Ho-ho-holy cow it’s our 5th annual holiday episode! We haven’t got much new to talk about since our prior show a few months ago, so for this one we’re doing a long overdue project, ranking each hanson net EP from the beginning in 2003 up to today.
Plus: some thoughts on the recently released Perennial h net compilation, the usual Babe Miller Christmas message, and other random holiday nonsense. One of our longest shows to date!
Guest:
Nevena Vlajkovic
Any millennial will be able to tell you that there was nothing better than hanging out in the backseat of their mom’s minivan, jamming out to the radio while Hanson’s “MMMBop” blasted over the speakers. While the lyrics to the hit song were more or less nonsense, there was something irresistible about the melody and that band of brothers with blond luscious locks that we just couldn’t get enough of in the late ‘90s.
In 1997, the Hanson brothers were everything. Isaac, Taylor, and Zac ruled the late nineties. So, where are the Hanson brothers now? Die-hard fans will let you know that they haven’t gone anywhere!
The Hanson brothers founded the band in 1992. At that time, Issac was 11, Taylor was 9, and Zac was just 6 years old. Now, all the men are in their 30s, but don’t think that means they’ve slowed down at all when it comes to recording music and touring.
source: instagram
In March 2017, Hanson celebrated the 25th anniversary of their first album with the Middle of Everywhere: 25th Anniversary Tour. In October 2017, Hanson released their second Christmas album, “Finally It’s Christmas.” In July 2018, Hanson announced they would be doing a symphonic tour with an accompanying album, titled “String Theory.” On September 13, 2019, Hanson announced their Wintry Mix tour, which would span several cities in North America.
Unfortunately, during the Wintry Mix tour, Zac Hanson was injured in a motorcycle accident. However, the tour continued, with Zac on percussion and former HAIM drummer Dash Hutton filling in for him on drums.
Besides music, the Hanson brothers have another passion: beer. Issac, Taylor, and Zac founded The Hanson Brothers Beer Co. which is based in Tulsa, OK. In true philanthropic fashion, they donate a portion of their beer sales to charity. They also give away a free song with every bottle of beer.
“Our first love is music and with over twenty years as musicians and entrepreneurs in the band Hanson, we are integrating a bit of that craft into each beer sold by giving a free song with every bottle… Our recipe: the best ingredients and total dedication to all aspects of our craft, all brewed with passion. Beer + Music = Awesome,” their website reads.
Fun fact: between all three brothers, they have 13 kids. “It’s a cool thing,” Zac told Lorraine Kelly during an episode, Lorraine. “We spend a lot of time together touring, in the studio, and around each other, so our kids know each other really, really well.”
Taylor, the second oldest brother, has seven kids with his wife, Natalie Bryant. They welcomed their last little one into the world in Dec. 2020. They have four sons and three daughters. Zac and his wife, Kate, have four children together. The oldest Hanson brother, Isaac, has three children with his wife, Nicole.
WEEKLY PIC
This month we are getting all your input on the set list for our January livestreams for our Listener’s Choice stream theme. With listening on the brain, here’s a flashback to Underneath Tour days where the headphone icon made its premiere. Are You Listening?
Natalie Hanson recently opened up to PEOPLE about how she chooses names for her children
Here’s our take on tickets for the January shows – Listener’s Choice!
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WEEKLY PIC
Last weekend we completed our final stream of the year with and it was a festive send off. Thanks to all who participated online and in person. Now it’s time to cast your vote for the sounds of our January Stream and in the meantime Happy Holidays to you and yours! |
“When choosing the names for my children I tend to gravitate toward names that are unexpected, but translatable,” Natalie Hanson, who’s expecting her seventh child, tells PEOPLE
Taylor Hanson is adding another girl to his crew!
On Friday, the Hanson musician’s wife Natalie revealed on Instagram that she is pregnant with a baby girl, the couple’s third daughter together and seventh child.
“Sisters are so special and these two are getting a new one very soon! 🎀🎉🎀🎉,” Natalie, 36, wrote on Instagram while sharing a series of photos of her two girls, Wilhelmina “Willa” Jane, 8, and Penelope “Penny” Anne, 15. She and Taylor are also parents to sons Claude Indiana Emmanuel, who turns 2 on Dec. 26, Viggo Moriah, 11, River Samuel, 14, and Jordan Ezra, 18.
Natalie explains to PEOPLE how she and Taylor are deliberating over a moniker for their baby on the way.
“The process of choosing a name can be as unique as the name itself,” she says. “Sometimes the perfect name is a longtime love just waiting for the chance to be brought to life, other times you need to explore and patiently search out the name that is waiting for you to discover. Sometimes it’s a quick, unexpected moment of inspiration where you just know you’ve stumbled across the perfect name.”
“When choosing the names for my children, I tend to gravitate toward names that are unexpected, but translatable,” Natalie adds. “I like to find gems that are still undiscovered enough to make people squirm just a little when they first hear it, but in time sound completely obvious. I love a name that reflects both mine and my husband’s taste — a little bit name-nerd, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll!”
In celebration of their baby on the way’s name reveal, the couple are teaming up with Nameberry and allowing fans to guess the name for a chance to win $1,000. Already in on the game is Name Guru to the Stars Sophie Kihm, whose guesses include Cornelia, Dorothea, Guinevere, Henrietta, Lucinda, Millicent, Minerva, Susannah, Tabitha, and Theodosia.
