Hanson’s 20th ‘Underneath’ Anniversary, “MMMBop” Win, Connecting With Billie Eilish | Billboard News
HANSON: All Magic All The Time
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The Underneath:Experience is different every night, but we have a few moments that you don’t want to miss. See you at the next stop!
Hanson reflects on 20 years of ‘Underneath’ and favorite Georgia memories
GPB’s Kristi York Wooten speaks to Taylor and Zac Hanson about the band’s Georgia connections.
Hanson, the Grammy nominated trio from Tulsa, Oklahoma, returns to Atlanta to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its album Underneath. They’ll play two nights of concerts at the Buckhead Theater on Oct. 22 and 23.
GPB’s Kristi York Wooten caught up with the group recently to talk about the brothers’ interesting Georgia connections.
Hanson has been on the scene for more than two decades. Their 1997 major-label debut album featured worldwide hits such “MMMBop” and “Where’s the Love,” followed by a sophomore album called This Time Around.
When Hanson first played Atlanta’s Tabernacle in the summer of 2000, the brothers Isaac, 20 Taylor, 17, and Zac, 15, were already child stars. Now, ages 41 and 39, Taylor and Zac Hanson [Isaac, 43, was not available for the interview] are reflecting on how that night in downtown Atlanta was pivotal to their lives and careers.
“That was a very fateful night for particularly for Zac and I,” Taylor Hanson said, “Because we both met our eventual wives at that show. So we both married Atlanta girls. And, I mean, the Tabernacle is an amazing venue. And that tour was pivotal, because we were making a decision to really invest in connecting with fans in a way that well, frankly, just the way that rock and roll bands did.”
“Yes, we did both meet our wives at the show at the Tabernacle,” Zac Hanson said. “So forever we will love that venue regardless of anything that happens. And, you know, it started a real connection to that city, that place.”
What came next for Hanson was a break from the corporate world and starting their own label with the release of first independent album, Underneath, in 2004.
“Underneath, our album—we’re 20 years later and we really we talked about it at the end [of recording], like ‘This is an album about believing in the long view, about taking chances and about betting on our fans,’” Taylor said. “And they, you know, they stuck with us. 20 years later, they’re filling rooms all over the world.”
That album’s title track was co-written by Matthew Sweet, a veteran of the Athens, Ga., music scene. It’s a soulful ballad that helped catapult Hanson from teen idols to widely respected songwriters.
“Matthew started playing some chords and Taylor’s on the piano,” Zac said, reflecting on the writing process all those years ago. “And suddenly, in an hour or two, maybe three, we had this completed idea, and it became the title track of the album Underneath. And it was just melodic and meaningful. I think in a way, that song is the story of what we were doing as a band [at the time], which was just digging deeper.”
Sweet was scheduled to perform on the bill with Hanson at the Buckhead Theater on Oct. 22 as part of a two-night affair that dedicates one night to the acoustic side of things and one night to the electric, celebrating the textures that inspired the guys when they were writing the songs for Underneath. But unfortunately he is dealing with a health issue and cannot attend. Phantom Planet will perform Oct. 23 ahead of Hanson’s slot on the second night of the concert experience.
Hanson released a cover of Nick Drake’s 1972 folk ballad “Pink Moon” to match the stylings of Underneath and is excited to revisit their favorite songs from the era, including “Penny & Me.”
“It’s really amazing and joyful to share those songs this many years later,” Taylor said. “Because they may be the same, the same lyric, but they carry different meaning in 2024.”
Setlist: Underneath : Experience (Electric) 10/23 Atlanta, GA
Setlist: Underneath : Experience (Acoustic) 10/22 Atlanta, GA
90s pop band Hanson visits the PTL studios
Get ready to re-live some 90s nostalgia! The band Hanson is back in Pittsburgh and we sat down with them ahead of their shows in McKees Rocks.
Hanson proves they’re more than ‘MMMBop’ at Roxian show
Pop rock band Hanson performed at the Roxian Theater in McKees Rocks on October 18, 2024 ALEXIS PAPALIA | TRBLIVE
It’s time to get another catchy ’90s classic stuck in your head.
Pop rock band Hanson was a trio of precocious brothers when their hit “MMMBop” wormed its way into ears across the world in 1997. That may have been their biggest moment of pop stardom, but Isaac, Taylor and Zac have been consistently making music and touring since that breakout song. Their album “Underneath” — the 20th anniversary of which this current tour commemorates — was their first independent album and garnered them continuing success. They’ve released almost a dozen albums and numerous EPs and have busily toured the world all the while.
