Hanson, local band play Bogart's

Three brothers, an unusual act at normally hardcore venue
By Allyson Knue
Published: Wednesday, November 16, 2005

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Hanson pleased old fans and played new music at Bogart's on Sunday, a performance that marked Hanson's fifth Cincinnati appearance since Middle of Nowhere was released in 1997.

Since then, the brothers created their own record label, which they use to pave a new road for independent artists like themselves.

In a phone interview Saturday, middle brother and pianist Taylor Hanson said of the reason for the tour, "primarily, we wanted to record another live album. We toured for over two years promoting Underneath and we felt that now it was important to pull together all the different things we've done, to represent some old material in its current form and bridge the gap between Underneath and the next full-length album."

Their concert went a long way toward bridging that gap. In the two-hour show, a majority of Hanson's 21-song set list hailed from the band's freshman and sophomore albums, Middle of Nowhere and This Time Around. The band also performed the title track from Underneath and previously unrecorded songs like "Every Word I Say."

Fans' screams rose above songs such as "A Minute Without You," "Run Away Run" and of course, the well-known "MMMBop," part of an acoustic set with only a guitar for Isaac and percussion instruments for Taylor and Zac.

Though the hoards of screaming girls are familiar, the band's mission is unique to this tour: to bring awareness about independent music to the masses standing before them in venues around the country and the world.

In addition to supporting their consistent opening act, the Pat McGee Band, the brothers orchestrate an opening band contest in most of the cities in which they play. Local fans vote online from a line-up of three finalists for each city. Glass Halo, a band known for incorporating violin music to create a unique sound, won out in Cincinnati.

"All the way back to our first tour, we took local, unsigned bands out with us on the road. We felt like we've always been a part of supporting independent music, we wanted to take it up a notch by doing a contest," Taylor said. "It was a big success and it reached a lot of people."

Concertgoers also received free CD samplers with songs from Hanson's Live and Electric, Pat McGee Band's Save Me and other various independent artists.

In true Hanson-fan fashion, girls camped out on Short Vine the night before the show to catch a glimpse of the band, and by 5 p.m. Sunday, the line filed down the street and around the corner.

According to Taylor, Hanson appreciates the endless support of their fans, but hope the support comes from a shared love of music.

"I think it's incredible," Taylor said. "We're here to make music. We've tried to show that to our fans, and the ones that really grasp that, they get something out of it and that makes them feel like they're not just a pawn. There's something that you share that's deeper than just a song or a record."

Connecting with their loyal fans on this level was goal of the Live and Electric tour, according to Taylor.

"I feel really proud of what we've done because we've been able to make up for a lot of mistakes that were made by leaving all that time between This Time Around and Underneath," he said.

Taylor also noted the band's momentum.

"We've literally been all over the world a few times, and now we've set the stage for what we're going to do next," he said. "We primed our fans and said, 'look - we're here and we're not going away.'"