Akron Beacon Journal
Jun 03, 2004 |
Since their major label debut album Middle of Nowhere was released in 1997, they have had a No. 1 hit single with the chirpy pop song MMMBop, sold more than 10 million copies of their music worldwide and performed all over the globe. And, much to the chagrin of many fans, Taylor got married.
On Saturday, the trio will perform at the Canton Palace Theatre to promote its new release Underneath. It's the first full studio effort of new songs since 2000's This Time Around and the first release on the groups very own record label, 3CG, named for 3 Car Garage, an early independent release. The band of brothers has come full circle, leaving the major label shuffle behind to do for themselves.
While the name Hanson may still conjure up images of three towheaded kids impishly banging away on their instruments and singing slick pop tunes, Hanson circa 2004 is a trio of men taking control of their own music and by extension their careers. Being millionaire music industry veterans before 18 is certainly a solid foundation upon which to build, but having a recognizable name doesn't automatically mean radio stations and MTV will knock down your door.
``The challenges for us are just like anybody else,'' Isaac Hanson said from a cell phone in Los Angeles.
``Just getting your record heard, whether you're Michael Jackson or Paul McCartney, Blink 182 or Hanson, it's getting your single on the radio and your video on MTV and letting the audience have the opportunity to hear the music, and that's a big challenge for anybody.''
So far, the band is meeting that challenge. Underneath has spent the last five weeks on Billboard's Independent Charts and the single Penny & Me has been in rotation on MTV's TRL.
That the band has managed to get anywhere near MTV or radio without the usual major label connections, palm greasing (payola) or image retooling is a testament to its drive and business savvy. So far, starting 3CG has been the right move, though Isaac admits being label executives adds some new twists to staying afloat in the crowded pop market.
``I wouldn't recommend it to everybody; it's not for the faint of heart,'' he said.
``What is interesting is, a lot of it is just gut instinct. You know what it takes to get a record out there, how many days a year you're going to end up working to promote an album. The real question comes down to nuts and bolts of actually getting the record to the stores and doing the math on how many albums have been shipped.
``But an artist, whether they are signed or not, has some kind of awareness and control of that. The problem is that a lot of the time you're not allowed to be in control of that, and even if you said, `I don't think we should ship that extra 50,000 copies because it may come back to us,' your label may do that or not and the problem is it reflects on you at the end of the day.''
Since its April release, the reflection from the 13-track Underneath has been pretty good. It was written, performed and produced primarily by the brothers, with a little songwriting help from respected alt-rocker Matthew Sweet and New Radical leader Gregg Alexander, and production help from veteran session guitarist/producer Danny Kortchmar. The record has received middling to very good reviews.
Billboard called it ``the group's most endearing,'' and ``charming'' while the Washington Times said ``steeped in old R&B and classic '60s pop, the brothers appreciate a good hook and know how to craft one on their own.''
Though they've grown, the band's image is still that of three well-adjusted All-American boys singing happy tunes for happy teens. The kind of cheerful, grounded, happy young men whom every dad hopes his daughter brings home to dinner. But Underneath contains some surprisingly adult ruminations on love gone bad, specifically the quartet of songs Misery, Lost Without Each Other, When You're Gone and the title track. Do these heartbreak tunes mean that somewhere there are females who hold chunks of the Hanson brothers' broken hearts, or are they simply mining the same old territory that songwriters have drawn from for years?
``I don't think you have to have your heart broken to understand,'' Isaac said.
``People ask how much of the music is autobiographical and do you feel like you have to experience things to write about them, and my answer to that is Michael Crichton didn't experience Jurassic Park. So, if you're an artist and you have a creative mind, you can pretty much understand. The emotions are there to be felt and had and I think we all kind of understand them whether we have experienced them literally or not. But, yeah, everybody's had their heart broken at one point or another, that's for sure.''
Though the full tour doesn't begin until early July, the Canton show (and a recent appearance at the Cleveland Rib Cook-Off & Music Festival) gives Ohio fans a chance to bask in the group's still warm and fuzzy though more mature glow and witness their own excitement about the future they are building for themselves.
``What we feel really lucky about is that were doing as much as were doing and were still maintaining our independence, which is a rare thing,'' Isaac said.
Hanson with opening ace Love Drug will perform at the Canton Palace Theatre, 605 Market Ave. N., at 7 p.m. on Saturday (doors open at 6 p.m.). For information call 330-454-8172.
