It's been said before, but it bears repeating: Hanson is not -- repeat, not -- a boy band.

The Tulsa, Okla.-based trio is all about the music.

No future "Dancing With the Stars" contestants or cheesy reality-show hosts here.

Brothers Isaac, Taylor and Zac are the real deal: consummate musicians who write their own songs and play their own instruments. After 15 years in the biz, they've matured, as has their music.

That's not to say they're not cute. They are. Losing the long hair has only improved them.

Isaac's still the serious, vest-wearing guy, Taylor's the Henley-shirted pretty boy and Zac's cheeky-monkeyness has evolved from shooting Super Soakers at the audience to tossing out an impish comment or two.

But from the moment Hanson hit the stage Wednesday night at Toad's Place -- and throughout its two-dozen-song set -- the music was key.

Personal note to the lip-sync generation: Real musicians can hold a crowd's attention for an intermissionless two hours. Without pyrotechnics!

Isaac's riffing on "Great Divide," the song inspired by the trio's recent trip to Africa, proved the guitarist's mettle. He still sported a bandage from his hospitalization last week.

The 26-year-old has thoracic outlet syndrome, which causes pain, numbness and susceptibility to blood clots.

As the song ended, Taylor, 24, smiled and said, "A couple of days ago we did not think we'd be on The Walk Tour."

Keyboardist Taylor -- playing a mean tambourine, cowbell and harmonica, as well -- whipped the audience of nearly 800 into a frenzy with the driving beat of "Hole in My Life."

The tune evoked a fervent, pounding litany of "Say Yeah!"

The brothers performed a number of selections from their current CD, "The Walk," including "Been There Before."

The acoustic portion of the evening featured Isaac on guitar, Zac on bongo and Taylor on piano. The 21-year-old Zac, just emerging as a lead vocalist, isn't quite there yet, lacking the scragginess of Isaac's voice or the pureness of Taylor's.

Still, "Georgia" and "Go" were real crowd-pleasers. And just imagine "MMMBop" unplugged. The irresistible tune that garnered the group worldwide recognition in 1997 was almost unrecognizable at first.

Anchored by Zac's fine bongoing, the poppy song morphed into something along the lines of an African chant. Very cool.

Launching into "Strong Enough to Break" -- also the name of the documentary detailing Hanson's decision to pursue indie recording -- Isaac offered a shout-out to Sound of Music. Hanson recorded and mixed its "3 Car Garage" at the Richmond recording studio.

Tunes rounding out the night included a hard-rock "Got a Hold on Me" with some serious riffing courtesy of Isaac, a jumpin' "If Only" and a thoroughly satisfying Lenny Kravitz cover, "Let Love Rule."

"Rule" and a few bars of "This Time Around" in a cappella showcased the brothers' three-part harmony skills.

Taylor ended the show with a few words about the group's mission to promote awareness of poverty and HIV-AIDS in Africa. "The thing we all have," he said, "is the ability to act."

Contact Cynthia McMullen at (804) 6496361 or cmcmullen@timesdispatch.com. HANSON

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