Freelance Star (VA)
May 27, 2004 |
The spring fever of 1997 strengthened the bubble-gum pop tunes that streamed from radio stations--as people of all ages caught onto a new, upbeat package of music.
That package came in the form of three young, long-haired blond boys from Tulsa, Okla.
Remember Hanson?
Now with short hairdos, trendy styles, experience and time to try out new sounds, the three brothers are back in action.
It's been four years since the pop world heard from Isaac (23), Taylor (21) and Zac (18)--when they released "This Time Around," the sophomore album to their hit record "Middle of Nowhere."
Despite less dramatic record sales, the album contained MTV favorite "If Only" and the title track.
Hanson has resurfaced from the studio with the release of "Underneath."
After all this time, the band has yet to tire from the insanity that came from being the hottest thing to hit pop culture since The New Kids On The Block.
At the end of the day, the interviews, screaming girls and photo shoots are all just a part of one great job: playing music.
"That's sort of something you really can't get around," Taylor Hanson said in an interview with it!
"There will always be sort of a search for the celebrity, and people are infatuated with that. I think we've done a pretty good job of separating ourselves from that.
"I love what I do. I love making music. And if that's a byproduct of it, then I'll survive it."
Now living in New York City after a move from Oklahoma, the Hanson family spent some time living in Arlington, Va., when their father worked in the nation's capital in the '80s.
"I love Virginia," Taylor said. "In fact, our first manager, that got us to our first record deal--helped launch the band on a global level--was from Richmond."
Anyone who may have passed by Alexandria's Birchmere venue on the group's last tour would have seen that Hanson's fan base is alive and kicking in Virginia.
A bit older, but there in droves.
Many people who traveled from out-of-state to see the boys at the small and secluded venue were confronted with a line that wrapped around the building that formed about sunset the evening before.
In contrast to Hanson concert audiences several years ago, there were many young men in line with their girlfriends now, to check out the new rockin' Hanson.
Tattoos and body piercings adorned the bodies of girls who once shyly wore pink lip gloss and clear mascara at an age when having anything other than earrings was considered scandalous.
Cigarettes were smoked and snack foods consumed by the fans while discussing other bands, college and careers, fiances and movies.
In the early days, conversations were mostly by young girls, and revolved around how absolutely cute all three of the band members were, and whom they wanted to marry of the trio.
But the lines are still long, and the conversations more "adult." Clearly, Hanson mania is far from being a distant fad.
Even though the guys still have the boyish charm and soulful voices that first captured the hearts of people around the globe, they have turned into men, with personal lives not unlike those of other people their age.
On Hanson's Web site, hanson.net, Isaac lists one of his interests as "writing poetry, books, directing music videos" and "cigars."
He was hospitalized last November from a venous clot in his right arm, followed by a release that stated the clot was from "rocking out too hard."
Drug accusations arose for a short time, but the band claims he is clean, and that he is only guilty of being a rock star.
Taylor married Natalie Anne Bryant in the summer of 2002, breaking thousands of girls' hearts.
He has a 17-month-old son, Ezra.
"He's a beautiful guy," Taylor said. "He's a lot of fun. You can't believe how fast they grow."
Getting married at the age of 19, Taylor got serious criticism from some fans for marrying early in his adult life and in the middle of a successful career.
"[Marriage is] your decision, and people will always have opinions. People will always have negative and positive stuff to say.If it's the right thing, then you can't do anything better," Taylor said.
Zac has grown from the bubble of energy and supplier of wacky quips to an extremely talented young man on the drums, piano and guitar.
His vocal talents have gone from young and high to crisp, deep and soulful.
His performance in northern Virginia showed a person emotionally connected to his music. The passion that he displayed while beating the drums or playing a ballad on the piano was striking.
Perhaps it's that passion that has kept the Hanson trend from fading.
Or perhaps it's all about how the fans have involved themselves with keeping the music alive.
Hanson was one of the first bands to start a fan base using the power and the accessibility of the Internet--by having a Web site to keep fans updated and interested.
And because of this, the band's image did not become a flash in the pan. Word of mouth, as the band's success shows, can be one of the best methods of promotion.
"[Using the Internet] is one of the many ideas on how to build the message of this record from the ground up--not the other way around," Taylor explained. "And have people begin to talk about it and spread the word by word of mouth and, let it be music in a really organic way."
The Internet also has been the way the fans have stayed connected all these years. Hanson gatherings on both coasts and everywhere in between have been successful in gathering scattered fans in one place to hang out and meet others.
With the love-it-or-hate-it Hanson fanaticism all but a memory, the world is still crazy for the boys who moved from local sweethearts to a global phenomenon.
"There are definitely crazy interactions recently still--people trying to find their way into the busor saying 'I'll do anything, how do I get backstage?'" Taylor said.
"Obviously, throwing articles of undergarments on stage is always interesting. But you know, you just sort of laugh at it."
They are laughing all the way to the top of the music world yet again.
JANIS HOLCOMBE is a freshman at James Madison University.
