Myspace Music Blog

The Hanson brothers made a big splash when they hopped back on the scene earlier this year with their foot-stompin’, and quite catchy single, “Thinking ‘Bout Somethin.’” So, now that the trio once again have a hit on their hands, what can they do to further boost their street cred? Well, enlist Weird Al Yankovic, of course.

In a behind-the-scenes look at Hanson’s video shoot for “Thinking ‘Bout Somethin,’” which debuted in its original form this past April on MySpace, the curly-haired king of parody explains his role in the video (“I am, what is known technically in the business, as the tambourine player”) and sheds any nasty rumblings about the true nature of his partnership with the mop-topped lads (“My relationship with the guys in Hanson. Totally platonic. I wish the rumors would stop”).

We’re not gonna lie… we’ve loved Weird Al from his “Gump” and “Amish Paradise” days… so, nice call, Hanson.

Watch the video below.

Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’- Weird Al Cut

HANSON | MySpace Music Videos

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=106472834

PaperMag

Hanson headlined our third and final Sounds Like PAPER concert of the summer last night, and, let us just say, Hanson fans mean business. The very enthusiastic crowd, which consisted of all age groups, went nuts when the trio broke into their mid ’90s hit “MMMBop” and our ears are still ringing. PAPERMAG talked to the boys before they hit the stage about their diverse and loyal fans, photography, books and giving back to the world.

Taylor, you’ve been keeping PAPERMAG photo diary, and a lot of people were asking how you got into photography and what kinds of cameras are you working with

TH: I’m a complete novice. For me, it’s about being there in the moment and capturing stuff that happens more than it is about really being a “photographer.” But my camera is the best point-and-shoot around — it’s a Deluxe 4 which is a Leica camera. But taking good pictures is mostly about just being astute. I find is that i have a hard time keeping journals and we realized you could capture a thought or a feelings better through a picture. It allows you to take trivial moments and make them a little less trivial. It can be a shot of someone just sitting there scratching their head, thinking, but when you look back on it you go “Oh there’s something kinda beautiful about that.” Then you remember all the different things that were going on around it.

Hanson does charitable walks with their fans barefoot. Why did you start doing that?

TH: The walks are a serious labor of love. It’s a grassroots thing with just us and there’s no glamour or a to-do list. That’s one of the things that’s great about it.

Isaac Hanson: Our walks have evolved into people all over the world taking their own walks where we donate a dollar to a certain cause for each mile walked. So the goal has been to encourage others to take action and take responsibility. And these causes may not fully resonate with you, and they may not be something you feel you can talk passionately about, but the important thing for you to understand your own capacity to lead and to go off and do important things in your everyday life. To realize that simple things can make a profound impact.

You guys have been a band for over 15 years already. Do you see a shelf-life to being a touring band? Do you want to be doing this until your in your fifties, or do any of you have individual aspirations you’d want to pursue outside of the band?

IH: Well, we all have individual aspirations for sure.

Zac Hanson: By the time we get to be 50 or 60 hopefully we’ll be slowing down a little.

TH: I don’t think at any point we’d ever say “we’re retiring as a band,” because it’s sorta like saying ‘I’m gonna stop caring about something.’ I have a side project called Tinted Windows and we all write with different people but we are as independent as any band you’ll ever meet. We own our label, we write everything, we produce it so if somebody’s like “Allright, I’m gonna go do a record with Quest Love” we’re not gonna go “No.” But our band is everything we are. We’re good with our fans and trying to have that relationship and keep it alive. We’re trying to start working on a whole new generation of people, and their kids, and their kids…

Do you guys still see young kids coming to your shows?

ZH: Most of our fans are our age — mostly 22-27. What we have seen are their younger sisters and younger brothers, or even their children.

IH: Now that’s really a crazy phenomenon.

TH: It should be about having fans stick with you for a long time. We were recently in Chicago and asked the audience “Who has seen two shows?” and everybody screamed. Then we asked “Who’s seen three..four…five..ten shows?” Like three-quarters of the audience had seen 10 hanson shows.

ZH: You have people who love Hanson and then people who don’t love Hanson, and we like that. We want our music to create some sort of emotional reaction — negative or positive — that it’s getting into people its forcing people to care. Nobody wants an audience of fans who are like “eh.”

Taylor, we noticed on your photo diary, that you’ve been reading Super Sad True Love Story, by Gary Shteyngart, who we contacted and is quite excited to hear about. We did a book giveway on our website, too.

