Hanson's passion pop

JO HALES
7 April 2005
The Gold Coast Bulletin
English
Copyright 2005 News Ltd. All Rights Reserved

ISAAC Hanson says a highlight of his childhood was observing guest artists come and go on the various late-night American TV shows.

"I loved watching programs, such as The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and hoped one day we (with brothers Taylor and Zac) would be guests on them, too.

"I knew we were as good as those artists, so I was inspired to do better," he says.

While he believed in their musical abilities, Isaac never dreamed he and his brothers would achieve such early success - but that's exactly what happened after their infectious, perfect pop single MmmBop was released in 1997.

The track led to three 1998 Grammy nominations for the band - Record of the Year, Best New Artist and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals.

Meanwhile, the album containing MmmBop, Middle of Nowhere, sold eight million copies, soared to No.2 on the Billboard top 200 and carried with it two other top 10 singles.

"I never expected that kind of success," says Isaac.

"To have a song we wrote so early in our career be so very successful and nominated for Grammys the following year was just unthinkable. We were just three young boys from Oklahoma motivated to sing."

Eight years later and brothers Isaac, now 24, Taylor, 22, and Zac, 19, are still performing after splitting with their record label and going independent. Their latest album, Underneath, has been receiving rave reviews and they are currently on a worldwide tour.

"At the moment we are having a good time in Latin America. It is always a lot of chaos here," says Isaac, on the phone from Brazil.

"We have been to almost 15 countries so far this year."

Is there a downside to constant and extensive touring?

"Yes, having to leave behind family members, including Taylor's wife and child," says Isaac.

"They have travelled with us in the past, but for the past three months we have been on the bus, so it would be impossible and silly for them to tour with us."

Then there are the minor hurdles associated with performing in non-English speaking countries.

"We just do most of our interviews by translation, which can be quite frustrating - sometimes I feel like a stupid American," says Isaac. "I want to change that and take a more aggressive approach by learning Spanish and Portuguese.

"These languages are useful in the US and are spoken in countries where we have a big fan base."

The brothers arrive in Australia next month for their national `electric' tour. They were here late last year, performing acoustic sets in Sydney and Melbourne to promote the release of Underneath.

"In Melbourne, the crowd was out of control," says Isaac. "The only place we have heard an audience louder than that one was in Brazil - and there were a lot more people at that show."

He says the group will play everything from Penny and Me to Lost Without Each Other from Underneath, Mmmbop and an array of covers - `tracks people want to hear'.

The release of their long-awaited third studio album, more than three years in the making, is on their own 3CG Records label (distributed through independent ADA).

By producing their own album, the brothers were able to maintain their creative vision, although they did work with several different collaborators.

"We wrote more than 80 songs for the album and recorded just over 50. That number ended up being whittled down to 13 tracks," says Isaac.

The brothers' musical journey started long before they struck gold with Mmmbop, which they actually released `independently' in the early 1990s. The boys, who have four other siblings, "have been into music as long as we can remember", says Isaac.

"Years before you heard about us, we were in a band. We were inspired by '60s and '70s rock 'n' roll music.

"It is music from that era that has been a driving force for us because it is unabashed and there is a raw passion behind it.

"We always feel our goal as musicians is to constantly rekindle that passion for music and hopefully with our audience."

* Hanson play Seagulls Club on May 25 at 7.30pm. Tickets are $63.