The “Underneath Experience” tour is a series of two-night engagements around North America, with the first night as an acoustic evening and the second night an electric one. Friday night’s show at the Roxian Theatre in McKees Rocks opened with songwriter John Calvin Abney, whose Texas drawl added a lush twang to his guitar-and-harmonica set. Saturday night will be supported by rockers Phantom Planet, of “The O.C.” theme song fame.
Hanson have grown up since their “MMMBop” days. At the time of that single’s release, they ranged in age from from 11 to 16. Their musical talent has matured, too.
All three brothers have always been musically multitalented, but it was still impressive how seamlessly each of them moved from role to role throughout their two hours onstage Friday night.
They also sing exceptionally well together, as the harmonies in set opener “Strong Enough to Break” proved. That song and its chaser, “Madeline,” were bouncy and mellow beginnings to a run of songs that built in energy. The acoustic format helped them out here, too — without overwhelming instrumentation, their soulful voices really shone. They may be a bit deeper than they were 25 years ago, but all three brothers can still boast great vocals.
After “When You’re Gone,” a ballad made to be sung to a stadium full of flickering lighter flames, they leaned more into percussion (thanks to Zac) in the sincerely moving “Georgia.”
They picked up a bit more steam with “Deeper,” adding more and more layers to the music and colorful spotlights as the majority-female audience sang along with the big pop chorus. “Annalie” followed, adding a touch of jam-band sound. They had a lot of fun with unusual time signatures on that one. And those harmonies!
Next song “Runaway Run” felt almost designed to be acoustic, a lovely ballad that had the crowd singing along as pink, blue and white spotlights twinkled over the crowd.
Each sibling got their own time to solo. Isaac took center stage to perform “River,” “We’re going to need you guys to sing with the chorus. There’s enough of the OGs in the crowd that the second time you’re gonna know what it is,” he said.
There certainly were enough decades-long fans to compete with his own voice in volume.
As he started to wrap up the song, he said, “I was thinking about the albums and artists I was listening to back in the day, like Counting Crows, Spin Doctors, and then I realized there was another band I was listening to a whole lot.” And he broke into a verse of Hootie and the Blowfish’s “Only Wanna Be With You” before belting out one last chorus of “River.”
You can always tell the soul of a band or artist by the covers they choose to play live. While that pick might not have inspired a lot of people, their minds would have swiftly changed when all three brothers came to center stage for a gorgeous rendition of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Teach Your Children.”
And then they played “MMMBop.”
Here’s the thing about “MMMBop.” Take a minute and go look at the lyrics. It is the zippiest, bounciest pop song that will ever induce an existential crisis. But hearing those words sung by adult men acoustically actually enhances them a lot and adds a layer of experience that makes the song even greater than its legacy.
Zac and Taylor took their solo turns at the keys, singing “Broken Angel” and “Save Me,” both powerful slow tunes accompanied by toned-down stage lighting that made the whole scene feel intimate.
The full trio reunited for a couple more originals and then pulled out a back-to-back of jaunty covers with Paul Simon’s “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” and Simon and Garfunkel’s “Cecilia.” They even nailed the whistle interlude in “Me and Julio,” which is no easy feat.
Abney came back out to join them for “Dressed in Brown Eyes,” lending his prodigious harmonica skills to help ramp up the energy in the room again. Hanson matched it with “Out of My Head,” which was big and springy with bursts of sparkling keyboard moments.
The crowd was jumping for “A Minute Without You.” Zac stood out on percussion, and he amped up the drums even more for the bluesy “Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’,” a stylistic departure that felt surprisingly natural — and really fun for these guys.
Honestly, their voices were nearly inaudible during “This Time Around” because the crowd was singing along so loudly, but it was one of the night’s best songs based on vibes alone. Before calling it a night, they wrapped with the truly anthemic “I Was Born,” encouraging the audience to clap along with the tune’s inspirational lyrics.
After a brief minute offstage, they returned for a two-song encore, starting with “Been There Before,” a fitting celebration of the music they love. The final song of the night was “Believe,” a beautiful slower song that was a bit mysterious as a closer after such a fiery run.
The brothers thanked the crowd many times before taking their last bows and left parting words, “We will hopefully see you tomorrow!”
After hearing one night of Hanson, it would be quite a treat to see what they have in store for the second show.
Celebrating 20th anniversary of ‘Underneath,’ Hanson keeps bopping along
The Atlanta Journal Constitution
The brothers return to Atlanta for two nights of shows featuring extended acoustic and electric sets of songs from their third album and beyond.
