Hanson.net Journal and News

Tulsa pop star talks about blood clot awareness at Capitol

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:50:00 +0000

A member of the Tulsa-based pop group Hanson said he feels a duty to share his "scary experience" with deep vein thrombosis while health officials in his home state work to promote awareness of the medical condition.

Isaac Hanson joined legislators and health officials from the state and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center for a presentation at the state Capitol. A resolution passed by the Legislature made Wednesday "DVT Day" in Oklahoma.

"I'm happy to put a face to the issue and allow people to become more aware of it and hopefully save some lives in the process," Hanson said.

Deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, is the abnormal clotting of the blood in one or more veins. Its complication, pulmonary embolism, or PE, occurs when a blood clot breaks free from its original site and travels through the heart into the lungs.

According to the Venous Disease Coalition, more than 100,000 Americans die each year after experiencing a pulmonary embolism. Many of those deaths are sudden, because the person has failed to recognize the condition's symptoms, said Gary Raskob, the dean of the OU College of Public Health.

"That's why prevention is critical," Raskob said.

Preventative measures include staying active, not smoking, maintaining a normal body weight, moving legs often and walking frequently if possible.

The condition can occur in people of all ages, said Suman Rathbun, a researcher and vascular internist at the OU College of Medicine and the chairwoman of the education committee for the Venous Disease Coalition.

During June, that group, along with the Oklahoma Hospital Association, will provide education materials about the condition free to physicians and patients at 120 acute care hospitals in Oklahoma, said State Health Commissioner Michael Crutcher. Informational material for patients also will be available at state and county health departments.

Hanson said he has twice dealt with the condition, most recently when he had a blood clot removed from his lungs last October following a concert in Dallas. The 27-year-old guitarist said the symptoms included mild numbness and tingling in his right arm — where the clot formed — along with slight discoloration of his skin and pain.

"It is important to be aware of yourself and your physical condition," he said. "Often (the condition) is missed because it seems so insignificant."

His first experience with DVT came in November 2003, he said. Since the second experience, he has had a rib removed to allow for better blood flow through a vein in which the blood was clotting. He also has taken blood thinners.

Hanson said he's fortunate that treatment for the condition has advanced significantly during the past 10 years, allowing him to continue his music career.

"It is something that I will always have to be aware of," he said.

The group Hanson is best known for its 1997 hit "MMMBop."

Hanson's brothers, 22-year-old Zac Hanson and 25-year-old Taylor Hanson, round out the trio. The group is scheduled to travel to South Africa in August with the Oklahoma City-based organization Feed The Children before embarking on an eight-week tour of the U.S. and Canada in support of their fourth studio album, "The Walk."

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Welcome John Ira Shepherd Hanson

Thu, 29 May 2008 21:58:00 +0000

The baby boy, who will go by the name Shepherd, weighed in at 8 lbs, 4 oz. "I am so overjoyed," the proud papa, 22, tells PEOPLE. "There is not an audience or concert that could ever stand up to the feeling of meeting your baby for the first time."

New mom Kate, 24, is equally happy, saying, "Shepherd is the most wonderful gift we could ever receive. We're already enjoying every second of this great adventure."

Though Shepherd is only a day old, he's already got a built-in playgroup: Cousins Ezra, 5, Penelope, 3, and River, 20 months (middle Hanson brother Taylor and his wife Natalie's children) and Everett, 1 (eldest Hanson brother Isaac, and his wife Nikki's son).

But Shepherd won't be the baby of the family for long: Isaac and Nikki will welcome their second child next month.

"It will be really fun to see [the] little ones grow up together," Zac told PEOPLE in November. "I know watching them is going to inspire a lot of music."

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Blue Sky Tank

Thu, 29 May 2008 21:53:00 +0000

Hanson Day Haiku Contest Winners

Mon, 26 May 2008 18:58:00 +0000

We Still Want Your Photos!

