Yes, that Hanson. When I tell people I'm madly in love with the new Hanson record, that question must always be answered. Yes, it's the three brothers who gave us "Mmmbop" seven years ago.

It's the same three brothers who write and play their own music and who have their own label, 3CG Records. It's the same three brothers who, for the record, were mmmbopping before the major onslaught of boy bands such as Backstreet Boys took over the charts.

All these years later, Hanson has released their third record on the 3CG label called "Underneath." If you think you had this band pegged, think again. Hanson has continued to evolve into a serious pop-rock act that transcends any "one-hit-wonder" notions you might have been having when they first broke.

The little drummer boy Zack is now 18, Taylor is 20, and Isaac is 23. The eldest brother took time from a tour stop in Minneapolis to chat about the current state of Hanson: where they are going, where they've been and how, ultimately, it's the music that matters most.

The conversation lasted nearly an hour. Here are highlights:

On making music and being an independent act:

"All three of us are constantly writing music and really trying to push each other on a song-writing level as far as finding the right songs for an album. I like to think that shows when it comes to the final product. We never follow trends and we never will; all that we give a crap about is making records that are emotionally relevant, hopefully, to other people and making music that, hopefully, over the course of time will inspire people.

I feel really lucky to be able to be a pop-rock band who is independent who's able to go out there and sell records and play shows and continue to kind of grow and evolve and expose ourselves to our fans. On a creative level, we feel like this is the tip of the iceberg for us. We're making music that is inspiring to us and that I think can potentially strike an emotional chord in a lot of people. What we really wanted to do with this record was to make sure to peel it back one more layer and make it kind of as much of an honest, bare-bones record as we could. I think people will begin to understand what we've always said, which is, you know, it's all about the music."

On the audiences over the years:

"The fan base has stuck and has grown up in a sense. One of the coolest things about being able to do it for so many years and start out at kind of an early point in your life is that your fans also started out at an early point in their lives being aware of you and being into your music. We've seen people over the last seven years of their lives go from young teenagers to, you know, 20-somethings. There's actually a decent amount of diversity among fans as far as music they like, which is kind of cool. Because of the early point in their lives that they were exposed to Hanson, their music taste has grown and evolved, yet they still continue to be fans of Hanson. Believe it or not, there's actually a decent contingent of hard-core-like Goth people and so on who come out to shows. Their three favorite bands are, you know, Godsmack, Marilyn Manson and Hanson. I think you gotta be able to appreciate all types of music, and I always try and keep as much of an open mind as I can."

On his favorite track from the new record:

"Underneath" - as an overall song and as one I think I will always have a fondness for. It is absolutely one of those tunes that will always stick with me and I think for a lot of reasons, just because of the process of song-writing and just the fact that it was a very inspired moment. But I also feel like that song lyrically and emotionally really touches on a really nice chord."

On the current political climate and artists speaking out about the election:

"I think that we as artists and human beings are constantly idealists. We want our cake and to eat it, too, and I think that no matter who it is, we gotta remember that life is not that easy. It's a lot more complex and also our political system is very complicated. I'd much rather (politicians) actually talk about doing something productive instead of blocking bills by the other party. I think there's a lot of room these days for a third party, honestly. I think you have to know your audience. I think you have to not be blind to the fact that just because you have an opinion doesn't mean that your audience gives a (expletive). You won't see me making comments one side or another. I make my decisions in the voting booth."

On working with his brothers:

"Luckily enough, because we actually care about each other's opinions, we've been able to kind of keep the peace and find a way to come to a good resolve on most things. It's not easy. I can think of a time not but a week ago that Taylor and I also got into a full-on fist fight. But you know what, it was for a good reason. It was for emotional, valuable reasons, but luckily enough we were able to calm ourselves down and not beat the (expletive) out of each other. It really comes down to respect. I have enormous respect for my brothers."

Aimsel Ponti of Portland covers the club scene for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. She can be contacted at:

aimselponti@yahoo.com