks because they're not paying attention to the bands they have signed and understanding what the goals are.
Do you hope at any point to expand 3CG to more artists?
We do. What a label does has become harder to define because records themselves are such a limited medium. They shouldn't be as limited as they are but it's become that way because the outlets for buying records are so unappealing to the audience. For a label, we're trying to figure out what we are offering to a band and how can we do it well. Our goal has been to really learn from our experience and not sign a band until we can we help offer something that is going to make a difference for a band. The goal is not just to bring other bands in because we want to but we actually want to do it well.
Your work with Africa and TOMS Shoes has been really interesting. How did you get into that and what do you plan on doing in the future?
What we've been doing with regard to the barefoot mile walks and just getting people involved in looking at AIDS and poverty in Africa, it really comes down to talking about our generation as those who can take action directly. We kind of had a realization and it kind of hit a personal core that we really need to try. Everyone has to start with what they have. Our goals have been to continue to host these one-mile barefoot walks throughout our tour and then encourage others to set up those same events in order to bring people together to unify behind not an awareness campaign but action. Each one of us has these simple actions we can take not just in a donation, but in the role we're each going to play in solving big problems. One of the things was simply providing a pair of shoes. TOMS Shoes is partnered with us. They donate a pair of shoes every time you buy one. Our campaign is about action, so it's so powerful for people to go buy a pair of shoes and know that that pair of shoes is providing another pair. We helped TOMS sell over 50,000 pairs of shoes and we were really honored to bring over those shoes after the last tour in November and deliver those shoes one at a time. Basically the campaign has been all about unifying individuals behind the idea of poverty in Africa by taking simple actions, and it's been incredible to see. We really just want to see a growing wave of people finding a way to reexamine their ability to make an impact.
What can we expect from your show?
Basically, Hanson shows are-I don't know how better to say it-it's a rock 'n' roll show. It's loud. It's fun. We like to just constantly go and have the audience lose themselves in two hours of music. It's a mix of everything we've put out over the past decade and also songs we've been influenced by since the beginning. Mostly, for us, no matter what we're doing, to talk about independent music or trying to make a difference in Africa, we're a band. So there's nothing that replaces the energy of a live performance with passionate fans.
Hanson will play at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach on May 6 and at the Carolina Theatre in Durham on Wednesday, May 7, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the Myrtle Beach show are $19.50 and $34.00 for the Durham show.
Hanson help an online chat today with washintonpost.com, you can view the transcript here or click Newport, Ky.: First, you guys are so amazing in so many ways. I think it is a very special thing that you are doing in using your fame to help others. Second, I was wondering, what is your favorite thing about being artists? Is it the touring, writing music, being able to help others make a difference, etc.?
Hanson: TAYLOR: Thanks for being a fan of the music. We've always felt like we had an opportunity to do good things through our music. It's been incredible to see how many people have supported us in our efforts in Africa. I think the best part about being artists is creating something that can affect people, whether you're writing a song or performing a concert.
_______________________
Wayne, N.J.: What do you do on the days that you don't have shows while your on tour?
Hanson: ZAC: Often you try to find cool things in each city - a restaurant, a museum, a landmark to visit. Other times we just go out into a parking lot and play Airsoft.
_______________________
Berlin, Germany: Do you have any plans coming to Europe, maybe even Germany this year?
Hanson: TAYLOR: We are making plans to release The Walk in Europe, followed by tour dates later this year. No specific dates yet.
_______________________
Damascus, Md.: I am a male and have only recently become a Hanson fan. I think your music could appeal to anyone who enjoys pop, but it seems most of your audience is female. How do you feel about having such a female dominant fan-base, and do you ever think that is going to change?
Hanson: ZAC: Female fans are awesome. End of story. We have some of the greatest fans in the world who are true music fans and sing every word. We don't care if you're a guy, a girl or a chimpanzee.
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: First of all, I've been a fan since '97 and I absolutely love The Walk, so congratulations on creating another stunning album. Secondly, have you started working on songs for the next album yet? If so, what kind of feel/genre will the songs be? Thanks!
Hanson: ISAAC: Thanks so much for being a fan for more than 10 years. We're always writing and in fact really excited about recording new music. I think it will definitely follow in the footsteps (no pun intended) of The Walk in the way that we recorded it, very organically, and I think some of the themes you hear on The Walk will continue through our next recordings.
_______________________
Los Angeles, Calif.: I'm an artist and I often find that when I run out of ideas for my artwork, I have a hard time getting back into the groove. What do you guys do when you're trying to write a song and are suffering from mental blocks?
Hanson: TAYLOR: Have patience. Great ideas are inspired by the things around you and sometimes you just need to change your headspace and inspiration will come.