Tue, 13 May 2008 18:12:00 +0000

Hanson Doesn't Stop at 'Mmmbop'

Fri, 09 May 2008 19:54:00 +0000

It is extremely rare, since the days of Our Gang and Freddy Bartholomew to the present, for child performers to transition to successful adult careers in entertainment. Far more are the crash-and-burn accounts of used and abused kids whose lives wind up in the toilet as adults.

Even rarer are the cases of an entire group that hangs together through the transition.

Enter Hanson, an original “boy band” of three brothers who grew up playing together in their garage, on street corners and at churches in Tulsa, Okla., who scored their first big hit “Mmmbop,” when they were barely teenagers, and now, 10 years later, they’re on yet another national tour, one that brought them to Falls Church’s State Theatre last week.

At their sold-out concert here, they rocked the house with all original songs, a combination of lively acoustical, electronic and a-cappella performances. Even otherwise cynical rock purists, there for a variety of reasons besides any desire to see Hanson, could be spotted gettin’ their groove on big time. These guys were really very good.

Their original music takes off from late 1950s, early 1960s pop and ranges from gentle ballads to high-energy rock. There is a lot of harmony and very little attention to individual parts.

“We’re a real boy band,” said Isaac, the oldest, in a pre-concert interview with the News-Press on cushy couches in the modest back-stage lounge at the State set aside for performers. “The other so-called ‘boy bands’ are really ‘man groups,’ formed by grown men to mass market.”

Isaac is now in his mid-20s, and he was joined by the youngest, Zac, just turned 21, for the first part of a very casual, and cerebral, interview. Taylor, the one in the middle, turned 24 in March. He’s the real ringleader, as exhibited during concerts and in an unusual Pied Piper-like walk the brothers led on a sunny afternoon before the May 1 concert.

Hundreds of young Hanson fans, many of whom have been fanatically loyal to the group for over a decade and now “grown up” like their heroes, gathered in the parking lot beside the State Theatre starting around 2 p.m. At 3 p.m., they got an instructional talk on a bullhorn from Taylor, and began walking quietly behind the three Hanson brothers up North Washington Street.

The idea was to walk in bare feet as a symbolic form of putting them in others’ shoes, so to speak, or more correctly, others’ lack of shoes.

The current Hanson tour is called, “The Walk.” The brothers got the idea after a trip to perform in southern Africa. Upon their return, they learned of a small shoe company that wanted to donate 50,000 pairs of soft walking shoes to poverty-ridden people in Africa, but could afford to do so only if they sold 50,000.

The Hanson brothers decided to take this up as a cause. They’ve organized walks on every city they go to, urging their fans to show up to both walk and buy the shoes. They accomplished the goal on their tour last year, and are at it again now.

In Falls Church, Taylor led them with his bullhorn up N. Washington, right onto Columbia Road and right again on Lawton to Madison Park. There, he climbed onto a large rock as hundreds of fans gathered around in the afternoon sun, and he told them about their potential for good.

“Look at what you’ve got on you right now. You have cell phones and I-Pods, you have access to the Internet, these are tremendously powerful resources at your fingertips, each of you, to make a change for the better in the world,” he intoned.

He said it was not enough to wait until everything’s ready or in place to do something. The purpose of the walk, he said, was to demonstrate that you just have to start, even if it is just by taking off your shoes, walking or buying a pair of shoes. “Your tremendous energy must be harnessed for good,” he said.

Prior to this, in the interview with the News-Press, Taylor admitted that having such a fanatically loyal fan base “can be kind of intimidating,” because music has “such power to evoke emotions in someone else, to conjure them up. It enables you to connect your feelings to other persons.”

“It makes you feel like you have such power to influence them. It makes you think how important it is to have the right kind of influence,” he said. “You can screw it up, or do it well.”

“All celebrities are faced with the same thing,” he went on. “Some react one way to it, others another. Some just flaunt it, some get very withdrawn. Ultimately, they either turn into a pompous ass or something better. The power can be used and abused.”