TH: I really love his style of writing, but I’m actually only about three quarters through because I always read multiple books at once and I’m at that point where I have to push through. Then I’ll be able to give my full review.

What else are you reading on the road?

TH: Lots of random poetry by Ralph Waldo Emerson, I’m kind of a freak about Frank Lloyd Wright so I end up with random biographies of his and different people who wrote stuff about his architecture. It’s funny when when people ask ‘What do you do on the road?’ We don’t have time to do anything on the road!

IH: From 6 in the morning until 7 at night we’re out doing a radio or a tv thing for a couple hours and in the process we’re catching up on sleep.

TH: (Laughs) And then you know, you wake up in a pool of your own vomit every day from the night before.

Phoenix New Times

When I was 13 years old, my family and I moved to Arizona from Tennessee, passing through Oklahoma on the drive. Crossing the border from Arkansas into the Sooner State, we broke into a jovial, off-key sing-along. You know that Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!? The musical’s signature song memorably features the cast spelling out the state’s name in a dramatic crescendo of territorial American pride.

So we’re singing this song and it hits me: Hanson, my favorite band, featuring my future husband (Taylor, if you must know), lives in this state. I giddily demand that we drive through Tulsa, Hanson’s home base. For some reason, my demands are met and we go to Tulsa, where my girlishness and borderline insanity make the empty streets seem magical. “MMMBop” comes on the radio, and I gasp, because it’s obviously a sign from God. Absorbing all those Hanson stories in Teen Beat would pay off and, soon, the Hanson brothers would fall in love with me. Or something.

Fast-forward to 2010. The tween pandemonium has long since halted. The “MMMBop”-inspired insanity is a faded memory. The band grew up. And so did the fans. “We all started out so young together. I mean, I was 11 when we kind of hit the scene. I’ll be 25 this year,” drummer Zac Hanson says.

Hanson released their major-label debut, Middle of Nowhere, 13 years ago. Since then, they’ve released seven studio albums, including a Christmas album, parted ways with Island Def Jam (where they ended up after Mercury merged with Island). They started their own label, 3CG, a reference to their compilation album Three Car Garage, and started releasing their music independently.

“When we first formed the label, it was a lot crazier of an idea. What does being your own label mean?” Kac says. “In a lot of ways, it’s a very simple thing. I’m not going to give [my music] to someone else and say, ‘I hope it works out.’ For us, it’s a tool to grow with.”

In April, Hanson released the video for their latest single, “Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’.” Those same Tulsa streets I begged to drive on provide the video’s setting. The video pays homage to “Shake a Tail Feather,” which the diehards — both of them — will remember Hanson covered live and released on Live from Albertane. Taylor, Isaac, and Zac twist and shout with a huge cast of extras, re-enacting the famous Ray Charles scene from The Blues Brothers. It captures that same buoyant feeling from Hanson’s first burst of fame: dancing in the streets, singing as loud as possible, and pure, summery fun.

That single is from the new record, Shout It Out, a soulful pop outing featuring musical heavyweights. Jerry Hey, who arranged horns for Michael Jackson, joined the band to record in El Paso.

“These horns are pop horns,” Zac says. “It’s not orchestral or something like that. It’s a sound that brings excitement to the whole record. [Hey] did actually do a couple songs on our record Underneath and it was really great to have him back.”

So far, so good.

“The response to the record has really been phenomenal, and people have been saying really flattering things about the band. That stuff isn’t why we do it,” Zac says. “That scene [in the video] was just this perfect scene that connected with the way we feel about the new record. It’s people being unlocked and finding joy in music.”

Shout It Out is well-executed adult pop rock that satisfies the inner 13-year-old fangirl pining for a Hanson brother to call her own. As to whether crying, screaming, and fainting ensue, well, you’ll just have to see ’em live to find out.

PopEater

It’s no secret that Hanson’s video for ‘Thinking ‘Bout Somethin” pays homage the 1980 film ‘The Blues Brothers,’ but when the guys made a pit stop on their Shout It Out tour to do a radio interview in Chicago, they really opened up about the inspirations behind their video concept.

“The video was a blast to make,” Taylor tells 101.9 The Mix. “We didn’t shoot in Chicago — we shot in Tulsa — but we went to painstaking [measures] to capture the essence of the scene with Ray Charles where people break into dancing in the street.

