HANSON ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE “GIVE A LITTLE” TO BE RELEASED APRIL 5

VIDEO PREMIERED ONLINE FEBRUARY 22 ON VH1.COM;

TV PREMIERE CONFIRMED FOR FEBRUARY 26 ON VH1 TOP 20 COUNTDOWN

PERFORMANCE CONFIRMED FOR THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO TONIGHT FEBRUARY 24

February 24, 2011 – New York – Indie pop rock trio HANSON are excited to announce the release of their new single, “Give A Little,” on itunes April 5, 2011. The single will be released in a variety of formats, featuring remixes by Questlove and RAC in addition to the radio mix and alternative video cuts which were inspired by the mixes, making the itunes bundle a must have for HANSON’s devout fans. The video for the upbeat single debuted online at VH1.com on Tuesday February 22. It will premiere on VH1 this Saturday February 26. The band will perform the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight, February 24.

The soulful and emotive “Give A Little” is the second single from their critically acclaimed fifth album, Shout It Out, produced and written solely by the band, capturing the soul-inspired song-craft they are best known for and released on their own independent 3CG Records. The album, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard independent charts, has received much critical acclaim – Billboard said that Shout It Out represents some of the band’s “most soulful work ever committed to record.”

For the high-spirited “Give A Little” video, in keeping with the celebratory nature of Shout It Out, HANSON has delivered an explosively exuberant dance party that matches perfectly the upbeat attitude of the song and the expression it inspires, with dancers and people of every kind, including toddler breakdancing by Isaac and Taylor’s youngest children. There are quick shots of the band alternately performing on their instruments, participating in the high-energy group choreography, goofing around and mugging for the camera. Bursts of color paint are utilized to offset the stark whiteness of the room, and point directly to the iconic aesthetic of the Shout It Out album cover.

HANSON has been enjoying a massive resurgence since Shout It Out came out in June 2010, and the release of the album’s first single “Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’”. The emotive retro-dance infused music video for the song quickly garnered over 3 million views online and climbed into the top 10 on VH1’s Top 20 Countdown. Featuring a guest performance by “Weird” Al Yankovic, the clip was an exuberant homage to classic film The Blues Brothers, recreating the legendary scene where the band’s music incites hundreds of people to dance in the street. The excitement spread to the band’s fanbase and beyond, inspiring flashmobs around the world, re-enacting the video’s dance sequence online.

Shout It Out was written and produced by HANSON, augmented with special guests: Funk Brothers bassist Bob Babbitt, who played on some of Motown’s greatest hits, as well as horn arranger Jerry Hey, who worked with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Earth, Wind and Fire and many more.

MTV.com

Shout It Out’s message is ‘Get out there and let loose,’ Taylor Hanson says.

The Hanson brothers released their latest music video, for their single “Give a Little,” on Tuesday (February 22). The sparse performance video for the Shout It Out track seamlessly includes dancers of all backgrounds showing off their skills. It’s a far cry from last year’s over-the-top clip for “Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’,” an homage to the Blues Brothers.

Crediting much of the success of “Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’ ” to the video itself, Taylor Hanson said the guys have a new mission with this video.

“With the ‘Give A Little’ video, we’re more thinking, ‘Hey this is about creating a template, a backdrop that just makes you love the song more,’ ” he explained to MTV News. “The difference with this song and the video is that it’s much simpler and much more about getting the song ingrained in your mind, thus was a very different thing.”

The video is, in fact, pretty simple: It features cardboard cutouts, ballerinas, dancing couples, some paint splatter and even hip-hop dancers. The guys get in the action during a big dance break, playing instruments while surrounded by the clip’s various performers.

“When we made the video, it was kind of the release after the high production of ‘Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’, ” Taylor explained. “With the ‘Give a Little’ video, it’s almost back to the blank slate. We invited all these dancers. We just set up a room, cranked up the music and threw a party and let people dance. The attitude is not about everyone doing the same moves; it’s about putting a unique twist.”

The video’s dance theme makes tons of sense, given the song’s lyrics, including “Let your body lose control” and “You know she just wants to dance.” The guys explained that while they aren’t known for their killer moves, they enjoy the vibe that a song like this puts into the world.

“There’s this energy to it,” Taylor said. “Strangely, there’s this dance theme. We’re not known for our dancing, but dancing is this metaphor that’s in the record. Kind of, ‘Get out there and let loose.’

“Spring will be here before we know it, and the song is upbeat and hopefully engaging.”

Give us your review of the ‘Give a Little’ video in the comments section below!

BuddyTV
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The Bad: The Justin Bieber Experience on Glee

Glee used the songs of Justin Bieber for two simple reasons: to give Sam something to do and to make big bucks by covering multiple songs from the Bieb. The result was a hollow episode with absolutely no substance, just sugary, auto-tuned bubblegum pop. Just because a singer is popular doesn’t Glee has to cover his songs. Thank God the show didn’t exist in the ’90s or we’d have had an all-Hanson episode, and there’s no way to make “MMMBop” integral to a story.

hansonstage note: We are pretty sure, given the lyrics to MMMBop that there is someway that it could be included in a story line. As could multiple other songs from Middle of Nowhere!