Taylor Hanson, the keyboard-playing middle brother of the sibling pop trio that "MMMBop"-ed its way into our living rooms seven years ago, can barely contain his excitement.

Hanson has three albums under its belt and critical credibility that's remarkably solid for a band negotiating the perilous transition from teen pop to album rock.

Mr. Hanson is living in New York City with his wife, Natalie, and their 18-month-old son, Ezra.

He's all of 21.

"What's so cool about where we are right now is that we can go in so many directions," he says via phone from the brothers' hometown of Tulsa, Okla., where Hanson rehearsed for a tour that stops tonight at the Warner Theatre.

"We own all our content; we've got a great management team. We're at an age when most bands are getting their start, and we've been in a band for 12 years.

"We can go anywhere now," he says.

Admirably headstrong for their age — guitarist Isaac is 23 and drummer Zac is 18 — the Hanson brothers kissed off a major label and created their own indie imprint (3CG Records) for their third album, "Underneath," which dropped in April.

The disc, a crafty cycle of guitar and piano pop, credited a few outside producers and collaborators, but it plausibly argues that the brothers have technical skills that match their precocity as singers and players.

"We've always had an independent spirit. It was a place we were always headed to," Mr. Hanson says of the band's do-it-ourselves credo. "We've always wanted to be in the trenches.

"On a more direct level," he continues, "it's really about shaping the message of what you put out there with your music and the impression people get of it — whether it's the artwork on the record or the press release that we send with it."

Mr. Hanson points out that he and his brothers released two independent records before attracting notice from Mercury Records, the major that released their 1997 breakthrough, "Middle of Nowhere," which led to a spate of less talented teen acts such as the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

Mr. Hanson bristles at being lumped into the late-'90s trend of boy bands and bad girls. He says youth never defined the band; it was incidental to the brothers' early success.

"A lot of young artists [perform] for the sake of being young artists. We just happened to be young in that part of our career," he says.

Hanson may be in control of its destiny; its financial house may be in order. But what about that other pitfall of brother bands — interpersonal fireworks? You know, the kind of tension and filial burnout that broke up the Black Crowes and had Angus and Malcolm Young (of AC/DC) at loggerheads.

Mr. Hanson is serenely confident.

While brothers will be brothers, he says, "We never let anything go so far as to jeopardize the big picture. We all love what we do as a band. We love making music.

"This is just the beginning," he predicts, "I plan on doing this for a long time."

WHAT: Hanson, with Maria Mena and Michael Tolcher
WHERE: Warner Theatre, 13th and E streets NW
WHEN: Tonight at 8
TICKETS: $32.50
PHONE: 202/783-4000 for information