Taylor said he and his brothers first stumbled on the idea of helping needy folks in Africa when a friend developed a new computer software, called Doc Via, that he donated to an African organization. It turned out to have an almost revolutionary impact on being able to, very inexpensively, detect and thereby help prevent the transmission of the HIV virus from mother to child.

This model of a small contribution having an enormous impact in Africa led the brothers to discover the shoe company that also wanted to help.

Their fans, they remarked, have maintained a “fervent” and “fever pitch” for many years, and are somewhat unique. “They’re not jocks or cheerleaders, they’re a little ‘out there,’ something a little quirky about them. The most popular kids tend not to be Hanson fans,” Zac said. “With us, you either love us or don’t like us at all. We’ve watched our fans grow up with us, and change the way kids do as they grow older. Some become very clean cut, others become Goth, they all change some way. There’s a lot of diversification now in their cultural elements. But they remain loyal to us.”

They don’t think a lot of “American Idol,” by the way, noting that Paula Abdul’s screw up on the show last week had to do with the fact that not everything is truly live, but that some of the songs are pre-recorded. “It’s entertainment. It’s more like a quiz show than a music show. It’s designed at best to identify one particular kind of singer, the solo pop singer, that can be mass-marketed successfully,” Isaac noted. “Many of the great singers who’ve been around the longest, like Billy Joel or Bruce Springsteen, would never have made it on that show. For me, it’s painful to watch.”

Since their first hit, “Mmmbop,” written by the brothers in the same way they have continued to write all their own material to this day, Hanson endured the years of being on the countless covers of teenie-bopper “Tiger Beat” and “Pop Star” magazines, appearances on Saturday Night Live and sold-out crowds of mostly pre-teen, squealing girls at larger venues such as the Nissan Pavilion, where they performed in 1998. They’ve also performed at the Warner Theatre in D.C. and the Birchmere in Alexandria.

“There have been terrific pressures to break us up as a group, even to this day,” Isaac said. “But through it all, we’ve been able to make good decisions because we’ve always judged our options from the standpoint of what will be best for us over the long haul, and not for the moment. Our barometer is what will help us for years to come.”

Isaac and Zac talked a lot about longevity. Zac joked that they’d have to keep on performing because “we don’t know how to do anything else.”

But the careers of the Rolling Stones, all now well into their 60s, and even older performers like Bob Hope, who toured into his 90s, are looked on with envy by the Hanson brothers. “Music keeps you young,” Taylor said. “Bob Hope in his 90s talked about how he loved to make people happy. It brought him joy and kept him in good health, also.”

They’ve gone from being tossle-headed middle school phenoms to semi-scruffy young adults. Isaac is clean cut, but Taylor and Zac dress in leather and denim with beads, earrings and modest amounts of facial hair. All three are now married, and all either have kids, already, or are expecting.

All three, also, live with their young families in Tulsa, although that’s a big town and it doesn’t mean they’re on top of each other. They’ve had stints living in Los Angeles and New York, but they have excellent recording capabilities in Tulsa, and enjoy for the time being in the city where they grew up.

Asked how they get along so well, in such close proximity as concern tours require for so many years, they all piped up. “We don’t, necessarily. It’s just that we work well together,” Isaac said.

All their writing is a collaborative effort, worked out on paper and in rehearsals, where changes are introduced.

And when they’re on tour, they stay on tour. “We’re not weekend warriors,” Taylor said. “We stay on the tour for the duration.” Their tour bus was parked outside. That’s where they were headed right after the State Theatre concert, which didn’t end until after midnight. The plan was to take off right away and steam north to some new venue in Pennsylvania for concert the next night.

“You have to love this to do it,” Taylor said. “It’s too much work if you don’t love it. The fact is, I’m afraid I couldn’t do anything else without wishing I was doing this.”

Link to Article

Taking "The Walk" With Hanson

Thu, 08 May 2008 18:09:00 +0000

I took the walk!

