Fresh off a whirlwind trip to Thailand, coined the "Hanson Underneath Thailand Promo Tour," to generate interest in the band's new album Underneath, the eldest Hanson brother, Isaac, is no joking mood. Trying to get a sense of what being on the road is like for the 23-year-old and his brothers Taylor, 21, and Zac, 18, is like trying to pull teeth. One might think after playing over 50 shows zigzagging across the United States since last August there would be a story to tell, but Isaac isn't budging. Although, he does let his guard down just enough to exchange witty repartee in response to a comparison between Hanson and the infamous backstage requests of '80s superstars Van Halen.

"We are very intense people, only green M&Ms at all times," Isaac jokes. "If I see a single other colored M&M, it's all over."

And you know what they say about the green ones.

Maybe this is how one becomes a teenage pop phenomenon - all work and no play. Yet, Isaac does allude to having some fun on the road, especially in Chicago where he is a big fan of the sushi (he must have gotten lost on his way to Pizzeria Uno) and thinks it's a great place to take a date.

HANSON'S INNER VIEW
“We are very intense people, only green M&Ms at all times. If I see a single other colored M&M, it's all over.”

"It's very hard to get the chance to do much," said Isaac. "I try and capture as much as I can in the cities that I'm in, but it all depends on the day I guess."

The all-work method for Hanson continues to pay off. Since taking the world by storm in 1997 and making it virtually impossible that summer to get the tune of their first and biggest hit, "Mmmbop," from ringing in anyone's head, the Tulsa, Oklahoma group sold eight million copies of their first album, Middle of Nowhere, and followed up with This Time Around, which that time around "only" sold a million copies. Hanson went underneath the radar for a time being, leaving their long blonde locks and girlish croons behind in their youth. All the while working hard, no doubt.

The fruits of that labor are revealed in the latest release on their own independent label, 3CG. Undeniably, Underneath is more than a delightful piece of pop confection. Moments truly shine, most notably on the first single, "Penny and Me" with its '70s jangle of guitars and harmonies only voices related by blood could pull off. It even prompted New York's Village Voice to mention Van the Man in the same sentence as the brothers in its review.

The girls still get flustered when the three lanky men walk on stage, because while teen idol devotion may get swept under life's more pressing issues, it never truly dies. For proof, is there any other reason David Cassidy and Davy Jones are playing (separately) in Chicago this summer? Also as evidence, Hanson's July show at Navy Pier's Skyline stage is already sold out and a recently added all ages show at the House of Blues on August 12 will probably follow.

Hanson are on their own this album after splitting with Universal. Indie do-it-yourself credos mesh nicely with Hanson's work ethic, and the band is enjoying the benefits of their 3CG label.

"I do not recommend an independent label to the faint of heart. It's very liberating on a lot of levels, but it also requires a lot of focus and a lot of time," said Isaac. "I think what it is, is getting us closer to our audience and getting rid of some of that separation. It's more of a direct relationship between us and our fans, and that's what every artist wants. And it allows us to be that much more responsive to our fans' wants and needs."

Three years spent in the making, Underneath shows only a partial picture of the recording sessions. Collaborations with Carole King and Barenaked Ladies' Ed Robertson didn't make the cut, while songs "Lost Without Each Other," co-written with Gregg Alexander of the New Radicals, and the album's title track co-written with the Thorns' Matthew Sweet, did.

"Part of the problem is when you spend three years making a record and you write as many songs as we do, it becomes a process of elimination and you can only put so many songs on an album," said Isaac. "But I imagine that several of those songs, particularly the one that we wrote with Ed Robertson, will definitely see the light of day in the near future."

Writing with other artists is always an iffy situation. "Sometimes things click and it's great and sometimes you have a good time together, but you write a crappy song," said Isaac. "You just never really know." Hanson had only known Matthew Sweet for 24 hours before they wrote "Underneath" together. Thanks to a mutual friend, the four met for dinner and decided it would be fun to work together. The very next day Hanson had what would become the title track of their album.

"There's a lot of blood, sweat and tears that were put into this record," said Isaac. Someone should tell him to lighten up, but why mess with a proven formula?
Hanson will play at the Skyline Stage July 31.