Reinventing Hanson
by Sharon Salmon
A&E Editor
Link to scan of the article

Last Friday the University of Dallas screened Hanson's new documentary, Strong Enough to Break, in Lynch Auditorium.

The film follows brothers Isaac, Taylor and Zac during a tumultuous three year period when the band decided to break loose from their major record label Island Def Jam and form their independent label 3CG Records while recording their album Underneath, which reached #1 on the Billboard Independent chart in April 2004.

"After a certain point, we said, 'We can't do this anymore. This is not productive and we know where we need to go with this,'" Isaac said in a press release.

Hanson produced their documentary in order to educate people, especially young people, about the current state of the music business. To that end, the film has been adopted into college curiculums across the country, including University of Southern California and New York University. Last fall Hanson toured local colleges along with their documentary and held Q and A sessions after each screening.

According to the press release, the brothers hope to form a grassroots community of artists, labels, promoters and fans to advance independent music. Much of the documentary confronts the problems that arise when the business side of the music industry clashes with the creative side. By founding their own label and encouraging others to do the same, Hanson hopes to maintain a certain level of integrity in what can easily become an artless field due to financial concerns.

"Our choice to be independent again was about our belief in the relationship between us and our fans," Taylor said in a press release. "We're passionate about the future of independent music."

And their decision seems to have paid off. Their second album released on their label 3CG, The Best of Hanson Live and Electric, was, like Underneath, a commercial and artistic success, receiving high praise from peers and critics alike. The Village Voice wrote, "Hanson is secretly the greatest straight up rock band in America as shown on Live and Electric/i>." Entertainment Weekly praised the band for being "newly energized as they kick out brawny guitar-rock jams."

"For us to have done all that we have done and still be able to have success around the world and continue moving forward, you do appreciate it in a different way. It's that much sweeter," Taylor said in a press release.