DESPITE the bubblegum, teen pop image of Hanson (Taylor on keyboards, Isaac on guitar, and Zac on drums) when they first burst into the music scene in 1997, the trio was actually responsible for the sudden emergence of pop bands in the '90s. While everyone was turning to grunge and rap, three pre-pubescent brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma flashed their pearly whites and toe-tapping beats on MTV, giving audiences a different taste from the music menu.

Heavily influenced by classic rock n' roll artists like Chuck Berry, Hanson's music fuses contemporary rock with a vintage vibe that no other artist seems to be able to pull off.

Unbeknownst to many, Hanson has been doing the D-I-Y thing before they stepped into middle school. They released two albums independently before signing up with a record company. After releasing two more albums on major labels, they decided to once again go independent, and come up with their own label, 3CG. Being at the helm of their own label, the boys are finale able to call the shots-and their hard work finally paid off with the release of their new album, "Underneath."

Inquirer Entertainment was able to get an exclusive interview with Zac Hanson while the band was in Tokyo for a concert.

"It's the first time we got to come out here and play an electric set, because the last time we were here, we did an acoustic show," said Zac.

What was it like putting up 3CG?

Putting up the label was something that we've always wanted to do. I mean, just the idea of building a company that would help other artists get heard. It sounds like World Peace, I know. But first we were on Mercury Records, which dissolved after some time, then we got on Island Def Jam, which was mainly a hip-hop label.

When it came down to making "Underneath," [Def Jam] just didn't get what Hanson was about. There was no connection between the band and the label. So setting up our own label was the right thing to do.

So do you plan to sign other artists on your label? ?


We're not pursuing artists aggressively, but once we get everything working, we'll definitely be doing that. We'd like to offer them something that other labels can't. Sort of like a different mind-set.

You worked as the producers of "Underneath." Was it hard picking songs to be put on the album? ?

It's always hard to pick what songs to put in. You have an attachment to each song, and with this album, we had like 80 songs, and 50 were recorded and demoed. We spent days and weeks trying to decide what would get on the record. But then you find a group of songs that fit in the album.

Any chance you'll release those songs in a box set of B-sides? ?

We like to put the songs on the website for fans to download. It's to fuel the fans as well. So you just keep releasing stuff [on the web]. We don't like to limit the fans to songs found only on the album...there's constantly new material.

You worked with Matthew Sweet and Gregg Alexander (of the New Radicals) on the album, as well as Michelle Branch. How did that come about? ?

Well, Matthew is a mutual friend of ours. We had dinner with him one night and said, "Would you like to write a song with us?" and he said, "Sure." The song took four hours to write, which is fairly quick. It was a natural, easy process, and we all felt comfortable with it. The track we wrote with him, "Underneath," is the cornerstone of the album.

As for Gregg Alexander, he was in town, and we all enjoy his music. So we also asked him if he wanted to write a song, and he was into it. It took us four days to write the song, "Lost Without Each Other." It's one of the classic rock songs on the album, you know, with no real deep lyrics (laughs).

?You've always been influenced by classic rock, so how different is this album from the last one, "This Time Around"??

Who we are as people is still the same. My mind-set is still the same. I guess you just constantly get better. You hear music that inspires you, and it's such a natural thing to change. Time changes you.

So what music inspires you? Who's in your CD player right now? ?

"28 Days," "Sleeping at Last," and this guy named Bleu. We like so much that we brought him with us here to Tokyo.

Hanson tends to write dark, moody songs and pair them with uptempo music. What gives?

I appreciate you for taking the time to read the lyrics! When you write a song about something hard, you try to dissolve it by yourself, and the happy tune just dissolves it. It's also a cool irony that people don't understand it.

"Mmmbop" is a good example. The song is really about people who are here in your life now but when things go back, they just disappear. It's fun to write songs like that. "Misery" [on the album "Underneath"] is a really melodic, three-part harmony song, but it's also sad.

Like "Penny" in the song "Penny and Me" is actually about the memories and experiences that define a person...

Yes. All the songs that we wrote are just a testament of what we felt at that time.

Do you get annoyed that people keep associating you with "Mmmbop"??

No, because that song is a part of who we were, and that is a part of who we are now. I'm happy to play it at shows. That music is part of who you are. If I reject it, it's like me running away, and discrediting myself and the fans for liking the song.

You also said before that you didn't care if people didn't respect the band. ?

No, what I meant was...respect is great, and we have been lucky to get some respect from people who review our shows and our albums, saying they're great. But you don't really put much weight in that. That stuff doesn't matter. What matters are the fans and the music.

How has fatherhood changed the band? ?

Not much. Well, Taylor has different responsibilities now, but he's got more experiences to write about, so I guess it helps the band. And he doesn't get much sleep from changing diapers. So I guess you can say his wife and son are a "joyful addition" to the family (laughs). Being an uncle is just like being a big brother. I play with my nephew and when he gets problematic I hand him back to Tay.

You're also sharing an apartment with Isaac. Does it suck having to live with your brother? ?

No, it's like living with your bandmate. It sucks sometimes, but it's also great.

Do you see yourself getting involved with side projects in the future? ?

I wouldn't rule side bands out, and I'd love to work on other things, like producing records and working on soundtracks. If it happens in the future, that would be so much fun. I like to work on other people's records. Sometimes we'd have songwriting get-togethers, where we and a bunch of musicians would just get together and write songs and they'd end up on one another's albums. Some songs end up on hardcore albums, some on pop...

Hardcore? ?

Yes, you sound surprised. Why, you can't imagine us writing a hardcore song? (laughs) It's actually sad that a lot of these young artists aren't working together. For instance, Maroon 5, we've known them even before they had their record out, and they lived with the bassist of Phantom Planet. All these bands tour together, they know each other, and they don't really work on anything. So we're just thinking, "holy crap! You know each other but you aren't working on anything together?"

There's the ability to have such a great movement in music, and we'd just like to fuel it. We may not get over the hump, but it's like, "You know him, and he knows her, get together and write a song! Let's form a band, call ourselves the Square Root of a Square Face!Who knows what could come out of that? I mean, they're there to be utilized!''

Hanson will be playing at the Aliw Theater on Tuesday night.