Lancaster Sunday News
Jul 12, 2004 |
Think Aerosmith ("I Don't Want to Miss a Thing''), Extreme ("More Than Words'') and Guns N' Roses ("Sweet Child o' Mine'').
Truth is, you can hide a multitude of ineptitude behind hard rock's proverbial "wall of sound.'' As the MTV "Unplugged'' series graphically demonstrated, only the best dare to put themselves on the acoustic line.
So why is it that melodic, low-decibel acts are routinely dissed and dismissed as lightweights? No one knows that stigma better than Hanson, that trio of brothers from Tulsa, Okla., who made "MMMBop'' the pop anthem of 1997.
"MMMBop'' sold more than 10 million copies, but Zachary, Taylor and Isaac (then 12, 15 and 17, respectively) were reviled as another "novelty act,'' a vacuous "boy band.'' Truth is, Hanson was a boy band in age only. Unlike so many groups Stepforded by marketing strategists, Hanson had been performing together for more than five years, writing their own songs, playing their own instruments and NOT dancing.
Back in the studio Seven years later, Isaac, 23; Taylor, 21 (now married and a new father); and Zachary, 18; are once more back in hit contention with "Underneath,'' their first studio album since 2000's respectable but commercially uneventful ""This Time Around.'' Their new 13-track compact disc is racking up a staggering number of online hits on ""AOL Sessions'' despite videos of the singles showing them doing nothing more, nor less, than what they do best making music, in this case, acoustically.
"Underneath'' marks more than a milestone in voting-age maturity for the Hansons. It also marks their producing debut. Most of the album was recorded in their own studio in Tulsa, where their parents and four younger siblings still live.
They called their new label 3CG (for 3-Car Garage) to honor their garage-band origin and their lingering respect for that kind of simple, dedicated musicianship.
Guitarist-singer Isaac, keyboardist-singer Taylor and drummer-singer Zachary now live in New York City, but the blonds' Oklahoma roots are still apparent.
The songs they will be bringing to the American Music Theatre Saturday on their national "Underneath'' tour are their most mature to date, but they still pack the appeal of unabashed earnestness. Love tops lust in tunes like the catchy flagship single, ""Penny & Me.'' Tears fall unapologetically over a failed relationship on ""Misery'' and "Lost Without Each Other.'' And a cappella harmonies ring pure and clear in a surprise closing of a robustly bluesy "Where's the Love?'' Ironically, the all-American trio found its inspiration in South Africa. Their father, an accountant, was working there for an oil drilling contractor. Isaac had brought along a 1958 compilation tape of American music, songs like "Johnny B. Goode,'' "Splish Splash,'' "Rockin' Robin'' (some of which are likely to make it into the AMT play list).
"Isaac started singing along with those. Then my mom (a college music major) taught him to play three chords on the piano, and Taylor and I eventually started joining in and picking up harmonies,'' Zac said in a phone interview from Tulsa.
"In 1992, we did our first official show together as the Hanson Brothers in Tulsa. We played a cappella shows for three years, at fairs and parties.'' Entering the majors They put out three indie albums before signing with Mercury Records in 1996.
"We had a great relationship with them (10 million copies of their first album were sold) then the label merged into Island//Def Jam.'' But when Hanson's second album failed to fly off the shelves like its multiplatinum predecessor, the label passion cooled.
"With the state of the music industry today (being all about megahits) and the excitement we had for this album ("Underneath''), we decided to form our own label, which we've wanted to do for some time,'' said Zac, sounding far more mature than his 18 years.
""This was not about going up against The Man. We are working with different major labels all around the world (Sony in Southeast Asia, JVC in Japan to distribute "Underneath'). It's really just about music and our desire to build a stronger relationship with our fans.'' In May, the Hansons personally pitched their album by playing miniconcerts at scores of radio stations, including Lancaster's WLAN-FM.
""We also spent most of last year doing acoustic shows across the country, with just the three of us on stage,'' Zac said.
""When we did our acoustic show at Carnegie Hall, I just gasped for air thinking of all the great music that's been through there, classical to rock 'n' roll.'' The ""AOL Sessions'' videos are acoustic, too. ""But the album is actually much more electrified,'' Zac said.
Plugging in at AMT Their AMT concert will have its acoustic moments, but the Hansons and their two touring sidemen will mostly be playing with ""a full drum kit, electric guitars, organ, keyboards, bass and whatever,'' Zac said. ""This is a real rock 'n' roll show, but no pyro, no crazy light show, and no big set.'' Zac loves to rock out, but acoustic more clearly fits Hanson's zeal for keeping it real.
"Acoustic is fun,'' Zac said, "because it focuses on the songs and vocals. There's no safety net. You gotta go out there and bare it all, put yourself on the line. I love doing that.
"There is nothing more fun to me than sitting around singing great songs and harmonizing.'' The Hanson brothers were passionate about making music long before a career was even a pipe dream.
They still are: "It's always been all about the music, not us'' Zac said. "I never became a drummer to drum. Isaac and Taylor would say the same about their instruments. I play drums to facilitate the songs and round the music out.
"My focus as a drummer is not to play the fastest 16th or 32nd notes or do quintuplet hits on the bass drum but really to be a musical drummer, the kind that when you hear the music, you don't think about it. I'm a facilitator.'' The Memphis pop-rock quartet, Ingram Hill ('Will I Ever Make It Home''), opens for Hanson at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 17, at the American Music Theatre, 2425 Lincoln Highway E. Tickets are $38. Call (800) 648-4102.