_______________________
Greenville, Ill.: If you could go back in time to 1997, what advice would you guys give yourselves? Is there anything you would tell the younger you to do differently?
Hanson: ISAAC: Buy Starbucks coffee stock.
_______________________
Jakarta, Indonesia: So we in the other side of the hemisphere are painfully deprived of Hanson albums. I understand that it's difficult to assign distribution rights since you're independent and don't have the privilege of major label's distribution/marketing schemes. What I want to know if you've ever considered Independent marketing for your (post-Underneath) recordings that's literally fan-based (consign a single person for the sales), or directly through non-conglomerated record stores?
Hanson: ISAAC: It's great to have fans all over the world. We have considered a lot of different ways to market records and have a lot of goals for the future. We're making plans to release the record in SE Asia, which also includes Indonesia. the music business has changed a lot. Who knows what the future might hold. Fans are the best asset a band could ever have.
_______________________
Fairfax, Va.: Will there be a walk from State Theater? If so, what time?
Hanson: ZAC: Yes! This is THE WALK TOUR. The walk will be at 3pm, but check hanson.net the day of the show in case anything changes.
_______________________
Hudson, N.H.: I loved taking the walk with you in NH.
After the walk Isaac said there's more to come this year. What's next? Will you continue to work with TOMS shoes for years to come, or are you finding new/additional ways to connect?
Hanson: TAYLOR: Thanks so much for joining us on the walk. The purpose of the walks has been to inspire individuals that they have the ability to make an impact on issues as big the AIDS pandemic and challenges of extreme poverty through simple actions. Our partnership with TOMS Shoes to help provide thousands of shoes to children in Africa will continue. There are a lot of needs - clean water, access to medical care, education etc. We're learning more about these issues every day, and we're reaching out to create other partnerships that will enable others to take further action.
_______________________
Birmingham, UK: I am coming on The Rock Boat Niner (with 2 other UK fans) in January which is gonna be awesome. Who are you most looking forward to seeing, performing with, jamming with?
Hanson: ZAC: I want to get on stage with Cowboy Mouth.
_______________________
Manchester, U.K.: After having such successful awareness walks in the United States, could these be brought to other areas of the world on future tours?
Hanson: TAYLOR: The walks have been amazing and our hope is to encourage others to set up their own walks, as well as walks in some international countries. Every walk is different and so every country will be slightly different. Our goal is to bring the message of individuals taking action to fans around the world.
_______________________
Manchester, Mass.: Where did you guys get the idea for your logo? Had your family always used that, or did you just come up with it?
Hanson: ISAAC: The logo had a couple of different incarnations and many bands that I love like Aerosmith and others have unique symbols that represent their band. I wanted us to have the same.
_______________________
Fairfax, Va: Music has become a lot more digitized and animated, and we're hearing a lot less of the raw sound that we get at a live show. How do you guys plan on keeping it real but staying innovative with your sound?
Thanks!
Hanson: ZAC: Hanson has always been organic and it will stay that way. Still, we're not afraid to use any tool to make the best record.
_______________________
Minneapolis, Minn.: So, admit it, do you ever "youtube" yourselves?
Hanson: ZAC: Guilty. I look awesome compressed and digitized.
_______________________
Clearwater, Minn.: Hey Hanson! After watching your podcasts (I loved them by the way) I started to have second thoughts about my major. For the past two years I have wanted to major in music business, but after seeing how badly you were treated by your record label and others in the music business Im not sure if thats something I want to be involved with anymore. What are your thoughts on this? And where do you see the state of music going in the future?
Hanson: ISAAC: I'm glad you got a chance to see the podcast which shows the story of the music business being in peril, but to be honest there's going to be struggles in any business, but if you're truly passionate about music then maybe you can be a part of fixing the problem. This may be a bad time for the record business but it's actually an incredible time for music. We need passionate smart people to shape the future of the industry.
If anyone doesn't know you can see the story of us struggling with our former record label and starting our indie label 3CG Records and then continuing through the story of making The Walk up to current day, on our Taking The Walk podcast on itunes.
_______________________
Cleveland, Ohio: If your last name wasn't Hanson, what would you want the band to be called?
Hanson: ZAC: Super Powered Death Monkeys
_______________________
Harrisburg, Pa.: OK, if you were teenagers a decade ago, let me do the math, I presume you no longer are teenagers. Many people in their 20s are embarassed by their youth, yet what you all did both helped define you and presented music that millions loved. When you look back at your youth, do you laugh, are you proud, or is there anything about it that you regret?
Hanson: ISAAC: I think we're lucky that we have always stayed true to who we were from the very beginning, and because of that we all feel very proud of the last ten years in the music business and of all the songs that we have written and all of the shows that we have performed. I hope we're not embarrassed when we look back at our twenties. :-D
_______________________
Frederick, Md.: You guys do some really great contemporary covers during your shows (Radiohead!). What would be your dream collaboration with a current artist?