Saturday, May 3rd, as I was parking my car in the municipal garage across the street from the Lancaster music venue The Chameleon before seeing Hanson perform, I was thinking it was going to be a pretty difficult day. For starters, it had been cool and rainy, and I am not a fan of standing outside for hours for a concert in cool, rainy weather. I'm not a fan for standing outside for a concert even in pleasant weather, either, hence the dilemma. Second, I had given my day up for a show that, while I knew it would be good, I wondered just how good it could really be considering the venue: I've been to The Chameleon many times before. It's okay, but not too high on my 'venues of choice' list for a number of reasons, not the least of which being the horrible lighting and the microscopic stage. For local bands, yes, the place has been a favorite, but I have always questioned its ability to handle shows on a more national scale. I've never bothered to attend any there for these very reasons. I was a little surprised Hanson would pick that venue to play, considering.

I also had this fear that I would show up and immediately be singled out as a "non-fan" and be bludgeoned to a pulp by the wit and wisdom of Hanson fangirls spouting their Hanson-fu, and how many times they'd met which brother, and making sure that I knew my "place," considering I am not a member of any fan club, nor do I have any 'rating' of how many Hanson shows I've attended. Die-hard fans - of any band - can be scary. I was, to say the least, a bit apprehensive as I got out of my car and checked my photo gear one last time before bravely heading off. Off to fight the battle of the uninformed press against the world in which Hanson are Gods among female fans and teenie rag readers the world over. I readied my armor and...

Okay, I'm exaggerating. Hugely.

Not about the weather or the venue; those were true concerns of mine as I readied to take part in Hanson's awareness Walk in Lancaster, a few hours before the show. But I already knew some things about Hanson - unlike a lot of other people who assume things about this band - most importantly that we are long gone from the days of screaming teenies and "The Unmentionable Song" because, well... time goes on. Trends and tastes change. People grow, and grow up, fans and performers alike. So even though I might have been a little hesitant going into this whole thing, if you read nothing more beyond this point, let me summarize here neatly and say that, bottom line, Hanson is not the band you still think they are... unless you are one of the ones that already knows this. And if you don't know this, it behooves you to find out just who they are these days, at least if you really call yourself a music lover. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. You'll definitely be missing out on something magnificent if you don't.

I waited around with the throngs of fans who had shown up early to participate in the day's pre-concert "Walk," an awareness walk that Hanson have been participating in since the start of The Walk Tour last fall. We made small-talk. I met people who had been following the band and they told me about previous concerts and walks. I met kids and parents. Pre-teenagers, all the way up to forty- and fifty-somethings. People male and female, all religions and colors and backgrounds. Today, Hanson fans come every way imaginable, and none of them are screaming and shrieking - at least not until the show - as it's assumed they all are. After my experience that day, I'm happy and proud to call myself a Hanson fan, as well.

This particular walk was Hanson's "65th" awareness walk with their fans. The brothers have participated in every one, too. Barefoot. Even in snow and rain apparently, though I'm thankful we lucked out and the threat of rain dissipated as the afternoon went on, leaving us with a nice, spring day. Why barefoot, you may ask? It all has to do with the charity effort the band has been participating in, and the partner they're doing it with, Tom's Shoes. Back during the making of their latest album, The Walk (anyone see a trend here?), the brothers spent some time in South Africa recording parts of the album, their second release as their own independent label (read more about all of this here and here) . While there, they stayed at, of all places, an orphanage and experienced firsthand the poverty happening there. The sickness. The pleasure that people who had nothing, not even shoes on their feet, could get from the simple things in life, including music.

Upon returning from their musical sabbatical, the brothers took that experience, took their ability (as celebrities) to do something worthwhile and good, and created The Walk, the awareness walks they do before playing for their fans. They aren't trying to change the world overnight by any means, but as Taylor so enthusiastically quoted to us repeatedly throughout the day and the evening's performance, change starts now, and starts with us, and it's up to us to continue to make change, no matter what the cause, no matter how small the effort. Their way of helping? To promote a massive charity effort with Tom's Shoes, and their fans, to donate shoes - seemingly so trite and insignificant, yet so vital for a productive life - to these impoverished children and give them a literal leg up in their lives. To date, the effort has donated over 58,000 pairs of Tom's Shoes, and the number is still climbing thanks to everyone participating in these walks, donating, and spreading the word.

