Older, wiser Hanson testing small venues
By G. Brown, Denver Post Popular Music Writer


With a giddy, catchy tune called "MMMBop," Hanson shot to fame in 1997. The three brothers from Tulsa, Okla., who ranged in age from 10 to 15, saw the single reach No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their debut album, "Middle of Nowhere," sold more than 4 million copies.

Then Hanson found that stereotypes are hard to break. The band's follow-up, 2000's "This Time Around" - a fully developed, well-crafted collection that contrasted sharply with the straight-up pop of their breakthrough - promptly petered out with the younger fans.

"There are good and bad effects when you're that successful with something," drummer Zac Hanson said recently. "(It's) like an actor in a huge movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger might want to diversify, but everybody thinks of him as the Terminator."

Three years have passed since Hanson performed live or released an album. To re-educate the public, the blond brothers have launched a 13-city tour; it's an announcement that they have matured. They are playing only acoustic sets at small clubs and theaters. The group performs Sunday night at the Soiled Dove.

Casual fans are in for a surprise. The three brothers - drummer Zac, now 17 (he got his driver's license), Taylor, 20 (married with a baby boy), and Isaac (at 22 the eldest) - are seasoned music-biz veterans.

Zac, who lives with his parents and four younger siblings (he's the only brother still at home), doesn't believe there's been much attrition in the fan base. The trio's tour sold out weeks ago; 90 percent of each venue was offered in advance exclusively to Hanson fan club members.

"This is something we've wanted to do for a long time," Zac said. "This is the way we write our music, just a guitar and a piano. Simple. It's getting back to the core of the band, and it's going to be tons of fun."

The music has grown into rawer guitar work and a rootsy feel. Some older listeners may hold a grudge against Hanson for giving the world "MMMBop" and unwittingly igniting the teen-pop craze. But unlike 'N Sync, Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears - the manufactured teen stars that followed in Hanson's wake and pretty much overwhelmed them - the brothers wrote and played their own material.

"When we came out, it just so happened that the timing was really ripe for a change," Zac said. "People were listening to grunge and had gotten a little tired of it. They were ready to hear something new. Out of luck, we filled that gap.

"There are always better versions and worse versions and different versions of things," he said. "Maybe you get put in with some artists that you don't necessarily agree with, but it's something you deal with, I guess. I've been lucky enough to be successful. People actually know who we are, and I get to share my music with people."

The gigs showcase new songs Hanson crafted during the hiatus. There were recording delays - numerous scrapped sessions with several producers and last year's split with the group's longtime manager.

"Underneath," the studio album scheduled for release in early 2004, was finished with producer Danny Kortchmar, known for his work with James Taylor. He co-produced the track "Penny and Me," an auspicious, merry singalong accompanied only by acoustic guitars and percussion.

"The way it sounds - the feel of the drums, the way the music is put together - just represents the album well," Zac said. "It's a good one to say, 'This is where we are now."'

In the meantime, a collection of acoustic versions of the new material is for sale on Hanson's website ( www.hanson.net and at the shows.

Zac says the band is more concerned with securing respect than with reascending the charts.

"It doesn't feel like it's starting over to me," he said. "It's starting over the process of promoting a new record. We've been working hard for the last three years, and now it's time to show people what we've done and get the word out and hope that they vote the right way, in our favor.

"A career is like the stock market," Zac said. "If you look at it really close, it's jagged, up and down. But if you look at it over a period, it's a steady motion. It's a roller coaster. With some records you go up, with some you go down. You change.

"This is just another step in this band's career. Another step in a different direction."

Hanson: 7 p.m. Sunday, Soiled Dove, sold out, Ticketmaster.

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