Hanson: They are MMMBack
After a three-year break, the Tulsa brothers have a new sound and CD.

Kendal Kelly - Daily Staff Writer
September 18, 2003

No floppy blond hair and childish grins here. Hanson is, from left to right, Taylor, 20; Zac, 17; and Isaac, 22. A new CD is coming next year.

DALLAS--Asked if he is a Sooner fan, Zac Hanson, 17, replied with a grin, "Is the sky blue?"

When the Sooner football team played on national television in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the doors of the Hanson show in Palo Alto, Calif., were held past opening time because the band and crew were watching the game, said Taylor Hanson, 20.

"Yeah, we're big Sooner fans," said Isaac, 22.

On Monday evening Hanson came to the live music venue, Trees, in downtown Dallas with new music and a new look, proving they still have a place in girls' hearts as they were greeted by hundreds of fans.

The three brothers from Tulsa have re-emerged after a three-year hiatus and are currently on the Hanson Acoustic Tour '03 across the United States.

Well-known from the days of "MMMBop" for their long blond locks, high-pitched voices and catchy music, the brothers have now chopped off their hair, felt their voices deepen and matured in musical style. Isaac, Taylor and Zac have also extended their talents to become more versatile in instruments they play and to write their own songs.

"We are three guys who are passionate about music and are out there to affect people," Taylor said.

Their latest release, "Underneath Acoustic," available only at shows and their official Web site, www.hanson.net, features eight songs recorded in front of a small audience in Tulsa earlier this year. The CD coincides with the band's acoustic tour, which kicked off in Maryland on Aug. 9.

"The tour is sort of a thank-you to fans for waiting around," Zac said.

The band has taken three years to emerge with new material as "a result of lots of politics and shifts in the industry," Taylor said.

Due to a disagreement about the band's musical direction, Hanson has broken away from its record label Island Def Jam to begin an independent record label, Three Car Garage, or 3CG, as the brothers call it.

"There's always been a struggle between art and commerce," Zac said. "Selling music is essential to sustain an artist."

Along with the change of record labels, the brothers underwent a change in family structure when the middle brother, Taylor, got married in June 2002 and then had a child in October.

Although the fan base has significantly diminished since 1997, when Hanson's debut album, "Middle of Nowhere," sold more than 8 million copies, the group still has a lot of loyal fans.

Even though it was "definitely not a place for girls to be spending the night," a group of about six girls, the true Hanson fanatics, had spent the previous night camped in front of the venue, said Jay Ashley, a Trees security guard.

One of the girls who had spent the night to get a front-row spot in the general admission show had a Hanson symbol tattooed on her lower back. Another had the word "Hanson" imprinted on her class ring, and a third wore red Chuck Taylors Converse shoes signed by Hanson.

When Hanson took the stage at Trees, the venue was packed with fans and their deafening screams. Throughout the night, a few of them passed out, and still others left the crazed crowd, crying from being caught in the frantic crush.

"I haven't had this much trouble with heavy metal devil worshippers and crank addicts," said Trees security guard Rusty Williamson.

The men displayed their improved musical skills as they rocked out on stage, playing combinations of acoustic guitar, piano, drums and harmonica. Famous for their vocal harmonies, the brothers' soulful voices rang out over the shrieking of excited girls.

Ashley, who worked the front barrier at the concert, said Hanson's sound was "a lot better than [he] remembered."

"I think they'll probably start pulling more of a grown-up crowd, too," Ashley said. "It's just more grown-up music. It's not bubblegum pop anymore."

Hanson's next album, entitled "Underneath," should be released by spring 2004, Taylor said.

Until then, fans can follow the progress of the tour and order the new acoustic CD online at www.hanson.net.


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