Hanson: ZAC: Flight Of The Conchords
_______________________
Curitiba, Brazil: hey you guys! today is my birthday....! I�m really happy for being able to talk to you guys!
when you come to brazil??
Hanson: TAYLOR: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We've had a lot of Brazilian fans asking when The Walk Tour will come to Brazil. We are planning tour dates in Brazil and they will be announced, hopefully, in the next month on hanson.net.
_______________________
Romeoville, Ill.: Hey Zac!!! You should do a concert and have the marquee say Super Powered Death Monkeys.
Hanson: ZAC: Thank you my soul brother. If you come, wear parachute pants.
_______________________
Lincolnville, Maine: Where do you see yourself in 10, 20, 30 even 40 yrs? What would you like to be doing on the 50th anniversary of MON?
Hanson: ZAC: Playing on the moon.
_______________________
Toronto, Canada: All three of you are pretty versatile when it comes to instruments. Is there an instrument you don't play, but would like to take the time to learn? Which one(s)?
Hanson: ISAAC: I'd really like to play sax TAYLOR: I'm not as focused on learning a new instrument, but I would like to improve my skills at reading and notating music. I would also really like to sharpen my skills on the guitorgan. ZAC: Chromatic Harp
_______________________
Buffalo, N.Y.: Hi Hanson,
After this tour what are your plans for the next year, can we expect another US tour? Thanks!
Hanson: TAYLOR: We are excited to continue The Walk Tour throughout 2008. Hoping to play more shows in the US along with international dates. We're also excited to continue our efforts in Africa with the one mile walks.
_______________________
Hanson: HANSON: This is a great time to wrap up the chat. Thanks for all of your great questions. We look forward to seeing you all on the road as long as the Super Powered Death Monkeys don't do a reunion tour.
Taylor Hanson answered 5 random questions for the Hanson edition of Reader's Spotlight, you can view them
1. With ever changing technology, what do you feel as a band is the best way to get your music out? Or what do you feel are the best ways to promote it? from Laura in Nashua, New Hampshire
Taylor Hanson (TH): That’s a really good question! You know, obviously, with endless resources…whether it’s radio or TV or being right in front of people all the time…those things are still really reaching people. For us, we decided to really focus on connecting with as many different passionate groups and feeling those: whether it’s online communities, other bands, brands that we think connect with what we are about as a band, and trying to keep the message coming consistently – to not relent, to just fuel lots of smaller groups of people that ultimately become a greater hole. That sounds really vague! But taking more of a grassroots approach ultimately…people need to be able to connect with what you do, and our goal is to put the content out there, put the music in places where people can find it and allow it to speak for itself. I think ultimately…you have to go back to the core things, like the fact that you have to tour. A lot of bands are starting to say, ‘Well, I don’t really want to work that hard,’ you know?
2. What is the favorite memory of your life? from Luana in São Paulo, Brazil
TH: Well, if we’re really talking ever in my life…I would probably have to say really being a young kid and being outdoors and being in total pretend world as a little kid…just exploring and being totally free of obligation. Just being a little boy, having the ability to be kind of out there and just be kind of lost in your own world. Growing up, we had enough space where we could go out and ‘adventure’ with friends when I was 8, 9, 10, 11. I have some amazing memories from that time, when your brain is taking everything in and kind of soaking up life. There are many great memories. I’m a big fresh air person, so going outside and, honestly, just playing in the dirt and being outside – there’s nothing better than that.
3. I've heard crazy stories of incidents your fans have experienced while being in the crowds at your concerts. Everything from fist-fights to confetti throwing. What's one of the craziest things you've witnessed in the crowd while on stage? from Holly in Conway, South Carolina
TH: Well, you know, there’s always the exposed body parts…that’s happened enough times to mention. That stands out. Signs…there was a huge sign that said, ‘Zac, I want to bang you like a drum.’ It was literally, like, 5 feet high and 15 feet wide – it was HUGE. And there have been other signs that you probably couldn’t print in your magazine. People jumping onstage…we’ve had situations where the barricades were too flimsy and the security wasn’t enough and we’ve had the whole audience rush the stage, which is never fun. It’ll start off with two people, then three or four people jumped out, and before we knew it, it was 30 people and the whole thing became a mob. There’s been a few times where…our audiences aren’t a much of a crowd-surfing crowd, but we’ve had times when people have done that and people lose articles of clothing or get hurtled over the barricading headfirst.