Now that number includes me, as well as the 350+ participants in the Lancaster Walk, which I understand was one of the biggest turnouts for a walk, yet. Imagine the odd looks from the people who poked their heads out of their houses to see what was going on. The drivers in cars who waited at intersections, staring, as 350 barefoot people, led by a tall, thin, barefoot man with a baseball hat and a bullhorn, crossed the city streets. We probably looked more like a protest than an awareness group as we made our way along, although quite a few people did ask what was going on. Some walkers carried signs as well, and held them out to be seen.

We congregated at the halfway point in our "mere" one mile walk, the local high school grounds, where Taylor stood up on the base of the flagpole atop a grassy rise, accompanied by his brothers. There he addressed us for a twenty-minute-long inspirational speech about Hanson's experiences in Mozambique, and about how the children they met had nothing, yet they still had hope and still had the ability to be happy. Typical charity sob story you're saying, right? Perhaps. But the point here is not really what the cause is, but to just pick one, as Taylor mentioned. Pick something. Do something. Create change. Nobody else is going to do it first, so we have to do it first. You do. And I do. Inspiring, as most speeches like that are, but also very heartfelt and genuine.

We all made the walk back to the venue smiling and chatting, brothers Taylor, Zac and Isaac intermingling and chatting more with their fans as we did. The group gathered once more outside the venue where the Walk had started, and Taylor and his bullhorn once more addressed us, this time in thanks for bothering to participate and take off our shoes to walk. Taylor Hanson likes to talk. But he has great things to say, and he was very worth listening to. By the time the brothers bid us farewell until showtime, spirits among the group were high despite some feet being bruised and scuffed, and even cut in one case. All a clear reminder of how priviledged we really are to simply have shoes. We were all soon anticipating the evening's main event, however. That anticipation aggravating my already-complaining tummy, I ventured off to find food, rest my sore, tired feet, and contemplate a little bit on the day thus far.

When it was finally showtime, I was met with my last surprise. The inside of the venue had been completely redone since my last time there in the fall and now boasted a (slightly) enlarged, redone stage, among other things and most importantly, a brand new lighting setup. As the first band took the stage - Kate Vogele with her touring band - I found myself picking up on the atmosphere that surrounded me, something I had never felt at this venue before, and I knew at that point that I was about to see something amazing. The bespeckled Vogele, who I had never heard before, did her set on the small stage to the warm response of the sold-out house, setting the tone for a fun evening. This was turning into a very well-planned, well-done show and for those involved with Hanson and their tour, I was relieved and happy for this.

After Kate Vogele and co. came Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers, who I have also never heard of. They, too, had me dancing a bit, and getting into their fun tunes. Talented guys, all of them. I love it when bands drag out more obscure "rock band" instruments, adding something a little different to their set. The Sixers had a keyboard, key-tar and tuba-playing bassist. Come to think of it, the drummer for Kate Vogele played a mandolin, too. I like different. I like creativity in music. In general, neither of these bands disappointed, and I'm sure gained a number of new fans after their sets. Good music, all around. The best yet to come.

When Hanson then took the stage in front of the packed house at The Chameleon, launching into their set with "Great Divide," it seemed for a few moments that all the money obviously having been spent on renovations at the venue was for naught. The fans were going to "tear it down," simple as that. To say there were some people happy to be there was an understatement. I love that in a crowd. Feeling everyone else's vibe, everyone else's excitement, making the event that much more of an experience for me. Of course this kind of reaction affects the bands as well, and Hanson threw themselves wholeheartedly into a long, enthusiastic set. Not once did it seem like there was anywhere else they would rather be at that moment than in Lancaster, PA, playing that tiny stage at The Chameleon for their fans.