The celebrity parents first announced the news that they are expecting their seventh child back in September alongside a sweet photo of the couple holding hands in a field.
“The best kind of unexpected. Number seven coming this December. #2020,” Taylor, 37, wrote.
In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE at the time, he added, “Our family is thrilled to be welcoming a new member later this year. More than ever, we are especially grateful for this fresh wave of joy.”
Notably, Taylor is one of seven children himself — in fact, he and brothers Zac and Isaac Hanson (who make up the popular American pop-rock band) are the oldest in a family that includes another brother and three sisters.
Isaac, 40, has three kids of his own — daughter Nina Odette, 6½, plus sons James Monroe, 12, and Clarke Everett, 13 — while Zac, 35, is a father of four: daughters Mary Lucille Diana, 4, and Junia Rose Ruth, 9½, plus sons George Abraham Walker, 7 next month, and John Ira Shepherd, 12.
STREAMING CONCERT SERIES
For the fourth consecutive month, pop-rock trio HANSON continue their live streaming series from Cain’s Ballroom. Starting in October, the band’s concert series has featured a different musical theme each month, ranging from classic albums revisited to December’s Christmas Ball. With January’s live events the group is flipping the script and putting their fans in the driver’s seat for the Listener’s Choice series. Starting today, fans from around the world will be able to engage in daily polls, with head-to-head song voting putting the fans in the position to steer the sound and shape of each concert.
“For the last three months we have selected different musical themes and set lists. To start the new year right, we thought we should give the audience the chance to decide just what kind of show we play,” said Zac Hanson.
The unique concert series offers livestreaming events for fans worldwide, while also making a limited number of in-person seats available to members of the bands Hanson.net fanclub community. All in-person seating adheres to health and safety guidelines in light of ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. Hosted from the historic Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa OK, the event also brings support to a local venue, and highlights the ongoing passion the band has for supporting local promoters and venues who are striving to weather the storm of many months without traditional concerts which are vital to their survival.
“The series at Cain’s has been an incredible way to stay connected with our community, and also draw further attention to the vital role independent music venues play in our industry. We are very grateful to everyone who has been a part of these livestreaming events,” added Taylor Hanson.
Further information on how people can get involved in advocating for their local venues as well as supporting the venues directly can be found at SaveOurStages.com.
For information on the livestreaming concerts and to find out how to access limited in-person tickets as a Hanson.net member, go to www.Hanson.net.
HANSON STREAMING CONCERT SERIES FROM CAIN’S BALLROOM DATES:
January 8-10, 2021
Natalie Hanson is a name-loving celebrity mom married to Taylor Hanson, lead singer of the band Hanson. She and Taylor have six children and are expecting their seventh baby at the end of this month.
Natalie is a dear friend of Nameberry, and we are thrilled to be hosting a very special celebrity baby name contest on Instagram with a one-time prize of $1000. As usual, I have dibs on my top ten guesses (which you can read more about below), and you get to guess one name per friend you tag in a comment. The first person with the correct prediction wins — and this time, the stakes are high.
The surprises don’t stop there — Natalie gave me a sneak preview of the sex of the baby and we’re making the announcement today, right now.
So, drumroll, please…
It’s a girl!
Woohoo! But what are they going to name her? Natalie wouldn’t tell me that part, so I came up with ten of my own predictions for the Hanson baby name.
The names and birth years of Natalie and Taylor‘s older children are as follows:
Jordan Ezra, “Ezra” (2002)
Penelope Anne, “Penny” (2005)
River Samuel (2006)
Viggo Moriah (2008)
Wilhelmina Jane, “Willa” (2012)
Claude Indiana Emmanuel, “Indy” (2018)
Natalie and Taylor were ahead of the curve in each of their children’s names — each name was below the Top 400 the year the child was born. However, they’ve gotten more adventurous over the years. The younger three children’s names were below the Top 1000 in their birth years, while the older three’s ranked between 400 and 600. So odds are, this baby will have an uncommon name.
All of the Hanson children have traditional names, in the sense that they have strong roots and have been used for centuries. Their names are familiar yet unexpected — everyone’s heard of them, but few are actually using them.
The girls’ names, Penelope and Wilhelmina, are both long and feminine with nickname potential — qualities Natalie has expressed she looks for in a girl name.
I’ve taken all of this together to determine my top ten choices for Baby Hanson Number 7. I excluded names beginning with any of the children’s first initials (E, P, R, V, W, and I, and also J and C) since I don’t think they’re going to repeat initials.
Read my rationale, then come up with your own predictions and enter them into our contest!
Cornelia: I realize I sort of broke my own rule here, since Cornelia begins with the same letter as Indy’s given name, Claude. But it’s too good to exclude from the list. Cornelia is a true neglected classic with a storied past. In Ancient Rome, Cornelia was the mother of the Gracchi brothers, who attempted social reforms in the Republic. Nell or Nellie is a charming nickname — another option is Cora.
Dorothea: Dorothea ticks a lot of the Hanson baby name boxes. It’s easily recognizable thanks to a host of literary and historical associations, yet grossly underused in the 21st century. Nicknames Dot or Thea would fit well with her sisters’. Plus, Dorothea’s meaning, “gift of God,” feels especially appropriate for a Christmastime baby.
WEEKLY PIC
We’re getting into the Holiday Spirit….including justifying our best/worst Christmas Sweaters. Looking forward to sharing holiday cheer for our Christmas Ball livestreams starting this Friday!