4. Do any of you have tattoos and if so what are they and where and if not would you ever get one? from Kerri in Somerville, Massachusetts
TH: Actually, no one has tattoos, surprisingly. I’ve almost gotten a tattoo three different times. Probably the biggest reason [why not] for us is that we’re all perfectionists – we’re all really anal-retentive about our stuff, as far as creative things. So the tattoo – exactly the placement, exactly what it is – none of us are the kind of people who would recklessly put something on us that we may not like tomorrow. So nobody has tattoos. For me, a tattoo would definitely have to be something of meaning. It could never be just a cool expression of art on my body; it would definitely have to be something that I was into as a guideline or as a real marker of life purpose. ‘Cause it’s gotta be something you can handle when you’re 80, you know? Otherwise it’s like, ‘Wow, that picture of the naked girl with the crossbones over it doesn’t look so cool anymore.’ I saw somebody that was an avid vegetarian and they put a carrot on their arm and I thought, ‘Dude, you know that looks really stupid, right?’ I guess what I mean is if I had something that I really, really wanted to get a tattoo of I’d probably already have one!
5. When making an album, how do you decide which songs to include? from Kristina in Chicopee, Massachusetts
TH: Picking songs is a combination of things. Obviously, it comes down to just wanting to pick the best songs – no categories, just the best. What are the songs that create the best quality hook, melody, lyrics and a combination of all those things? Sometimes certain albums have a style and an approach that is more in a general direction that you’ve chosen to go. And sometimes there is a song that people love that isn’t the right style or vibe or attitude for that particular album. There have been cases where songs that fans have heard about and love and they say, ‘Why didn’t you put that on the album?!’ and it’s just been like…knowing that certain songs just aren’t right for that time period, so you have to sit on them. So I guess part of the way we select songs is by looking at the album as a whole, really looking at the album as an experience that you have when you listen to the whole thing. And everybody pretty much has to feel good about it. It’s not a majority rule thing – everybody’s got to feel good about the final songs, so, it’s just a combination of gauging what’s the vision for this album, what are the stand-out songs, and then basically, slowly whittling down what you want the album experience to be. And sometimes that can be really difficult, you know? We joke that it’s sort of like having tons of children and then telling only a few of them that they can go to Disneyland. You think, ‘Wow, how come I can’t bring this one and this one on?’ You just have to be patient and know that the right songs will make it out into the world.
Annndd one last interview for the road:
Hanson comeback at Higher Ground, never left by Molly Shaker
Camping out is prohibited at Higher Ground. Apparently.
On the night of April 22 - the eve of Hanson's Higher Ground debut - Jason Held, a Higher Ground security guard, assisted in ushering concert go-ers out of the venue around 11:15 p.m.
Much to his surprise, Held saw a group of 15 or so college girls "camping out" on picnic blankets in the parking lot.
When he and a fellow security guard checked out for the night two hours later, the girls were still there.
Last Wednesday night the brothers - now all in their 20s, married and with children - performed at Higher Ground.
When the show was announced, many of us sat in wonder at what a night with Hanson -- whose name many of us hadn't heard since the early years of middle school - would be like.
But the Tulsa brothers have some seriously devout fans. So devout, in fact, that those who weren't camping in the parking lot nearly 24 hours before the band would take the stage, made their way to the venue as early as Wednesday morning to wait in line for the show.
Held said that he and Higher Ground staff anticipated the excitement for the sold-out performance. But the campers came as quite a surprise.
"We got tons of phone calls yesterday asking if people could camp out," Held said. "Once in a while we'll get fans of bands who are playing two or three nights in a row who will ask if they can leave their cars here," Held said. "But I've never, ever heard of anyone camping out. We didn't really know what to do."
Scheduled to perform at 9:45 p.m. after performances by opening acts Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers and Kate Voegele, Hanson didn't make their appearance until just before 11 p.m, due to a power-outage.
Finally, to the sound of music as epic as the Star Wars theme song, Hanson - that is, Isaac, 27, Taylor, 25 and Zac, 22 - moseyed onto the stage as the rather piercing screams of a sold-out crowd of almost entirely all college-aged girls grew louder.
Opening with "The Great Divide," a track off their most recent album The Walk, the band carried on with everything from a cover of Wilson Pickett's "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" to an acoustic version of "Mmmbop" (that sounded shockingly similar to the way it did in 1997).
And those screaming fans screamed just as loudly as they must have when the Hanson brothers were just boys. They sang every word to every song; cheered just as joyously as ever when Taylor walked the length of the stage encouraging us to sing along with his brothers and him.
Whether you were there for the 5th-grader in you or because you're one of those diehard fans that's been following them since way back when, the Hanson brothers have made it clear that they're not going anywhere.
But it was fans camping out in the Higher Ground parking lot and lining up early on Wednesday morning that are proof that they never left.