The set played was impressive. They played a lot of songs, so I'm not going to go through every one, but suffice to say we were treated to most of the entire new album, as well as favorites like "Penny and Me," "Crazy Beautiful," "Been There Before," and "Strong Enough," to name just a few. They came out rocking, the first part of their set a burst of energy, accentuated for me by Hanson's cover of "Hole in My Life," by The Police. I grew up a Police fan. I was really blown away to hear them play this. My respect for Hanson immediately jumped, that they picked such an obscure song to cover. And - Police fans, close your eyes, skip to the next paragraph - they played it better than the original. I've seen The Police. They don't play their own song that good.

Settling things down for a little while the band continued with an acoustic set, Isaac taking up an acoustic guitar, Zac coming out from behind his drum set to keep tempo with a bongo and Taylor alternating between piano and acoustic guitar. This was the true meaning of an 'intimate acoustic set', as I'm sure everyone in the venue felt like they were being sung and played to, personally. The soft-spoken interaction with the audience was nice, too. "Go," one of my favorites on The Walk, was beautifully sung by Zac, accompanied by his brothers. I was very surprised when the band played an acoustic, slowed-down version of "MMMBop" (I was under the impression that they did not play it live anymore), but done acoustically, voices from the audience helping Taylor on the chorus, it was nicely presented. Oh, and of course, Zac singing and playing "The Walk" at the piano while the others left the stage for a break; talk about having "a moment" with your audience. Beautifully done.

Speeding things up once more after Zac's moving solo, Hanson returned to the stage in full force and got back into things with songs like "Blue Sky," "Running Man" and yet another surprise, a cover of Lenny Kravitz's "Let Love Rule." That respect I mentioned before? It jumped yet again. There are so many good songs out there that this band could be covering, and their choice in the more obscure (or at least less suspected), "quality" songs really appeals to my sense of good musicianship. Somewhere in the midst of the end of the set there was this humorous little solo, Ike singing a part of "Let's Get It On," wooing the audience and getting screams and catcalls in response, but my head was still processing the fact that Hanson had just covered The Police and Lenny Kravitz.

When they played their last song, "Something Going On," of course nobody was ready to say goodbye for the night, but I can at least say I was filled with this feeling of satisfaction that said "Now THAT was a concert!"

The encore consisted of energetic performances of U2's "In A Little While," and "Rock and Roll Razorblade," an obvious favorite. The band built things up to an impressive ending with "Rock and Roll Razorblade," after which they put down their instruments, came forward on the stage, and Taylor addressed the audience one last time for the band. He spoke to us all like we were his best friends. Of course there was the expected, the mention of the charity and of Tom's Shoes, the typical thanks, and the bits of insight into life in Hanson. However, the closer for his speech, and for the evening, was simply... perfect. An acapella rendition of "Great Divide," just three talented men and a mic, that had me, literally, in tears... and I was not the only one.

If you've made it this far in the reading, rejoice! The end is near. Isn't much more to tell, as I left the venue soon after. Hanging around to try to get a moment to express my gratitude for one of the best concerts I'd been to, it seemed like a nice idea at first, but I know those performers had their hands full after that show, with the amount of hopeful fans sticking around seeking an encounter. It could wait until next time, I decided. And there will be a next time, for me at least. Most definitely.

For those of you who might be reading this, somehow still questioning this band, all I can say is to go see them before you continue to cling to your little pre-conceived judgement that three little boys from Oklahoma who got famous off bubble-gum pop can't possibly be that good. I'm a fan of many, many kinds of music, and am known to listen to anything from rock (pick your style) to metalcore to classical to ska to... you get the point. Most importantly though, I can appreciate good music - no matter what the genre - when I hear it. Go see Hanson, because they will blow you away with how good they really are. How good the music is, the variety and maturity of it. Go see them later this summer, because they'll be back on tour again in a few months, playing more cozy venues, where you can feel like you're really taking part in something special. Then come back and try to say you aren't impressed as hell. I dare you to. I don't think you'll be able to, in all honesty.

