1.  With ever changing technology, what do you feel as a band is the best way to get your music out? Or what do you feel are the best ways to promote it?      from Laura in Nashua, New Hampshire

Taylor Hanson (TH): That’s a really good question! You know, obviously, with endless resources…whether it’s radio or TV or being right in front of people all the time…those things are still really reaching people. For us, we decided to really focus on connecting with as many different passionate groups and feeling those: whether it’s online communities, other bands, brands that we think connect with what we are about as a band, and trying to keep the message coming consistently – to not relent, to just fuel lots of smaller groups of people that ultimately become a greater hole. That sounds really vague! But taking more of a grassroots approach ultimately…people need to be able to connect with what you do, and our goal is to put the content out there, put the music in places where people can find it and allow it to speak for itself. I think ultimately…you have to go back to the core things, like the fact that you have to tour. A lot of bands are starting to say, ‘Well, I don’t really want to work that hard,’ you know?  
 

2.  What is the favorite memory of your life?
     from Luana in São Paulo, Brazil

TH: Well, if we’re really talking ever in my life…I would probably have to say really being a young kid and being outdoors and being in total pretend world as a little kid…just exploring and being totally free of obligation. Just being a little boy, having the ability to be kind of out there and just be kind of lost in your own world. Growing up, we had enough space where we could go out and ‘adventure’ with friends when I was 8, 9, 10, 11. I have some amazing memories from that time, when your brain is taking everything in and kind of soaking up life. There are many great memories. I’m a big fresh air person, so going outside and, honestly, just playing in the dirt and being outside – there’s nothing better than that.  
 

3.  I've heard crazy stories of incidents your fans have experienced while being in the crowds at your concerts. Everything from fist-fights to confetti throwing. What's one of the craziest things you've witnessed in the crowd while on stage?      
     from Holly in Conway, South Carolina

TH: Well, you know, there’s always the exposed body parts…that’s happened enough times to mention. That stands out. Signs…there was a huge sign that said, ‘Zac, I want to bang you like a drum.’ It was literally, like, 5 feet high and 15 feet wide – it was HUGE. And there have been other signs that you probably couldn’t print in your magazine. People jumping onstage…we’ve had situations where the barricades were too flimsy and the security wasn’t enough and we’ve had the whole audience rush the stage, which is never fun. It’ll start off with two people, then three or four people jumped out, and before we knew it, it was 30 people and the whole thing became a mob. There’s been a few times where…our audiences aren’t a much of a crowd-surfing crowd, but we’ve had times when people have done that and people lose articles of clothing or get hurtled over the barricading headfirst.  


4.  Do any of you have tattoos and if so what are they and where and if not would you ever get one?  
     from Kerri in Somerville, Massachusetts

TH: Actually, no one has tattoos, surprisingly. I’ve almost gotten a tattoo three different times. Probably the biggest reason [why not] for us is that we’re all perfectionists – we’re all really anal-retentive about our stuff, as far as creative things. So the tattoo – exactly the placement, exactly what it is – none of us are the kind of people who would recklessly put something on us that we may not like tomorrow. So nobody has tattoos. For me, a tattoo would definitely have to be something of meaning. It could never be just a cool expression of art on my body; it would definitely have to be something that I was into as a guideline or as a real marker of life purpose. ‘Cause it’s gotta be something you can handle when you’re 80, you know? Otherwise it’s like, ‘Wow, that picture of the naked girl with the crossbones over it doesn’t look so cool anymore.’ I saw somebody that was an avid vegetarian and they put a carrot on their arm and I thought, ‘Dude, you know that looks really stupid, right?’ I guess what I mean is if I had something that I really, really wanted to get a tattoo of I’d probably already have one!
 

5.  When making an album, how do you decide which songs to include?  
     from Kristina in Chicopee, Massachusetts  

TH: Picking songs is a combination of things. Obviously, it comes down to just wanting to pick the best songs – no categories, just the best. What are the songs that create the best quality hook, melody, lyrics and a combination of all those things?  Sometimes certain albums have a style and an approach that is more in a general direction that you’ve chosen to go. And sometimes there is a song that people love that isn’t the right style or vibe or attitude for that particular album. There have been cases where songs that fans have heard about and love and they say, ‘Why didn’t you put that on the album?!’ and it’s just been like…knowing that certain songs just aren’t right for that time period, so you have to sit on them. So I guess part of the way we select songs is by looking at the album as a whole, really looking at the album as an experience that you have when you listen to the whole thing. And everybody pretty much has to feel good about it.  It’s not a majority rule thing – everybody’s got to feel good about the final songs, so, it’s just a combination of gauging what’s the vision for this album, what are the stand-out songs, and then basically, slowly whittling down what you want the album experience to be. And sometimes that can be really difficult, you know? We joke that it’s sort of like having tons of children and then telling only a few of them that they can go to Disneyland. You think, ‘Wow, how come I can’t bring this one and this one on?’ You just have to be patient and know that the right songs will make it out into the world.

Link to Article