In 1997, three young boys (ages 17, 14 and 12) created a song that transcended the heights of pop culture at the time. In an era when the classic grunge bands were fading away but new groups like Creed were trying to fill the gap with the same dynamics, the three boys shied away from that, opting instead to create a brand of adolescent pop that they felt best described them. These boys were Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson, and the song was "MMMBop."

"'That song just threw chance and timing and luck and everything together,'" drummer Zac said. "It became this whole cultural thing: it wasn't even musical at some levels. People know Hanson that don't know Hanson songs."

The song wasn't a classic, but it came about at the right time and launched what many believed would be a bright future for the young trio from Tulsa, Okla. But after their debut commercial album Middle Of Nowhere went 4X Platinum and dominated the UK charts for several weeks, the group's next release, This Time Around, showed signs of a sophomore slump, barely cracking the top 20 in the US and peaking at #33 in the UK.

Just like that, what had once seemed like an explosive career fizzled out, and the group left their label Island Def Jam records after producers turned down more than 80 songs believing they lacked marketability. It would be four years before they returned to the popular music stratosphere.

In 2004, Hanson released Underneath on their newly formed 3CG Records label. Anchored by "Penny & Me," a song that features quite possibly one of the catchiest pop choruses ever written, the album peaked at #25 in the US, and debuted at the top position on the Billboard Independent Albums chart, making it one of the highest selling indie records of all time.

That brings the situation to now. Attempting to establish themselves as a stable group creating music on a consistent basis, Hanson released The Walk in July, a record that still features the soft, almost juvenile crooning from the trio but reflects the band's grasp for a more mature sound.

"It's been 10 years since people have really known the band," Zac said. "We wanted to find a way to take this record and make it a cornerstone for us and pull together all the styles and sounds of our previous albums."

That was no easy task, as the band's disjointed career has resulted in each album showcasing a distinctly different sound. Zac attributes the success of the record to a recording process that replicates the group's live sound.

"We've always told people that you don't understand us until you see us live," he said. "We wanted that live, visceral energy to define what Hanson sounds like. On each record we definitely change, but we just do what makes the song sound the best. We cater the song to the band."

Zac describes the band's live show as one of a kind, and even feels confident enough in the group's performances to crack jokes about established commercial artists.

"A Hanson show is a rock show," he said. "If you want to come to a show and stand there with your arms folded and frown, then go see somebody like Dave Matthews. We want people to be involved in our shows as much as we can. It's not like sitting back and watching a movie, we love that interaction with the crowd."

The group almost found themselves tangled in misfortune once again after Isaac was hospitalized earlier this year for a potentially fatal blood clot in his arm after a show in Dallas. The condition is one he has had before, as he was hospitalized in 2003 for the same condition, which developed into a pulmonary embolism.

"We had an incredible group of doctors that worked super fast and were great with him," Zac said. "It hasn't hurt the tour, we were able to reschedule the dates, but it was definitely scary. It's one of those things that you just don't realize how dangerous it is until it happens."

For now, the group most known for one hit that spawned countless boy bands and kid groups is trying to plant their feet in the dirt of legitimacy and launch a consistently successful independent career.

"Not many bands get to play in the first place," Zac said. "Everybody has some hurdle to jump over and bring people forward. Any band, musician, anybody in the public eye has to keep moving and creating to show people what you're doing. That's what we're trying to do."

And although it's often viewed in a negative light and as a hazard to the group's stabs at being a real band, Zac does not feel ashamed for "MMMBop."

"You can't help but look at 'MMMBop' as a success," he said. "It's good to have that point of reference. The only thing that would be bad is if it was something that didn't represent us as a band. That's who I was when I was 11. I'm not necessarily like that right now but it's still a part of who I was and who I am."

Hanson is playing La Zona Rosa on Saturday at 7 p.m.

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