There is a lot of information available about Hanson, what they've been up to lately, and their charity efforts with Tom's Shoes at their official website, www.hanson.net. You can also find them, and hear some of their latest songs, at www.myspace.com/hanson.

You can learn more about the Walk charity by visiting Tom's Shoes. Buy. Donate. Get involved. Tell them Hanson sent you. (They're listed as a partner under the "Press" link).

Lastly, please visit these bands and check them out as well:
Kate Vogele — www.katevogele.com and www.myspace.com/katevogele
Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers — stephenkelloggandthesixers.com and www.myspace.com/sk6ers

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Walk in Durham -TIME CORRECTION

Wed, 07 May 2008 15:31:00 +0000

Hanson’s big welcome

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:12:00 +0000

Flocking to Asheville from Maine, New York, Virginia, Tennessee and across the Carolinas, Hanson fans are willing to travel great distances to see their musical idols up-close. More than 400 screaming fans — the majority being young women between the ages of 27 and 18 — gathered in front of the Orange Peel this afternoon for a chance to join the pop band Hanson on a one-mile barefoot walk through downtown Asheville. This is the band’s 66th “Walking Tour” since September of 2007, an event that aims to raise awareness on issues of poverty and AIDS in Africa, while empowering young people to stand up for a cause that they believe in.

But traveling great distances is not the only thing Hanson fans are willing to do to show their support, as Xpress learned when talking to the crowd of Hanson fans.

Michelle Brochon of Long Island and her best friend Katie Harris of Bowdoin, Maine, traveled 18 hours straight to have a front-row view of Hanson at their sold-out Asheville performance.

“It’s a special show because it’s my birthday,” said Brochon, who had been camping out at the Orange Peel since 3:30 p.m. on Saturday (two days before the concert). Brochon, despite sleeping on the streets, enthusiastically told Xpress that Hanson’s music means the world to her because, “They’re my age and they’re easy to relate too. They could have stopped making music, they could have sold out, but they didn’t and they keep making music on their own terms.”

Brochon and Harris were two of the five people who camped out for two-nights at the Orange Peel, and were joined by 60 others on Sunday night.

Along with camping gear, Hanson fans sported hand-made signs, one of which read: “We’re Walking A Mile W/ No Shoes On … What Are You Doing Today?” Other fans proudly displayed their tattoos inspired by the Hanson logo and by lyrics from their songs. One fan had the phrase: “Don’t lose yourself in your fear” tattooed on her forearm.

When the three Hanson brothers emerged from inside the Orange Peel, they were welcomed with ear-shattering screams and a cheer that seemed to ring through the city. They walked from the Orange Peel to Pritchard Park, where Taylor took out his mega-phone and began sharing stories about “The Walk” and the impact it’s made on raising awareness and energy in their generation. “We are the army of hope,” Taylor proclaimed. “We are not an underestimated generation, we have the capacity to make a difference.”

Needless to say, Hanson received a warm welcome from their local fan-base here in Asheville.

Click here to see a photo gallery of the event.

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Happy Hanson Day!

Tue, 06 May 2008 16:37:00 +0000

Hanson wants you to get creative. A haiku is an unrhymed verse having three lines containing usually five, seven, and five syllables respectively. You task is to create a haiku for Take the Walk. Once you've created your haiku, here's what to do:

Send your entry to contestp@hanson.net.
Include your username, real name and address along with your haiku
Only one entry per person allowed
The deadline for this contest is May 15, 2008 at 11:59PM EDT.

1st prize: 1 yr of Hanson.net fan club membership and both member's only t-shirts
2nd prize: Rock 'n' Roll Razorblade members only t-shirt
3rd prize: Leave The Light On members only t-shirt

Rules:
Entry open to all fans that are NOT currently fan club members of Hanson.net as of May 15, 2008. Hanson/Hanson.net is not responsible for lost or misdirected email. Winners will be announced no later than May 26, 2008.