“It was also about being true to life, because people always break into dancing in the middle of street,” the singer jokes. Watch Hanson’s interview and check out a live performance of ‘Thinkin ‘Bout Something’ after the jump.

AOL_vBlog4_Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’ from AOL on Vimeo.

AZCentral

There’s something about a brother group that tends to drive your average Tiger Beat subscriber wild.

In the ’90s, the three brothers Hanson emerged from the middle of nowhere with “Middle of Nowhere,” topping Billboard’s Hot 100 with the multi-platinum album’s breakthrough single, “MMMBop.”

A decade later, the three brothers Jonas scored their first Top 40 single, “Year 3000,” going on to land a Disney Channel series while sending two successive full-length efforts to the top of Billboard’s album charts.

All six brothers will be in the Valley today in a cosmic convergence of throbbing female hearts. To celebrate, we’ve assembled this handy guide to the pre-teen dream dates of two generations.

Your average cougar, of course, would gladly take all six.

Hanson’s breakthrough single: “MMMBop” topped the charts in 27 countries, its sing-along chorus recalling the hits of an earlier brother group, the Jackson 5. The song went on to top the Pazz & Jop poll, an annual survey of hundreds of music critics put together by the Village Voice.

Jonas Brothers’ breakthrough single: “Year 3000” gave the boys their first Top 40 single, but they made a bigger splash with “S.O.S.,” which hit No. 17 (and spent two weeks at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs chart). The video has been viewed more than 82 million times in just over three years on YouTube.

the question
Who had the better breakthrough single?
Hanson
The Jonas Brothers
They both make my ears bleed

Age of youngest brother at the time of mainstream breakthrough:

Zac Hanson was 11 when they topped the charts with “MMMBop.” Nick Jonas was 14 when they hit the charts with “S.O.S.”

the question
Who is more impressive?
Zac, obviously, for being younger
Nick, because I say so
The real question is, who is cuter?

Awesome Tiger Beat quote:

Hanson: Zac in March 2000, on the prospect of having a normal relationship at the height of teen idol-dom: “We’ve had offers of marriage. Like ‘Marry me!’ and you go, ‘I don’t know you!’ ”

Jonas Brothers: Asked who they go to for relationship advice, Kevin, as expected, admitted, “We go to each other. Honestly, we like to hang out and just talk to each other sometimes.”

the question
Based on a frivolous, cherry-picked quote from “Tiger Beat,” who do you think has a better shot at love?
–> Zac — he’s discerning
–> Kevin — his bros have his back
Both, hopefully, considering they’ve already gotten hitched
Neither, because they didn’t marry me

Street cred by association:

Hanson and the Dust Brothers: “MMMBop” was produced by a brother group made up of people who aren’t really brothers, the Dust Brothers, whose claim to hipster immortality is more likely to rest on the records they did with the Beastie Boys and Beck, whose last name only sounds like he’s their brother (it’s Hansen, not Hanson).

Jonas Brothers and Elvis Costello: After frequently mentioning Elvis Costello as an inspiration, the Jonas Brothers were given a chance to talk shop with Costello in a meeting of the minds arranged by Rolling Stone.

the question
Who has the better mentor?
The Jonas Brothers
Seriously, it’s clearly the Jonas Brothers
Hanson, just because I hate the Jonas Brothers

Hanson on the Jonas Brothers: In 2009, Zac told the Albany Times Union, “From what I understand, they’re talented. They write songs. They can sing. But to be honest, I just don’t feel like their music is really getting out there too much. It’s more about this pop-culture sensation.”

The Jonas Brothers on Hanson: Asked in a video chat in 2008 if they would consider recording with Hanson, Joe and Nick replied, “Maybe,” and Kevin said, “But in their longhair days.”

Classic teen magazine cover blurb: “Hanson is hot! And guess what . . . they’re all single!” (Teen magazine)

Favorite food: “Anything that’s fried in bacon grease.”- Zac Hanson, in a chat at nick.com.

Chick to whom they lost their best new artist Grammy, not their hearts: Paula Cole.

Classic teen magazine cover blurb: Why Demi came between Nick and Selena! (Tiger Beat . . . and that’s Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez.)

Favorite food: “I love my grandma’s homemade pizza. First of all, you’ve gotta say your grandma’s pizza is better than any pizza in the world. But it is the best because she’s Italian.” – Joe Jonas, bopandtigerbeat.com.