“Playing these songs acoustically really brings it back down to the core of the song itself,” Taylor Hanson (right) says of Hanson’s tour set list drawn from throughout the band’s long-running career. Here, he’s joined by his brother Isaac (left), Andrew Perusi (rear) and guest Cory Wong (front, center).
Since the irresistibly catchy “MMMBop” vaulted the Hansons to pop stardom in 1997, the sibling trio has released an impressive canon of pop-rock anthems via stand-alone singles and well-crafted albums, all ripe with smart pop hooks and sophisticated arrangements.
The Tulsa, Oklahoma-based band, comprised of brothers Isaac (guitar, vocals, bass, piano), Taylor (keyboards, vocals, percussion) and Zac (drums, vocals, piano), is joined by Dimitrius Collins (guitar) and Andrew Perusi (bass).
Currently on tour in support of the 20th anniversary of their third album “Underneath,” the band is stopping in select cities including Atlanta this fall. In most cities, the group is playing extended acoustic and electric sets, covering the highlights and deep cuts of their career. Hanson even has specialty craft beers available. Mmmhops, anyone?
Credit: Photo courtesy of Hanson
Expect Hanson — from left, brothers Isaac, Zac and Taylor — to have some of its Mmmhops beer available when the band plays the Buckhead Theatre on Oct. 22-23.
Recently, Taylor Hanson phoned from the road for a quick chat about the tour, which opens its two-night Atlanta stand on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
Q: How’s the tour going so far?
Taylor Hanson: It’s been great fun. We’re doing two nights in most cities, which kind of gives us a chance to take a few more risks, and we don’t have to pack everything into one show. Hopefully the fans can feel the energy and positivity we have for the tour and the material we’re honoring.
Q: Do you enjoy stripping the songs down a bit for the acoustic arrangements?
A: Absolutely. Playing these songs acoustically really brings it back down to the core of the song itself. But that’s the whole goal we’ve always had as musicians, I think, to put music out there, hoping people will find it and somehow relate to it. If they can relate to our whole sort of pop sensibility, then that’s fine, but in this format, the audience can hear the roots of where we’re coming from with these songs. … It’s a pretty unifying thing to experience from city to city.
Q: As you’re looking back on the Hanson catalog for this retrospective tour, how does it feel? Is it like looking back on your childhood in a way?
A: That’s absolutely true! With us, we started out so young and broke, it means a lot of marking things in the sand. I’m 41 now and we’ve been a band since I was 9 years old. That’s not how bands usually work — and we certainly realize how unusual that can be. Not only for us, but for the people who’ve been with us on this path.
Q: It’s like you’ve grown up along with the audience, instead of the fans looking up to you as elders, you seem to be peers.
A: Exactly. Our history seems to go so far back with the fans. We definitely feel that we’ve all kinda grown up together. I think we actually share a lot more stories this way, too. Like tonight, we’re in Chicago. We look out and we may not necessarily know everyone’s names, but we sure know the faces because so many of the fans have been with us for so long now. We’ve seen them grow up as we’ve grown up! It’s kinda strange but it feels comforting at the same time … The band and audience are connected, in a solid bond. The music is what keeps us tied together. It’s really that simple.
Q: Since you’ve shared so much of your life with the fans, do you feel any sort of obligation to act as a role model for them?
A: That’s a good question. I do think we have a certain amount of responsibly, which comes with any kind public career path. As entertainers, we are asking people to come and listen to what we have to say musically. But I think the main responsibility we have is to just to continue to make things people will enjoy. I feel like if our songs mean something to me, then they’ll mean something to other people too. It’s a mutual appreciation society in a way.
Q: So the material needs to be relatable to complete the circle.
A: Yeah. If I can convey something about feeling happy or sad or motivated or even pissed off, then I think it will resonate with someone else, because I’m conveying a real emotion. So that’s the main responsibly we feel as band in general, to just not phone it in or go on Autopilot when we play. Songs go past you and they live on. Hopefully, people will continue to relate and enjoy them a long time from now. Even after we’re not around. That’s the goal, at least. When you share art, especially in the digital age, it’s going to always be out there somewhere. You share the music, and the best you can do is to hope it finds people. Then, if they embrace it, well that’s even better!
CONCERT PREVIEW
Hanson
John Calvin Abney and Phantom Planet open. 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 22-23, $109 (includes ticketing fees but not taxes). Buckhead Theatre, 3110 Roswell Road NE, Atlanta. 404-843-2825, thebuckheadtheatre.com.
HANSON: The Tour Continues, With Help
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Underneath:Experience is one of our favorite tours ever. This week we say hello to the East Coast and head South. See you at the show.