Chick to whom they lost their best new artist Grammy, not their hearts: Adele.

Jonas Brothers
With: Demi Lovato.
When: 7:30 p.m. today.
Where: Cricket Wireless Pavilion, 2121 N. 83rd Ave., Phoenix.
Admission: $37.50-$97.50.
Details: 877-598-8497; livenation.com.

Hanson
With: A Rocket to the Moon.
When: 7 p.m. today.
Where: Mesa Arts Center, 1 E. Main St.
Admission: $32.
Details: 480-644-6500, mesaartscenter.com.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/music/articles/2010/09/08/20100908hanson-jonas-brothers-phoenix-concerts.html#ixzz0yyZbzbhc

The Concordian

Those walking by the Student Center Tuesday could have heard a familiar nineties-era pop song.

In fact, they could have heard it several times.

Part of a Sigma Sigma Sigma fundraiser, the event was dubbed “Stop the Bop,” and its goal was to play Hanson’s “Mmmbop,” repetitively until reaching their monetary goal. After that, the music would stop.

“After all, who can’t use a little more Hanson in their Tuesdays?” Brittany Means, a member of the Tri Sigs, said.

The original goal was to reach $200 by noon and $300 by 2p.m. After that, the goal was much more ambitious and was amped up by another $100 by 6p.m.

Although they didn’t reach their optimum goal and didn’t play the song as long as they had originally intended, the Sigmas did manage to reach $178.06 in a six-hour time frame.

“I feel the event went fairly well considering there was much skepticism as to the outcome of this fundraiser,” Grace Hurney said. “I, for one, honestly didn’t believe anyone would actually pay to shut off ‘Mmmbop.'”

“The amount we raised was close enough to count as success in terms of a zero-cost fundraiser,” Hurney added.

Stop the Bop is the Sigmas’ first fundraiser of the semester. Means said the group is in need of money for a number of things including: formal recruitment expenses, fixing the sinkhole in their lodge’s backyard, and raising money for a spring trip to Chapel Hill, where they help terminally ill children.

So just how did the public react to this fundraiser?

“Some people loved the song! They said it was actually tolerable, and we should have picked something more annoying,” Means said. “Many people said it brought them back to their childhood and made them happy. Others, however, were threatening to report us for cruel and unusual punishment, which really was the whole point of the fundraiser.”

Hurney agreed with Means saying although some were not happy with the repeat play of the song, the biggest surprise was the amount of “closet Mmmbop lovers.”

“There were members of athletic teams breaking out some dance moves to the smooth grooves of Hanson. Certainly very entertaining.”

Both Hurney and Means said they would consider having an event like this in the future but said there needed to be more “fine tuning.”

GuestofaGuest

At first when I was looking through the pictures from last night’s Sounds Like Paper concert at the Roseland Ballroom, I couldn’t believe the photographer didn’t get any pictures of Hanson. Turns out, the three Hanson boys have just, you know, turned thirty since their MmmBop Days.

Go HERE for more photos by Santiago Felipe!

Admit it, if you ran into this guy at a bar, there is zero, absolutely zero, chance that he would be able to convince you that he was Zac Hanson. Nope, nice try kid, but Zac Hanson is tiny, blonde, with a sweet soprano voice, not the scruffy, married father of a three year old.

You remember Taylor?

You know, “the hot one”, with the sultry eyes, the one who got the biggest photo spreads in Tiger Beat Magazine?

Well, Taylor is 27 now, and he looks like Elton John.

Also, Taylor?

It would be great if you could STOP HAVING BABIES, that’s actually really depressing and makes your fans of yore feel both old and unaccomplished.

And finally, Isaac.

Isaac was always the sort of weird gawky one. If you had a friend in middle school who was constantly asserting her “uniqueness”, she would probably claim to like Isaac the best, even though that’s ridiculous because obviously everyone liked Taylor.

Well, Isaac is 30, looks like he’s a member of Vampire Weekend, and, in super-fertile Hanson tradition, has two children.

Insane, right?

Well, by all accounts, the Hansons are talented musicians, and their female fans are certainly as vociferous as ever. Here’s a video, for those interested, of Taylor (mmm)bopping around onstage last night with a tambourine.

The trio were joined last night by British pop artist Dan Black…

…and the always impressive Mia Moretti and Caitlin Moe.

But it was definitely Hanson that was the talk of the evening.

(Nope, still can’t get over it.)